What You Need to Know: Growing Avocados in Florida

If you live in Southern Florida, you should know that you won’t run into any problems when growing avocados. Avocados thrive in warm climates with full sun and well-draining soil. If you’re in Northern Florida, you’ll need to provide some type of protection for your fruit and choose other varieties that can tolerate the cold.

Since avocados are considered a tropical plant, they prefer sun, rain, and warm weather. This is what makes Florida the perfect climate for these fruits. A hass avocado is the typical kind to grow in Florida, but many other varieties can grow here.

Varieties That Grow in Florida

Some other varieties of avocados that grow in Florida are Simmonds, Winter, Hall, Day, and Bermicker. Southern Florida and Central Florida will grow these other varieties without a problem. When growing avocados in Northern Florida, you’ll need to choose certain varieties.

When to Plant Avocodos in Florida

The best time to grow avocados in Florida is in the spring time. With Florida’s climate, since avocados can grow into larger trees, you can expect the trees to grow anywhere from thirty to sixty feet. When planting your fruit, you want to choose a location that is away from any buildings or power lines.

Make sure you location has full sun and well-draining soil. Avocados can grow in the natural soil in Florida, but you can always add compost.

When Do Avocodos Begin to Bloom in Florida?

Avocados will produce their flowers and fruit at different times of the year depending on what kind of variety they are. Avocado flowers will open up twice in their lifetime. The first time they will open as a female flower, then the next time they’ll open as a male flower.

If you purchased your avocado tree from a nursery, you can expect your tree to produce its fruit at age 3 or 4. A fruit that is fully mature will ripen between 3-8 days after you pick it from the tree.  

How to Grow Your Avocado Tree in Flower

1. Choose your variety
2. If you’re in Northern Florida choose a variety that is cold-tolerant
3. Plant in the early spring
4. Plant in well-draining soil with full sun
5. To have avocados year round, plant more than one variety.