Avocados provide an essential mix of nutrients including about twenty essential vitamins and minerals. A key benefit is that they do not contain any cholesterol. They’re also low in saturated fat. Fruits are an essential part of our lives they provide you amazing nutrition and health benefits in so many ways – and avocados rule.

Avocados

• Genus: Avocado/Bay
• Plant type: Persea Americana
• Height: 30 to 40 feet (9.14 to 12.19 meters)
• Width: 25 to 35 feet (7.62 to 10.66 meters)
• Leaves: Persea Americana 
• Flowers: A light green Persea Americana mill
• Cotyledon: Consists of three layers, the exocarp, the fleshy mesocarp, and the thin layer next to the outer seed
• Propagation: Involves cuttings, layering, and grafting or grow from seed
• Water Requirement: ~62 gallons (280 liters) applied 
• Harvest Time: Early September 

Want to expand your edible garden with a few avocado trees? Picture some big, beautiful trees with juicy avocados. Those trees could be on your farm or yard, providing you and your family with creamy, fresh, and organically grown avocados.

The beauty about growing avocado is that both children and adults love them and every person who owns a homestead or a yard can easily grow avocados.

Grow a rewarding avocado grove

We’ve already mentioned they’re nutritious. They are filled with the beneficial power of minerals, vitamins, beneficial antioxidants, and healthy fats. They are low in sugar and contain no salt or starch. Avocados are also one of the most wonderful fruits you can eat in summer. They are high in flavor and are easy to prepare. There’s little that can compete with the simple taste of  guacamole with tortilla chips.

You may be surprised to learn that growing avocados from seed is easy. It also makes an excellent educational project for children. With a little care and attention, avocados can provide bountiful harvests. Grow enough of them, and they can even become a viable source of income.

So, without further ado, here’s a simple guide on how to grow avocado in your backyard or farm.

Initial steps to grow avocado

Growing avocados is relatively stress-free. Avocados can be grown when temperatures are warm. Planting an avocado seed is a superb way to grow your way towards good nutrition and health. Here are the initial steps you’ll need to follow, to successfully grow avocado.

 

Step 1: Find a good spot

Your avocado tree will require full sun while being sheltered from strong winds and frost. They also require to be well away from seaside locations and salt-laden winds. Good drainage is necessary. The soil should be well composted and sandy enough to ensure adequate drainage. Avocado trees grow well on sloping ground, where water does not settle around its roots.

Step 2: Plant section

Avocados can be grown quickly from seed, but in some cases, you can’t expect to produce fruit for at least 9 years. A good option is to only place a grafted plant that will typically produce fruits within three to four years.

There are numerous varieties of avocado available for home growers to use such as, Fuerte, Hass, Sharwil, Wurtz, and Hazzard which can be grown on dwarf rootstock and should exceed 9.18 ft (2.8 m) in height.

Step 3: Preparing the soil

The secret to growing avocado trees successfully is to make sure you have near perfect drainage. You may have to build garden or farm beds at least 15.75 to 23.60 in (40 to 60 cm) high and 2.18 yards (2 m) wide if you’re not planting on a slope. Mix plenty of organic fertilizer and compost into the available soil, prior to planting.

Step 4: Mulching

Avocado is a rainforest tree species and is also a surface feeder. This means that mulching is quite important. A mulch of compost mixed in with pressed sugar cane or straw can be laid around and slightly away from the stalk, up to 13 cm thick. The mulch should be spread over the entire canopy root zone. You may have to reapply it annually from July to August if needed.

 

Step 5: Feeding

Avocados should be well-fed, so always provide organic fertilizer in spring and lightly follow through in early summer and early autumn.

Step 6: Watering

Avocados enjoy wet, and warm conditions so always ensure you keep watering the plants through the growing season. This is especially important during summer heatwaves. However, be cautious not to overwater in winter.

Step 7: Pollination

Avocados are not self-pollinating. Some verities can fruit well on their own, but cross-pollination between type A trees with morning receptive flowers, and type B evening receptive flowers can enhance the fruiting of avocados. So, it is ideal to plant type A and type B trees in close proximity in your garden, homestead or farm.

Step 8: Harvesting

When the avocado fruits adopt a dull sheen and the button of the fruit stem begins changing to a lighter color, the fruit should be ready to harvest. To make sure, you can pick one avocado and put it in a dark cupboard or paper bag to ripen. If it softens in a week or two then the trees are ready to be harvested.

Step 9: Diseases and pests

Phytophthora is a common soil fungal infection that can affect avocados and can spread in waterlogged soil. They can cause yellowing and dropping leaves which may eventually kill the avocado tree.

A good strategy to avoid this problem is to ensure adequate drainage. You have to practice good hygiene around the infected soil since fungal infection can easily be carried on garden tools and other equipment. It needs to be corrected in the daily feeding routine. Gypsum or limestone soil amendments help as will addition of organic matter into the soil (compost) which will promote the colonization of beneficial microorganisms.

 

There you have it. It’s fairly easy to grow avocado in your garden or farm while throwing in some fun along the way.