Living in Arizona has many perks, from standing in front of the 300-mile Grand Canyon and smooth roads to the perfect climate to grow Avocados. Avocados are native to Central America with a proud heritage of temperate weather and resilience against Arizona temperatures.
Choose the Right Avocado
Before you plant avocado in Arizona, choose a location with fast-draining soil and wind protection. Avocado trees are sensitive to high winds that may damage and scar your fruit.
And if you’re planting your avocado in the desert, choose a Mexican or Guatemalan variety with the best fruit that can tolerate the Arizona desert climate.
Avocado trees like sunlight, but Arizona runs hot. So don’t forget to surround your avocado tree with supportive deciduous trees that will protect the avocado bark from extreme sun exposure.
Mexicola Grande for Northern Arizona
The Mexicola Grande Avocado has thin, delicate black skin and creamy green fruits, resilient to coastal and inland climates. This plant is tall and fast-growing, even in cold weather, and popular amongst home gardeners across Arizona.
Some cultivars report a spicy anise aroma with a buttery, nutty flavor. This variety is perfect for home cooks looking for high-quality restaurant-grade avocados. In addition, Mexicola avocado varieties have non-toxic, edible leaves that add unique medicinal flavors to any Latin dish.
Mexicola Grande avocados grow in USDA Hardiness Zones 8-11, up to 30 feet tall in Northern Arizona, where temperatures get no colder than 10 C.
Hass Avocado for Central Arizona
Hass avocados are the most popular self-pollinating commercially grown variety, well known for their dark green skin and rich, creamy fruit with a nutty flavor. It has a Type-A flower that can survive alone but grows more extensive, abundant avocados with Type-B flowers.
Due to their heavy-duty thick skin, the Hass avocado varieties have a long growing season and longer shelf life. In addition, they enjoy warm climates found in Central Arizona, growing the best in Hardiness Zones 9-11, provoking the plant to be cold-intolerant.
Fuerte Avocado in Southern Arizona
Fuerte avocado is a Guatemalan Mexican Hybrid known to have a consistent production cycle from November to March. They grow leaves that fill gardens with scents of anise and fruits that carry hazelnut flavors just in time for mid-winter and early spring.
Fuerte avocados alternate between bearing and producing fruits every other year and grow best with compatible pollen-producing flowers like the Pinkerton avocado tree.
The Fuerte avocado, known as Persea Americana, grows the best under Hardiness Zones 9-11.
Bacon Avocado for Southwestern Arizona
The Bacon Avocado trees are best for small orchards that want to harvest bountiful medium-sized avocados through the October to the January winter season.
They are social avocado trees, so planting them alone yields decent fruit, but when planted with a Type-A avocado tree, they thrive, growing as tall as 20 feet.
However, Bacon avocados have a large seed that makes the fruit and seed susceptible to sooty mold, June Beetle infestations, and slugs that enjoy avocado leaves. And they have ruthless root systems that can suffocate nearby trees and plants.
They have a creamy butter fruity texture and slightly sweet flavor proper for vitamin-rich dairy-free culinary substitutes.
Bacon Avocado grows best in Southwestern Arizona Hardiness zone 10-11.
Have the Right Soil
Prepare the soil by adding compost and sand and preparing the ground for Avocado planting. Then, add a layer of mulch to protect soil nutrients from Arizona weather.
Face the plant east-facing with full sunlight close to its plant guild of deciduous trees and supporting plants to yield the best fruit. And water every 3 to 5 days.
In Conclusion
There are several options for growing avocados in Arizona. Depending on your location in Arizona, the avocado varieties mentioned above will flourish, giving a bountiful harvest. You can buy an avocado tree that’s already established or grow your own from a seed.