This question is unanswerable in an objective sense. But I’m game to attack it with a fun and practical twist: I’m imagining that I just moved into a new house with a blank yard . . .
Hass is the most widely planted variety in the world for good reason.
One tree: Hass
If I had the space for only one avocado tree, I would plant a Hass. You might find this answer boring, in which case I’d be willing to bet that you don’t already have a Hass tree in your yard.
If the only Hass avocados you’ve had are from the grocery store, then you have no idea. A homegrown Hass, picked at prime time — around May or June in southern Southern California, but some months later up near Point Conception — and ripened at room temperature on a kitchen counter (not refrigerated and gassed with ethylene during its mishandling on the way to a retail outlet) is a knockout. But that’s actually not why I’d choose it to grow as my only tree. There are other varieties that taste as good or possibly slightly better than Hass.
Hass beats almost everyone at the length of its harvest season. With a single Hass tree you can have good avocados at hand for at least seven months out of every year.
Avocados don’t ripen while hanging on the tree. They grow and mature on the tree, but they only ripen (soften) after being picked, after their stem is severed. Hass has the wonderful ability to mature its fruit and then hold them on the tree for many months, waiting for you to pick them. (Compare that to many peaches, which can’t hold their mature fruit for more than a couple weeks!)
Reed with Hass
Two trees: Reed with Hass
If I had the space for two avocado trees, I would plant a Hass and a Reed. The main reason I’d choose Reed is that its harvest season complements the Hass. Reed is basically a summer-into-fall variety. In my yard, Reeds start to taste good as early as May, and can go through September. As you get closer to the ocean and farther north, the Reed season gets later and longer because of the cooler temps. But the important thing is that Reeds taste great a couple months after Hass are at their best. So with just these two trees, I’d have the highest quality avocados in the world for most months of the year.
(Alternatively, if I had a neighbor with a Hass or a vendor at a farmers market who sold good Hass, then I could plant a Reed as my only tree.)
What’s Reed like? It’s significantly bigger than Hass, as seen in the photo above, and Reed also stays green when it’s ripe. Big and green are the two fatal qualities that prevent Reed’s acceptance as a commercial variety in today’s small and black Hass world.
(See more about Reed in my post, “The Reed avocado tree: a profile.”)
Funny thing is that Hass was once an outsider. “Its single disadvantage is its black color, which has been associated in the minds of the public with poor quality fruits,” wrote H.B. Griswold in a 1945 article titled, “The Hass Avocado.” This was written when the green Fuerte was king of a young California avocado industry.
Fuerte: the finest fruit?
Three trees: Fuerte with Reed and Hass
If I had the space for three avocado trees, I would add a Fuerte to the mix. Although I enjoy the diversity of tastes in most all avocado varieties, there’s something about Fuerte fruits that hit the target for me. It could be something I acquired from eating Fuertes as a kid, I don’t know. But the distinctive smooth texture and nutty yellow flesh of a perfect Fuerte is so appealing to me that I don’t even want to adulterate it as guacamole.
Then why isn’t Fuerte my top choice? Compared to Hass, its harvest season isn’t as long. And compared to Reed, Fuerte’s production isn’t as consistently high. In fact, Hass also produces more reliably than Fuerte in most places. This is one of the reasons that Hass went from obscurity in 1945 to over 95 percent of the commercial avocado production in California today. (See page 28 in Gary Bender’s book, Avocado Production in California.)
But Fuerte can produce (see the photo above). And along with Reed and Hass, I’d have a great threesome in a backyard because Fuerte’s season starts a couple months before Hass. So I could eat Fuerte starting in the late fall, then switch to Hass in the spring, and pick Reeds from the summer until almost when the next crop of Fuerte is ready. That’s nearly year-round, top-notch avocados from three trees.
Why not the others?
There are lots of other very good avocado varieties. But I would add them only after planting this trio. Some of them are relegated to a lower tier because of flavor (Zutano); some aren’t productive enough (Holiday).
But a couple are right on the cusp of that top tier. If I couldn’t find a Reed, I’d substitute with a Lamb. Lambs are also highly productive, taste very good, and mature in summer into fall.
(See more about Lamb in my post, “The Lamb/Hass avocado tree: a profile.”)
And if I couldn’t find a Fuerte, I’d substitute a Pinkerton. Pinkertons are very productive, especially considering that they are a smaller tree, and like Fuerte, Pinkertons also mature a bit earlier than Hass. The main negative is that, to me, Pinkertons don’t taste quite as good as Fuertes.
(Not that Pinkerton avocados aren’t delicious though. See my short video profile of Pinkerton avocado fruit here.)
I hope you get a chance to plant a real avocado tree — or three — this spring. And I hope this post helps you choose your own best kind.
(If you’re wondering where to buy one of these avocado varieties — or any other variety of avocado tree — see my post, “Where to buy an avocado tree.”)
You might also like to read my posts:
Should you buy a big or small avocado tree?
Growing avocados in Southern California
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. 
Those three trees would be my choice too, another benefit of the fuerte in the mix is that it’s a b type and you will get good pollination and more fruit set. Thanks really enjoy your posts!
Should I plant a Reed to complement my other trees? I have a place near my citrus trees. Is that too far away?
I love your articles!!
Hi Syndea,
Yes, plant that Reed! And don’t worry about the distance.
As Adrian alluded to above, Hass and Reed are A types while Fuerte is a B type, which makes cross-pollination all the more likely, enhancing fruit set. But keep this in mind: each of these three varieties is capable of producing a hundred avocados on a tree that’s less than 15-feet tall — even if it’s not close to an opposite-type tree. I’ve seen numerous examples of this throughout Southern California.
Also, avocado flowers are primarily pollinated by bees, and bees readily fly between trees that are 50 feet apart. I’m watching them do so in my yard right now.
Great article Greg! Wish I’d read something like this a few years ago. Better now than never. I love my Hass. I picked up the last Reed from Walter Andersen’s last week and a little Fuerte. Now I have all three. This makes me very happy😊
Such great information for gardening in San Diego! Thank you!
Great article, and I agree with your choices of Hass, Reed, and Fuerte, but only if you live in a true mild avocado climate. If you live in a cooler area I think it calls for some adjusting.
I live on the edge here in the San Fernando Valley when it comes to frost (and heat) so in addition to my Reed I have planted Sir Prize, Stewart, and Mexicola as cooler weather backups.
I also have a Bacon way in the back yard mostly for pollinating. I would have preferred a Jim Bacon but couldn’t find one. I just planted a Sharwill which I found at Atkins, hoping that our “Global Warming” trend leans my way.
Also I love Fuertes, but only if you have a big yard. Most people are a bit lazy when it comes to tree pruning. Asking them to prune 3X a year I think is questionable.
One last thing. When I walk around my neighborhood here in Sylmar, Its amazing how most people abuse their avocado trees by having their gardeners rake up those leaves as soon as they hit the ground. When you talk to them they are totally clueless.
Hi Dal,
Thanks for the good ideas. Just so you and other readers know, my yard is in inland San Diego County near the town of Ramona. I know Sylmar, and I would guess that my neighborhood is slightly milder than yours even though my area is also on the hot side in summer and chilly side in winter, as far as most of Southern California goes.
Incidentally, I have found Reed to be excellent in the heat. How does your Reed do through Sylmar summers?
You’re absolutely right that most people won’t prune their avocado trees. It’s a sad fact. I say sad because avocados must be the easiest trees on the planet to prune. The wood is soft, the leaves are soft. The only tough part is that you must whitewash exposed bark.
About the leaves, I think most people just think it looks messy. Of course, they don’t understand the function of that leaf litter. They must look at my yard and think it’s disgusting!
Greg – The Reed is only two years old and have not harvested any fruit yet. If you want to know how to kill an avocado tree, ask me I’ve done it all. I didn’t protect my Reed with shade cloth when I first planted it, and my paint protection was not enough to prevent the top being seriously burned so I lost about 18-24 inches on the top. We might be on to something. With this global warming trend I think it might be time for U.C. Riverside to
come up with some heat resistant varieties.
Yes, heat tolerance would be a desirable quality indeed. On that note, I should mention a post that I wrote a couple summers ago after my yard reached 109.8 degrees one day. That day gave me a chance to compare the heat tolerance of multiple varieties: http://gregalder.com/yardposts/heat-tolerance-of-avocado-varieties/
I was curious where you get all the wood chips for mulch?
Hi Matt,
I listen for the sound of a chainsaw. And when I hear one in my neighborhood, I find the tree trimmers and ask if they’d be willing to dump their chips by my driveway. I have a space there where it’s convenient for them to dump.
But sometimes I don’t get lucky with that method, in which case I go to the Miramar Landfill in San Diego where they process such wood chips along with other yardwaste by composting it for a couple weeks and screening it. They call it Standard or 4″ mulch. (I prefer this to their compost, which is a bit overcooked and too fine for my liking. It becomes hydrophobic whereas the mulch never does.) Here’s a link to Miramar’s offerings: https://www.sandiego.gov/environmental-services/miramar/greenery/cmw#products
I’ve been told that landfills in other counties offer similar products.
Thanks, great ideas!
When you put a thick layer of tree trimmings down, do you turn them to allow air to circulate? One concern I have about fresh trimmings is the build up of spores and what not from it just being piled up (6 inches or so thick).
I just put down the mulch and leave it be. If it’s fresh and thick, you’ll soon notice a lot of fungal growth (hyphae — white webby stuff) if you poke inside, but that’s never had bad consequences as far as I’ve observed.
In fact, it is precisely the microbes in there doing their work that produce the enzyme called cellulase which is said to fight the pathogenic fungus that causes root rot disease in avocados (Phytophthora cinnamomi). So, in a sense, you don’t want to disturb them.
See this article about mulches and controlling root rot in avocados: http://www.avocadosource.com/WAC5/Papers/WAC5_p561.pdf
I see, thanks for the link.
so you’re saying when i’m trimming my own trees each year that i can just ask them to just dump them in my driveway so i can use it as mulch too? how come i never thought about this!
Hi Greg,
We’ve been in our San Diego (San Carlos) home a year and are finalizing landscaping. We planted 4 avocados in the front: Hass, Sharwil/Kona, Fuerte, and Reed. We’re trying to get avocados all year round with varieties we’ve tried and like. I plan on keeping the trees no taller than about 12’, so I don’t have to get on a ladder. To mitigate the clay soil, the planting area is raised, and the adjacent rock wall is free standing to allow drainage.
Stay sharp! Robert
Hi Robert,
That sounds like an excellent setup and arrangement of varieties. I know you know the pruning game so I’m sure you’ll have no problem keeping the trees at 12 feet. Nice work!
Greg, thanks for the article and all the comments.
Where do you guys find Reeds in San Diego? I have tried a bunch of places with no luck, its even hard finding a Fuerte.
Found some 5gals at Atkins in Fallbrook. I like that place, he even recommended going down to Maddocks a bit further if he didnt have what I wanted. Screw the big/medium locals, I am going to Fallbrook from now own to get my avo trees straight from the growers. Atkins has a bunch of other varieties that you never see around.
Hi Colin,
Yes, Atkins is a great source of uncommon avocado varieties. Oliver Atkins, the founder of the nursery, was the longtime chair of the Variety Committee of the California Avocado Society. I have bought a number of trees there. I’m glad you found your Reed there!
I also like Maddock. I’ve never bought from Clausen but have heard good results from a friend who has bought avocado trees there.
Most of the other retail nurseries buy from the same wholesale growers (La Verne and Durling). So from Armstrong and Evergreen and Walter Andersen, etc. (and even Home Depot) you can get a Reed avocado tree grown by La Verne or Durling. However, they often don’t have any in stock, which means your only choice is to put in a request and wait for delivery — as you noted.
It’s crazy that these bigger nurseries carry many more inferior varieties, such as Zutano, while less frequently have Reed. I just don’t understand it.
Hope your Reed takes off this summer.
Thanks Greg. Wish Maddocks was open on the weekend so i could check it out. Going back to Atkins to get a Sharwil to pair with my Reed.
Now I am wondering if I will regret having a Bacon paired with my Hass instead of getting a Fuerte. Maybe I should dig a 5th hole. Thanks again.
The two main differences between Bacon and Fuerte are that Fuerte tastes better but Bacon is more productive.
I don’t think you’ll regret a Hass/Bacon pair unless you don’t like the milder taste of Bacon. It doesn’t make great guacamole, but it’s excellent on sandwiches and in smoothies.
So I tried a Reed for the first time today from the farmer’s market. At least I think it is a Reed, they said it was and it definitely looks like one from all the pictures.
It’s good no doubt, but being the guy at Clausen told me it is the _best_ avocado, I was a bit surprised that it didn’t have the high oil content like a Hass, it reminded me much more of a Fuerte, milder and more water based than oil based.
What is the next most “oil-based” Avo after the Hass? The Mexicola and Lamb both look like they might be based on the pictures I have seen.
Thanks all
See if you can find a Reed to try again in September and you’ll probably get a richer flavor from it.
Still, taste is subjective and there’s no accuracy in saying any one variety is the best tasting to anyone but yourself.
Lambs do get rich, for sure. But not until the end of summer. Mexicola is the oiliest variety that I have tasted but it’s a bit too intense for me, and I wouldn’t say it’s one of my favorites. Might turn out to be yours though!
Hi! I’d like to plant an avacado tree in my front court yard. Besides it being a source of great tasting fruit i’d like it to be a nice (picturesque) shade tree. From your experience what avocado tree should I plant? I was considering planting coastal live oak at first but now leaning towards fruit (avocado) tree instead. I live in San Diego, about 7 miles away from the coast. Thanks. Yulia
Hi Yulia,
If you want the tree to grow more vertically, I’d plant a Reed. If you want it to spread very horizontally, I’d plant a Fuerte. If you want it to grow both up and wide, I’d plant a Hass.
Truly, you can prune almost any variety to almost any shape, but it’s easier if you go with the natural tendency of the variety.
The only varieties that I would avoid for the use of shade are Holiday, Wertz, Stewart, Gwen, and Lamb. These are varieties that take a long time to get big enough to be useful as shade trees compared to other varieties.
Thank you. You answered my question.
Hey Greg,
Thank you for your great thoughts on Avo’s! I’m really benefiting from your observations.
Do you have any experience or exposure to Nabal Avo’s?
Hi Cam,
Yes, I like Nabal. They’re rich in flavor and creamy in texture without any strings. They’re similar to Reed in both taste and appearance (round and green skin), except that the Nabals I know have a thicker, shell-like skin. The skin also gets some brown russetting. Come to think of it, I’d say Nabal fruits taste a tad richer than Reed, actually.
The variety has been grown in Southern California for about a hundred years, having been brought up from Guatemala by Wilson Popenoe.
What are your thoughts on a Sharwil Tree? I’ve never tasted one but wondering how it compares to Reed and Hass in your opinion.
How is the sharwil compared to fuerte?
Hi Nancy,
The taste of a Sharwil avocado is excellent, on par with any avocado that I’ve tasted. In terms of comparing it to the taste of other avocados, that’s tricky for me. I never feel like I have a palate that is refined enough to give a sufficiently florid description.
What comes to mind is that Fuerte has a more distinctive flavor. If I eat some Fuerte fruit blindfolded, it’s so easy to identify it as Fuerte. But for others like Hass and Reed and Sharwil, to take the ones you mentioned, they just taste like awesome avocados. They aren’t peculiar in flavor to me, they just taste like everything I hope for when I think “avocado.”
As for growing a Sharwil tree in your yard, you’ll probably find that it won’t be quite as productive as a Hass or Reed, but possibly more productive than a Fuerte. Note that I’m really tentative about saying this. I can’t speak from personal experience about my own Sharwil trees because they’re too young, so this guess is based on what I’ve seen in others’ Sharwil trees in Southern California. Also, strangely, there aren’t too many Sharwils around considering that it’s not a new variety and everyone who tastes one says they approve.
But I think it’s going to be a more common variety for Southern California in the future. Just a couple days ago, I visited the largest organic avocado orchard in California, and they recently planted a lot of Sharwil trees.
Hi Greg,
Can you please tell me which avocado orchard you visited in California? I’ve been looking for a long time where could I purchase sharwil avocados. I’ve been looking at farmers markets in San Diego, no luck so far.
Hi Anya,
I’m sorry but even though that farm has Sharwil avocado trees growing, the trees are too young to have a substantial crop and so they haven’t started selling the fruit. They are located in Fallbrook, and possibly in 2020 they’ll start selling Sharwils. I’ll ask and post an update here as I learn. I don’t know of any other commercial avocado grove with many Sharwils, unfortunately.
have a question about sizing when purchasing. reading on other forums, i’ve seen comments that it’s better in the long run to plant a smaller size tree (3 gallon +) compared to a larger 15+ gallon size tree….that the smaller size tree will out perform and out grow the larger gallon size in the future. have you seen any truths to that? (it is tempting to just buy a larger tree but i’m in it for the long run).
Hi Johnny,
I’ve heard people say that too, but I’ve never found evidence for it. The fifteen-gallon avocado trees I’ve planted have all continued to be far bigger and productive earlier than five-gallon trees planted at the same time.
There are a lot of factors that go into the long term performance of a tree, but all other things being equal (health of tree, scion variety, rootstock, care), I also see no theoretical reason that a younger tree would somehow jump ahead of an older tree. And that’s what a five- compared to fifteen-gallon tree is: younger.
The main reason that I usually buy small avocado trees is because they’re so much cheaper.
If I only have space for one avocado tree, could I graft several varieties to this one tree, or is this not recommended? I live in southern CA zone 10b near Los Angeles.
Hi Jack,
Yes, you can definitely graft several varieties onto one tree. However, the main challenge is that different varieties grow at different rates so you have to prune in order to make sure that one (or more) don’t take over and shade out the other(s).
I’ve got a Fuerte tree that I’ve grafted a couple Pinkerton and Lamb branches into, but this situation is easier because I want those Pinkerton and Lamb branches to stay small and just provide pollen for the Fuerte; I’m not trying to have each variety take up about a third of the canopy area.
Still, what most people prefer to do is plant multiple trees close together, even in one hole. It’s just easier to maintain over the long haul.
Hi Greg, I will be planting two avocado trees in the spring. I’m leaning towards Bacon and Lamb Hass. I live against the mountains in Pasadena so it can get pretty chilly in the winter will these verities do well in my climate? Also my grandfather said growing up in Los Angeles they had Mcarthur avocados, Have you ever heard of them? Thank you for all the great information!
Hi Griffith,
I think Bacon and Lamb are good choices. They should do well for you. I grew up against the same mountains, but out in Glendora, and Bacons do great there. Where I am now (Ramona) gets a little chillier even than there but Lamb does fine in my yard.
I do know MacArthur avocados. I’ve only eaten them once though, a handful of years ago up in Carpinteria. They’re hard to find these days. They are on the bigger side, green-skinned, pear-shaped, and tasty. I’ve read that the original MacArthur tree grew in Monrovia, right along our San Gabriel Mountains.
Hi, i was gifted a Nabal Avocado tree for xmas and before i plant it in the ground, i was wondering what its growing habits are? Vertically? Horizontally? This will help me determine where i will plant it. Thank you.
Hi Rose,
What a wonderful gift! Can I say in between vertical and horizontal? The Nabal trees I know are not so wide spreading like a Fuerte, and neither are they more upright like a Bacon can be. The Nabals I know are a bit of both, and not small trees if left unpruned.
But it’s good to remember that any tree’s shape can be affected somewhat by what’s growing around it and where it’s getting sun.
Greg,
Thanks for the articles; I’m finding them to be a wonderful resource.
I just bought a house in Covina, CA, and I’m looking to plant two varieties in the same area (about 10′ apart) once our cold spell is over.
Tree 1: I’m really leaning towards a GEM. At first, I had a Hass in mind, but found out about the GEM and it sounded more like what I was looking for, especially with the columnar growing pattern.
Tree 2: This one has been tough to pin down, and I have come up with a few options based on my research.
Option 1: Reed. Its season should complement the GEM well, and the growing pattern shouldn’t be too intrusive. Taste I’ve read is great. I’ve never had a tree-matured Reed.
Option 2: Sir Prize. Its season should complement the GEM even better, and the growing pattern seems like it’s columnar as well. Type “B” is a plus, but also read that it is not as great of a producer. Taste I’ve read is great. I’ve never had a tree-matured Sir Prize.
Option 3: Lamb Hass, others? Should complement the GEM season. I am really lost on here.
As an aside, I recently spent a long weekend in Ramona, beautiful area. Contemplated stopping by Fallbrook and talking to a grower, but returning on Sunday meant I was a bit eager to get home.
Your insight is appreciated.
Hi Carlos,
Congratulations on your house in Covina. I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley. You must love seeing snow on Baldy right now.
This is a tough call. With GEM as tree 1, you would find that Sir Prize’s harvest season is earlier whereas Reed and Lamb are later. I’d probably have to give the edge to Sir Prize because I’d rather have the most complementary harvest seasons in order to have fruit to eat more of the year. You could eat Sir Prize fruits starting pretty early in winter, and then you could let the GEMs hang late and eat them even through summer — maybe into fall except that Covina gets hot, so maybe not. You’d likely still have a window with no fruit, or no great fruit, sometime in fall.
By the way, all of these varieties — Reed, Lamb, GEM, Sir Prize — taste really good so I wouldn’t choose one over the other because of taste.
Temecula gardener here. I really, really appreciate this article. My head was spinning, trying to develop the “perfect” avocado plan for my hillside. You saved my sanity! I will be planting your suggested trio this spring.
Awesome, Rachael! I wrote this post with someone just like you in mind. You are going to be in avocado heaven soon.
Thanks for the input, and it’s really along the lines that I was looking down. One thing I didn’t consider was the price of avocados during the months where I would likely have to buy. Averages are higher in the winter, when I would be at a shortage if I were to get a Reed. So even though I had anticipated buying for a few months, it seems that the winter avocado is more expensive, historically. Also, this winter had me buying avocado from Mexico, which is either small and cheaper, or XL and pricey.
Will likely be going with a Sir Prize based on that fact, but Eli at Subtropica has all available, it’s just so tempting to get all three and just try to plant the reed on the other side of the property.
As for the snow, we have had quite a bit of ice the last few weeks, and today it snowed in parts of the mountains, even in the valley (Pasadena/Rancho Cucamonga)! I hope you didn’t get snow where you are, because a few weeks ago when I was there, it was COLD and rainy.
Thanks again for the support!
Greg,
Just wanted to give a little update:
I went to Fallbrook and paid Eli a visit, and I came back with a Reed, a Sirprize, and a GEM. Eli mentions that he’s swamped with GEM orders, and that he had to save one for me since I contacted him in February because he’s completely out of GEM right now. This weekend, I’m going to be using your tips for planting an avocado so I can put mine in the ground. I hope that in a few years I can have more avocado than I can eat!
Wish me luck!
Hi Carlos,
Thanks so much for this update. I wish you luck with the planting — this is a perfect time for it. You’ve got a great combination of avocado trees there. Just to imagine your future for a second: You’ll be eating SirPrize avocados around now in March, then you’ll switch over to GEM sometime around late spring, then you’ll end the summer and head into fall with Reeds; oh, here comes the next crop of SirPrize fruit starting to blacken its skin and tell you that it’s time to pick. Guacamole heaven!
Hi Greg, your posts are so helpful! I’m in a hot area of Bay Area northern Ca. I have a hilly area for my trees and it’s not practical for ladders, so I’m looking to plant avocado trees that are easier to pick, great tasting, high yielding and can hang for some time on the tree (ideally). Would you recommend Carmen Hass and GEM? I also started hearing about a lunchbox avocado that is being developed for high density planting.
Ps. I already have lamb, fuerte, Mexicola, Pinkerton, Reed, wurtz, Sir prize.
Thanks!
Hi Jean,
You’ve already got some great varieties growing there. Carmen and GEM are definitely both worth adding to your collection in terms of being great tasting, high yielding, and having good hang time. If either gets too tall for your picking needs, just give it a haircut!
Any new varieties being developed by Mary Lu Arpaia’s breeding program at UC Riverside take decades before they’re released to be propagated and sold to the public. So a small “Lunchbox” avocado becoming available soon is not likely, as far as I can tell. But Mexicola is about as small as avocados come, so in that way you’ve already got your lunchbox avocado. And if it’s a tiny tree you’re after, then it doesn’t get much smaller than Holiday (XX3). You could try one of those.
I have learned so much from your website, Thank You. I would like a dwarf variety to keep in a large pot on a deck about 4 miles from the San Diego Coast. I am less concerned about the fruiting period but a good tasting avocado and a tree that will look presentable in a public area. I understand that Wurtz, Holiday, Pinkerton and Gem are my options. Could you make a suggestion and where I may obtain that tree. Thank you so much. Anne
Hi Anne,
Thanks for your feedback. This is an interesting set of parameters.
I would eliminate the Wertz on the basis of the others tasting better. Then I would eliminate the Holiday on the basis of its lower production in comparison to Pinkerton and GEM. Then I would give the slight nod to GEM due to the likelihood that the tree in general will look prettier.
GEM trees are a bit hard to come by, unfortunately. See my post on “Where to buy an avocado tree”, and contact Subtropica Nurseries to inquire there. You might have to wait a bit before one is available.
On the other hand, I doubt you’d be disappointed with Pinkerton, which is widely available. And if you don’t care about getting lots of fruit, then Holiday is a fine choice; it also naturally grows more like a shrub, which might look appropriate in a pot.
Thanks for your super helpful website! As your commenter mentioned above, this list might not be optimal for those of us in slightly cooler areas. I’m in Van Nuys, which is Sunset Zone 18. We’ve got room for one, or maybe 2, avocados. Would you still recommend a Hass and Reed for us?
Hi Melanie,
Thank you! I’m guessing you’re referring to Van Nuys as being slightly cooler in winter (compared to spots closer to the beach). I would still choose Hass as my single tree in Van Nuys, and Reed should do well there too.
I wish I knew your yard in particular because there are always various microclimates within Sunset Zones and city limits, but unless you’ve got an unusually low and cold spot then these varieties should do fine. You’ll just want to be prepared to protect them in cold snaps during their first winter or two. I have to do that with my avocados here in Sunset Zone 20 too.
I have seen, in person, happy Hass and/or Reed trees in other parts of Southern California considered Sunset Zone 18, such as Rancho Cucamonga, Corona, and Redlands.
Terrific! Thanks! We got a Hass today, and we’re planning to plant it tomorrow in the sunniest spot in our yard, which usually stays pretty warm, even when it’s chilly.
I read through your post on protecting avocados from the cold, so we’ll be prepared for the cold nights next winter. In the meantime, we’ll work on protecting it from sunburn when it hits 100 F or 110 F in a few months!
Hello, Greg!
I’ve been binge-reading your site after finding it yesterday. THANK YOU for sharing such a wealth of information!
Based on other research, I’d been drawn to trying a GEM avocado tree here in NoCal on the coast (near Ft. Bragg and Mendocino). We are Sunset zone 17. We do occasionally get into the mid-20’s F in the winter, but it rarely reaches 70F in the summer. We do not have a lot of wind problems where we are located, either.
We don’t need a shade tree (probably that was obvious….), and are interested in dwarf avocados outside that have a chance of bearing here. We do have a small green house, but it’s not really large enough for an avocado tree of any size unless we leave it in a pot, which would limit its productivity. Eventually we could put up a larger greenhouse, but I’m hoping that we can proceed without having to do that.
Do you agree that GEM would be a good choice? Would you have other variety suggestions as well?
Would appreciate any information that you might wish to share!
Many thanks,
Deb
Hi Deb,
Thanks for writing. Your area is definitely on the cool side, but actually not too much cooler than ideal for avocados in terms of high temperatures. Avocados love it just above 70. They grow far better in the mild temperatures near the beach than they do in my yard which is twenty miles from the ocean.
Perhaps if you’re willing to protect your tree during occasional cold spells in winter, especially during the first couple winters, you’ll have success. I would think that arctic blasts during winter will be your main limiting factor. But I’m guessing.
I’ve visited avocado trees only as far north as the Bay Area. I’ve driven through Mendocino and farther north many times, but haven’t seen bearing avocados growing up there with my own two eyes. So I’m only guessing here.
GEM could do well for you, as could just about any other variety. I would stick to A types though. B types might not open many flowers as female in your cool spring conditions. I can go into the reasons for this if you’re interested.
Other A-type avocados that are naturally on the relatively small side and produce well and are good eating include: Pinkerton, Lamb, Reed, and Gwen.
You can always try a Hass too, and just prune it to the size you want. Hass grow and produce great in other cool summer climates farther south, such as near Morro Bay. See my post, “Can you grow an avocado in a small yard?”
Hi Greg,
I’ve enjoyed reading your posts as I consider my Avocado plant. Thank you for sharing your knowledge freely and generously.
I saw that you have a Gwen and was curious what your take is on that. I read a few older stories about it that led me to believe it’s a great fit for a small yard in the Downtown LA area and that it’s fruit are amongst the best tasting – even better than Hass.
At the same time I have not been able to taste one and am surprised at how difficult it has been to find, so I wonder how accurate those old articles are, what downsides it might have that have made it less popular over time.
What’s your take on planting it as the only Avocado tree in my yard?
Thank you,
Oliver
Hi Oliver,
That’s a good question. It’s a challenge to choose a single avocado variety to plant.
My Gwen is only a couple years old now so I hesitate to say a lot about it since my firsthand knowledge is limited at this point. But I will say that it is definitely precocious in my yard. It has set more fruit while young than most of my other varieties. This is the experience of many others as well. On the other hand, I have read of some Gwen trees that don’t set fruit well without a pollenizer tree nearby. (I have numerous other avocado trees near my Gwen.) So is it a good candidate for a lone tree? Maybe not the best.
Read more here: http://www.avocadosource.com/CAS_Yearbooks/CAS_72_1988/CAS_1988_PG_195-207.pdf
I’ve never heard of anyone who is unsatisfied by Gwen’s eating qualities, and there aren’t many avocado varieties that achieve such distinction. You might be able to find a Gwen to taste at a farmers market somewhere nearby around now and through summer.
Gwen’s downfall as a commercial variety was primarily its green skin; it doesn’t turn black as it ripens like Hass. And Gwen was developed just as Hass became king of the world avocado industry and growers and consumers alike began preferring black-skinned avocados.
As for why Gwen hasn’t become a more popular backyard avocado tree in Southern California, I don’t know. It may have something to do with the Gwen tree being a bit wimpy during extreme weather compared to some other avocado varieties. Gwen has sensitivity to dry soil and heat. Others have noted this since the early days growing Gwen, and I have also noticed it in my tree. Gwen isn’t the toughest of my avocado trees, for sure. For your milder location though, this might not be important.
Hi Oliver,
Thought you and others might be interested in knowing that Gwen avocados are currently available at Eli’s Farmstand in Fallbrook. (This is June 22, 2019.) Eli also sells his avocados at farmers markets, and the one closest to you is in Corona Del Mar. I know that’s not down the street, but . . .
See his website for details: https://www.elisfarms.com/farmers-markets
Hi Greg. Thanks again for all the information. It makes me more confident that I can keep an avocado alive and healthy enough to bear fruit someday. As I mentioned in a different post I have a Fuerte and a Hass here in temecula, I’ve been thinking of putting in a third to open the possibility of year round avocados. According to your post and other things I’ve read a Reed would be a good choice but, then I started looking at Sharwil and the descriptions of the flavor sounds amazing. When I looked up the harvest time, it looks similar to a Reed. It stops a month earlier than a Reed but the Fuerte starts up the next month. What do think of a Reed vs. Sharwil in temecula where it can both get too hot and too cold some avocados?
Hi Walter,
Your climate in Temecula is similar to mine in Ramona: a bit hot in summer; a bit cold in winter . . . for avocados. As far as Reed vs. Sharwil for this type of climate, I’d tentatively give the edge to Reed. My Reed, as well as those I know nearby, does relatively well. Same for my Sharwil and the Sharwils I know nearby, except that I’m not sure they’ll produce quite as much as Reed. It seems that Reed has the advantage in terms of fruit production. This might be different for you though; it probably depends on your particular microclimate.
In terms of the harvest season complementing your Hass and Fuerte, advantage probably goes to Reed here also. Sharwil’s harvest season — compared to Reed — will likely be more similar to Hass at your location. That being said, I have eaten excellent Sharwils from the De Luz area as late as October. So if you’re toward that side of Temecula, you might get Sharwils to hang on the tree a long time compared to the eastern side of Temecula. Truth is, you’ll probably be happy with either a Reed or a Sharwil in every way.
We’re getting a couple of avocado trees to plant in Pasadena. I’ve got a small Reed already picked out, since I really love the flavor. I’ve found a Gem and a Carmen Hass semi-locally and am torn about which to plant! What would you recommend?
Hi Lisette,
You sure you can’t do both?! Oh well.
GEM and Carmen will both satisfy you, I’m sure of it. They’re both great varieties, and good complementary trees for a Reed.
The main difference is that GEM is a smaller tree, if that matters to you. If it doesn’t, then I can’t think of a downside to either GEM or Carmen that would give the other a significant edge.
Thanks Greg! Oh I wish! They’re for my parents and they’re concerned about consuming yield from two trees, but maybe after a few years, they’ll be up for another! I can’t imagine between them, my brother and I, that it will be a problem, lol.
Yes, that’s my thought and what I suspected you might think as well! Maybe I should just roll the dice! Haha
They have plenty of space, but I’m leaning towards the GEM, since it’s so easy to get a hold of Hass at the markets.
Thanks so much for all the info and experience you provide! I appreciate all the documentation! It’s super helpful for us newbies 🙂
Greg,
I live in the Hilltop area of Chula Vista, the temps rarely get above 85 or below 40.We had a Gwen avocado tree that was very productive for many years. About five years ago it started to get bad infestations of mites, it then started to get cancors on the large branches and trunk that had a white powder around the edges. The tree eventually began to die, when I cut it down the center of the large branches were black. What could have caused this issue ?
We also have a Cate Macadamia tree in the backyard which is doing excellent.
Hi Ken,
I have a friend who lives in your area: nice place to grow avocados. Check the photos and descriptions of cankers and discoloration on avocados at this UC IPM page, and maybe one will fit your Gwen: http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/C008/m008bpcanker.html
Sorry to hear about the decline of such a wonderful tree.
Greg,
Thank you for your reply, After doing some research and asking question in my neighborhood the last couple of days, I found out that I’m not the only one with this problem. Both ornamental and fruit trees are being affected, Its only about 8 miles to the Tijuana River valley from here which I’m told is having a serious problem with shot hole borers, hope I’m wrong but that may be the problem. All the wood from the Gwen is going to the beach soon as possible for a bonfire. Replaced with a Reed which is doing great so far.
Hi Ken,
Shot hole borers being involved didn’t even occur to me, but now that you mention it that seems like a definite possibility. As I recall, the Tijuana River valley is where they were first noticed some years back. Best of luck with the Reed.
Hi Greg,
Thank you! So much amazing information here – you’re helping me gain confidence in my dream of planting an avocado tree in our backyard. I’m torn though… We have a small space with good sunlight and drainage in our yard that is probably 12′ x 12′ for this tree. I read your articles about pruning and also about hass being a great choice for a single tree. I could do that! I’m also wondering if I might be happier going with a pair of smaller trees that let me enjoy avocados closer to year-round. I read about GEM, and it sounds like it would fit easily in our space and produce great fruit. Is there another tree of comparable size that complements the GEM in season that could happily share this space? We live in Carlsbad, CA, which I believe is sunset zone 24. Any suggestions would be much appreciated please! Thank you!
Hi Chris,
Thanks for the feedback. GEM with a friend is a great idea. Before I get to that, do know that if you live within a mile or two of the beach in Carlsbad, you can get nearly year-round fruit from a Hass tree because of the mild summer temperatures: by the time one season’s fruit is overmature and tasting too oily, it’s almost time to pick the next season’s fruit. Hass is amazing in this way.
A good companion for GEM in your allotted space of 12′ by 12′ might be Pinkerton or Sir-Prize to get fruit in winter before GEM is ready to pick in spring; or Reed or Lamb to get fruit in summer into fall after the GEM harvest is done. (GEM’s harvest season is basically spring into summer.) Those varieties would also probably not be extremely vigorous compared to the GEM such that pruning wouldn’t be such a challenge.
A couple other options might be Fuerte and Bacon. The problem with Fuerte is that it tends to grow horizontally so you’d have to be vigilant about training it up a stake and pruning as necessary. Bacon grows somewhat vertically, but it is likely to grow faster than the GEM. Both Bacon and Fuerte will be ready to pick in winter, before GEM. Most people think Fuerte tastes better, but Bacon is a nice milder, sweeter avocado for the winter.
No matter your choice, I’m excited for you to get a tree or a couple going in your yard. Carlsbad is an awesome place to grow avocados.
Greg, you’re awesome! Thank you so much for the great articles, and for your personal attention and replies. It means a lot to me! You have me sold on the year-round Hass prospect. I’m going for it! I’ll be back to study more and update you with my progress. Thank you!!
June of 2018
I did a Sharwill, Sirprize and Gem…that’s a B – B and an A, planted them 42 inches apart.
Elevated a 12 foot circle 8 inches with landscape stones and filled with wood chips.
The trees were 15 gal and difficult to keep hydrated the first summer(you forget all the roots are contained in the pot size)
June of this year I topped them at 8 feet, The Gem is still at 8 feet but the other two want to grow to the moon.
The Gem is covered with avos, the other two have about 5 or six each.
I’m ruthless with pruning shears (you have to be)
You’re welcome to check out Piet Stassen and his pruning technique displayed at UC Irvine
https://player.vimeo.com/video/7267843
Hi Dennis,
That sounds like a nice combination of trees, and it sounds like they’re growing very well. Isn’t Sharwil a vigorous variety! I grafted some Sharwils here and there in the spring, and they’ve grown more than any other variety I grafted this year (including Fuerte, which people often talk of as being so vigorous).
I’m familiar with Stassen’s style of pruning and training young avocado trees to a central leader. It is an effective way to manage closely planted trees. I’ve done it with some of my trees; with others I allow low branching, multiple leaders, and more of a globe shape overall.
Hi Greg,
I am curious what your recommendation and thoughts are for year around great tasting avocados from my backyard in Tustin. I have a Hass that is a few years old from Durling Nursery. I also purchased a Sharwill and Green Gold from Atkins Nursery last year, but they aren’t the best trees as they were burned pretty bad from last summer’s heat wave. I am a huge fan of Hawaiian varieties and I am highly considering grafting Kahalu’u to one of the trees. Also I was thinking of grafting Lamb Hass onto the Hass so I can extend that season. I am trying to get a good combination of A & B type and have avocados throughout the year. I don’t have extensive room for so many trees through which is why I want to graft (actually its that my wife will kill me if I try to plant more than 3 avocado trees). Maybe you would say Reed or Fuerte to graft instead of Lamb? Or maybe scratch all those and go with GEM or Gwen? I am curious to hear your thoughts on these varieties or think something else would be better suited. Thank you and thank you for all the information you have shared on your site!! It is very helpful!
Hi Brody,
This is such a good topic that it deserves the space of a full post. I’ll write it within the next couple weeks and title it something like “Avocado varieties for year-round fruit.”
Until then, let me say that every one of the varieties you mentioned has great tasting fruit (except that I’ve never eaten Green Gold so can’t comment with experience on that one). The challenge is that many of them have similar harvest seasons, which are spring into summer: Hass, Sharwil, GEM, Gwen. You ought to add either Lamb or Reed for avocados to be eaten in summer into fall, yes; your grafting idea there is a good one. Then you’ll still be lacking in winter. Only Fuerte tastes good then, of those you’ve mentioned.
I’ll suggest other varieties and give lots of reasons and scenarios in the upcoming post. I hope I can answer all of your questions on this topic there. It’s one that I have thought a lot about, read a lot about, still wrestle with, but have some good experience to share.
Hi Greg,
Thanks for the response. I have been trying to research this for a while now trying to figure out the best combination for me. I have a spreadsheet of many varieties and their seasons and how they all align based on flower type. I would be happy to share with you if you are interested. One of the challenging things is actually figuring out the season for each time and what that season is for those varieties in the location it is planted. Especially since I have a big interest in Hawaiian varieties it is difficult to know what the season will be in OC. So I have got as close as I can while understanding that the season is going to be affected by many other things anyway. But the intention is to have overlapping seasons for both A and B type so there is always cross pollination available (I know that doesn’t guarantee it will work, but I like the idea of having that potential). I am jealous you are growing all those Hawaiian varieties and am interested in what you have to say about taste once that time comes and how the trees are doing. Also, what are your thoughts on a multi-variety grafted tree? I see the UC grafting resource you posted, but I am curious how to select varieties that would be well suited for grafting to the same tree. One thought would be to graft an A and a B to the same tree with similar seasons for cross pollination. And one concern would be pairing a vigorous upright variety with a slow spreading variety. Obviously the tree would look very weird, but would likely be weak or want to fall to one side or maybe the vigorous variety would pull more nutrients and starve the less vigorous variety. I have many thoughts on this topic, but don’t have the experience so I am curious to get your thoughts on this! Thanks again!
Hi Brody,
It is so hard to know when a variety will taste good coming from a tree in your yard based on the information of others, I totally agree. I even made a chart a few years ago showing the harvest seasons of some varieties (in my post “When to pick avocados”), but I’m not perfectly comfortable with it because every year is different and every yard is different, even within a small geographical area like a single county let alone all of Southern California.
It will be a few years before I can say much about most of the Hawaiian varieties I am growing. They’re really small. But I’ll definitely write profiles of them when I feel like I know them well enough.
Multi-grafted avocado trees can work. I made one for my mom in her backyard about six years ago and it’s doing well. It even has an upright variety (seedling actually) with a spreading variety (Fuerte), and it still works. You just have to do a little pruning to make sure they share sunlight and space. And you’re right about the tree looking weird, but it works.
Because I’ve become more and more concerned about getting production from my trees since I can’t afford the water otherwise, I’ve been moving toward A types in general since they produce better in my yard. But there are a lot of B types whose fruit I love so I’m starting to keep my B types smaller or graft them into A types and eliminate their whole trees. This way I still have the varieties (and I hope I get as much fruit as possible from them) but I’m not wasting space and water on a lot of unproductive foliage.
For my Fuerte, for instance, I’ve grafted in a couple of branches of A types. One I chose was Pinkerton, and I chose it because I knew very well that its bloom always overlapped with Fuerte since I have trees of both in my yard. But where to find this information otherwise? It’s nearly impossible, unfortunately.
I have records of the bloom seasons of all of my trees, and I’d be happy to share about specific varieties. The only published information about the bloom seasons of avocado varieties that I know of is about common commercial varieties.
Mahalo
We have acreage “The Land” located above Hilo, Hawaii, at 800 foot elevation. We’re planting literally thousands of sharwil avocados in 30 gallon “root pouches”, mostly above ground. We will sell trees at various ages and transport to other islands. We will also compliment with other varieties to have ripe fruit all year, (varieties including malama, yamagata, ota, murashiga, kahalu’u, fujikawa), for value added products. We made and wholesaled guacamole on Kauai, Hawaii for 10 years.
The mainland now accepts for resale, sharwil avocados, given the need for a great tasting avocado in winter. The fruit must be of good size. Small fruit will be used for value added product. The fruit fly is not a threat to the green hard skin of the sharwil. We’re planting a minimum of 5000 trees using a “high density” planting design and will foliage spray. This is how I got to this blog, but I never found any mention of “high density”. I’m considering a 6′ X 10′ planting.
We are also planting 14 varieties of “guaranteed” dwarf coconut trees for seed to grow future dwarf coconut seed farms on all islands.
“Guaranteed” meaning: We have grown trees in areas away from tall trees, so not to be pollinated by them.
Oh!, and do I ever miss a good fuerte which I used to sell off a fruit truck next to Golden Gate Park in SF in the 70’s.
And, green gold, very prolific, and a good pollinator. And the sharwil does not have the “nutty” notes like the hass.
Hi Michael,
Thanks for these contributions. I don’t usually talk about high density because it’s a term that commercial growers use whereas my website is oriented toward home gardeners.
Incidentally, similar spacings can often be used in a yard as on a farm. For example, I’ve got some avocado trees planted at 7.5 feet apart, and that’s a spacing that some commercial growers use. Spacing six feet apart with ten feet between rows is very workable, depending on a few factors. I don’t know the growing habits of avocados generally in Hawaii compared to California. Variety makes a difference. The equipment you need to move between rows to do your spraying will have to be accommodated. And then there’s your commitment to pruning.
I’ll be visiting a mature high-density planting in a couple weeks and I’ll pass along anything new that I observe, but the main long-term challenge for most growers with this style is keeping on top of the pruning. I’ve seen high-density plantings get crowded after the first few years and then the yield is reduced and the grove is impenetrable jungle.
I’ve never eaten Green Gold. I’d like to try out that variety. Do you like its eating qualities about as well as Sharwil?
Green gold can not compete with shawil but makes good quac.
Anything you can pass my way will be appreciated. Thanks
Will do. It will be in the first week of October.
By the way, I have a few other Hawaiian varieties growing that I’ve never tasted and am wondering if you’d recommend giving any of them more or less attention and space: Murashige, Malama, Nishikawa, Kahalu’u? Actually, I have tasted someone else’s Kahalu’u fruit that was grown in California so I can use that for reference in comparing to the others.
How did the kahalu’u taste? I would love to grow one or graft a branch onto a tree I have after researching about how great the fruit tastes.
Hi Eric,
I hesitate to even talk about the taste of Kahaluu since I’ve only eaten one. I have no idea if it was a great one or a terrible one. So keep that in mind. But at least it was grown in Southern California.
I ate it on April 26, 2018, and my notes say that the Kahaluu avocado skin had thrips scarring, was about as large as a Reed but with more of a pear shape, did not peel easily, flesh was very easy to spoon out though. Seemed very mature, almost overmature, as the seed had germinated and the root was touching the peel on the bottom, and the seedcoat did not adhere to the seed. The texture and taste were very very good, top notch, with only a couple of very minor fibers. The flesh had nice color, tasted rich and smooth. The only real negative was that the seedcoat didn’t adhere to the seed. I concluded that it was worth growing. My son, who ate it with me, called it “the bestest avocado ever.” (Though only a kindergartener, he has eaten his share of avocado varieties and actually has an opinion worth listening to!)
Hi Michael,
About high-density avocado plantings: I visited a grove that has been doing it for decades and they’ve found that the spacing that works in the long run depends on the variety.
For example, they had Hass planted at 10 feet by 10 feet in 2004, but just topworked that block this spring, 15 years later, because it had become too costly to manage. They had to prune three times per year, and still the production had declined since year nine. The grove manager said he prefers Hass at no closer than 12 feet.
On the other hand, he plants GEM at 10 feet because it is less vigorous than Hass.
If you’re planting trees at six feet apart, you might find it necessary to remove every other tree after a handful of years.