How hard is it to grow avocados?

[SameToo]

I’ve heard about the water consumption of avocado farms but I bloody love them. I was thinking I could grow my own, rationing rather than buying a bag from Morrison’s. I think it’s intricate with skewers to grow from seed but would really love some advice on how hard it really is and the time to crop from seed. Thank you!

Where abouts are you, OP? As LemonViolet says, avocados can be grown outside in very sheltered microclimates in London. If you're in London or the South West and have a courtyard garden or a south-facing wall, you might be successful. Start your avocado off in a pot of soil rather than messing around with toothpicks and jars of water. Keep it in a bright location in your house once its growing. They don't do well in pots in the long term, so after a couple of years, plant it in a sunny location against your south-facing wall and maybe cover with horticultural fleece if temperatures fall below freezing. It's worth a try!

Dh planted a seed in a pot indoors. It did nothing for weeks but now we have a big plant. It was fine over winter too but it’s near a radiator.

The Pip Book (Keith Mossman) was most recently published in 2011. There's also an RHS guide - Plants from Pips.

They are super tricky to grow into a fruiting tree, even here in NZ. Fussy and take years to fruit. They prefer semi tropical climates.

@SameToo I'm pretty sure there are avocado growers in Italy, because I remember an interview with a farmer who was lamenting brexit, but no idea where in the UK sells them. Waitrose, most likely! Anyway, cuts down the air miles a bit.

Thank you all. The Pip book sounds great! I’m going to try and grow the plant and see how it goes. I will update ☺️

I think it would be easy if you lived in Costa Rica.

I’ve been doing a bit more reading about this.

There are 3 main subtypes of avocado - West Indian, Guatemalan and Mexican.

Mexican varieties (& Mexican-Guatemalan hybrids) are the most cold hardy, and some can definitely tolerate frosts.

The problem is, they’re not the ones that are generally commercially cultivated, so not very available.

Here’s a chap with a baby avocado tree growing outside in his garden in London though, it’s not impossible!

My mum grew avocado plants from the stone as does my husband. They have lasted a few year but never got to the tree and fruit stage sadly.

I suggest looking for a "Fuerte" avocado in your local supermarket. Fuerte is a hybrid of Mexican and Guetamalan cultivars which, as LemonViolet points out, are relatively cold-hardy (Fuerte = strong in Spanish, allegedly because these trees survived a severe frost in 1913). Most of the avocados that you find in UK supermarkets are the Hass variety, with dark, warty skin, because they travel well. But if you notice long, slim avocados with a thin, smooth green skin, check the box they're displayed in (usually the variety is listed on the side of the box). I do see Fuerte avos quite regularly in my local supermarket, so you shouldn't have to wait too long.