I am in the SE corner of South Australia. I have a fairly large avocado
tree, about 11 years old, grown from a pip (maybe a Hass, those are the
most common ones we get in the shops here) that I planted in what must
have been just the right sheltered spot.

This year, for the first time, it has fruit - only about 8, but fair
sized ones. When should I pick them ? I know they only ripen once they
are off the tree, but how do I tell when they are ready ? I've asked
around locally but this seems to be the only avocado in the area, so I'm
feeling quite proud of my achievement !

Many thanks.

--
Anne Chambers,
South Australia
anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

avocado

Anne may be of interest.

Bill

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
Neat place .. http://www.petersvalley.org/

Bill wrote:
In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

avocado

Anne may be of interest.

Bill

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

Thanks - doesn't really tell me when to pick them though.

--
Anne Chambers,
South Australia
anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

Harvest: The time of harvest depends upon the variety. Commercial
standards requires fruit to reach 8% oil content before harvesting.
Mexican types ripen in 6 - 8*months from bloom while Guatemalan types
usually take 12 - 18*months. Fruits may continue enlarging on the tree
even after maturity. Purple cultivars should be permitted to color fully
before harvest. Guatemalan types can be stored firm, at 40 - 50°*F. for
up to six weeks. Mexican types discolor quickly and require immediate
consumption.

--
Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
Neat place .. http://www.petersvalley.org/

Bill wrote:
In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

Harvest: The time of harvest depends upon the variety. Commercial
standards requires fruit to reach 8% oil content before harvesting.
Mexican types ripen in 6 - 8 months from bloom while Guatemalan types
usually take 12 - 18 months. Fruits may continue enlarging on the tree
even after maturity. Purple cultivars should be permitted to color fully
before harvest. Guatemalan types can be stored firm, at 40 - 50° F. for
up to six weeks. Mexican types discolor quickly and require immediate
consumption.

Thanks, Bill - I did see that ....but how do I know when 8% oil content
is reached ? I don't know if I have a Mexican type, a Guatemalan type
or if it's a purple cultivar. I was really hoping someone growing
avocados in a similar climate in Australia would be able to help.

Thanks for your time.

--
Anne Chambers,
South Australia
anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

"Anne Chambers" wrote in message
...
Bill wrote:
In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

Harvest: The time of harvest depends upon the variety. Commercial
standards requires fruit to reach 8% oil content before harvesting.
Mexican types ripen in 6 - 8 months from bloom while Guatemalan types
usually take 12 - 18 months. Fruits may continue enlarging on the tree
even after maturity. Purple cultivars should be permitted to color fully
before harvest. Guatemalan types can be stored firm, at 40 - 50° F. for
up to six weeks. Mexican types discolor quickly and require immediate
consumption.

Thanks, Bill - I did see that ....but how do I know when 8% oil content is
reached ? I don't know if I have a Mexican type, a Guatemalan type or if
it's a purple cultivar. I was really hoping someone growing avocados in a
similar climate in Australia would be able to help.

Thanks for your time.


http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1939805.htm
A lot of people wonder about the right time to harvest an avocado. Wait
until the first one falls to the ground, and put that in the cupboard, keep
it for about a fortnight to ripen and it'll be ready to eat. And at that
stage you know that you can harvest them from the tree. When the little
button at the top starts to change colour and goes a bit lighter, just snip
it off, put it in a brown paper bag, put it in the pantry for about a week
to a fortnight and it will get soft and it will be magnificent.

Seaman Staines wrote:



http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1939805.htm
A lot of people wonder about the right time to harvest an avocado. Wait
until the first one falls to the ground, and put that in the cupboard, keep
it for about a fortnight to ripen and it'll be ready to eat. And at that
stage you know that you can harvest them from the tree. When the little
button at the top starts to change colour and goes a bit lighter, just snip
it off, put it in a brown paper bag, put it in the pantry for about a week
to a fortnight and it will get soft and it will be magnificent.


Many thanks, that's just what I wanted. Now to go out and *will* the
first one to fall !

--
Anne Chambers,
South Australia
anne dot chambers at bigpond dot com

Anne Chambers wrote:
Bill wrote:
In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

avocado

Anne may be of interest.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html

Thanks - doesn't really tell me when to pick them though.

We used to harvest around March/April on the Sunshine Coast QLD, so
presumably it'd be at least couple of months later for your area.

I'd try one now and see what you have.
Trial and error is the only way, aside from having an avo analysed for
it's oil content (which is what we used to do - a small commercial avo
farm) which naturally still means picking one

Apart from that - the longer they stay on the tree, the better as far as
the existing fruit is concerned.
I used to have my own private stash of avos on the trees even into late
November/December... and they were very yum indeed, very high in oil.

Anne Chambers writes:
Seaman Staines wrote:
http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1939805.htm
A lot of people wonder about the right time to harvest an avocado. Wait
until the first one falls to the ground, and put that in the cupboard, keep
it for about a fortnight to ripen and it'll be ready to eat. And at that
stage you know that you can harvest them from the tree. When the little
button at the top starts to change colour and goes a bit lighter, just snip
it off, put it in a brown paper bag, put it in the pantry for about a week
to a fortnight and it will get soft and it will be magnificent.


Many thanks, that's just what I wanted. Now to go out and *will* the
first one to fall !

Around here the possoms judge when the avos are ready for picking. They
throw them down overnight with a large chunk missing from one side. :-}

With any such windfalls I find, I follow the above paper bag method, only
cutting off the eaten side after the avo has softened.

It works for me!
--
John Savage (my news address is not valid for email)

"Anne Chambers" wrote in message
...
Bill wrote:
In article ,
Anne Chambers wrote:

http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/avocado.html


Thanks, Bill - I did see that ....but how do I know when 8% oil content is
reached ? I don't know if I have a Mexican type, a Guatemalan type or if
it's a purple cultivar. I was really hoping someone growing avocados in a
similar climate in Australia would be able to help.

My avocado experience was also frustrating, have a Reed avo. and it had
its 1st crop at the beginning of the year, we are in Melbourne, it produced
8 fruits round Dec. and they stayed tiny for ages, just didn't know when to
pick them, I left them on the tree all thru autumn, the problem was they
reached a certain size and didn't get any bigger, finally as winter was
close I decided to pick them small as they were, they stayed hard for weeks,
finally going a bit soft but not really in a proper way, I've been on the
net but can't find any info that is specific to how long they should stay on
the tree in our climate, why they didn't get to proper size for this
variety.