by Greg Alder | Dec 14, 2018 | Avocados |
I begin with the story of two avocado trees grown from seed. These trees are related yet separated by about ten miles and eighty years — and they illustrate a thing or two about what kind of tree you can expect when you plant an avocado seed. Seedling avocado...
by Greg Alder | Nov 9, 2018 | Avocados |
My attitude toward protecting avocado trees during winter cold snaps has evolved. I once lived close to the beach where I never thought about protecting my avocados in winter. Then I moved inland and watched the temperatures dive at night but shrugged at first, “Well,...
by Greg Alder | Oct 12, 2018 | Avocados, Soil |
Last week, I visited the largest organic avocado farm in California. It’s those hills in the photo above — they’re covered with 1,000 acres of avocado trees. And I felt vindicated when I saw that they care for the soil under their trees in essentially the...
by Greg Alder | Sep 14, 2018 | Avocados |
I’ve been buying avocados the last couple weeks. This is embarrassing because I have more than a dozen avocado trees growing in my yard. We have no fruit off our own trees at the moment, however, due to a combination of some trees having an “off” year, plus the...
by Greg Alder | Jul 20, 2018 | Avocados |
Looking to plant the common Hass variety of avocado in your yard? Looking for the less common Reed? Searching for where to buy a rarely grown avocado variety like Nabal, GEM, or Jan Boyce? Let me try to connect you with the grower or seller of the avocado variety of...
by Greg Alder | Jun 22, 2018 | Avocados, Watering |
I’ve always wished there were a simple formula that could tell us how much and how often to water an avocado tree. Alas, the variables are too numerous and complex: weather is ever-changing, different soils have different capacities, each method of watering creates...
by Greg Alder | Jun 8, 2018 | Avocados, Pests |
If your avocado leaves are getting holey this spring, you are due for a night hunt. Every May and June, I find myself going out after dark and finding the same culprit: June bugs. Here’s what I do: Grab a flashlight or better yet, a headlamp. Bring along a cup...
by Greg Alder | May 4, 2018 | Avocados |
Even though I’ve planted many avocado trees, I was nervous putting in this little Jan Boyce, or JB for short (pictured on left). It is a particularly fine-tasting variety that I’d been trying to get my hands on for years. But I needn’t be too nervous. I’ve...
by Greg Alder | Apr 20, 2018 | Avocados |
It was 95 years ago that J. Eliot Coit, who would later be called the father of the avocado industry, wrote the article “How to make the avocado tree bear.” In other words, we’ve always wished avocado trees gave us more fruit. One way to encourage production is...
by Greg Alder | Apr 13, 2018 | Avocados, Citrus, Fruit |
April is a dynamic time to talk about fruit trees — as they are all blooming and flushing — and this last week I did so as the monthly speaker for the Ocean Hills Garden Club in Oceanside. When allotted only an hour to cover “Growing fruit trees in...
I'm Greg. My goal is to help others grow some food at home, with a focus on vegetables and fruits -- especially avocados -- in Southern California. I write a new "Yard Post" every Friday. 
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