Avocado

Description

The avocado is highly prized for its large tasty fruit, which are claimed to be the healthiest and most nutritious fruit in existence and are invariably very expensive to buy in the shops. It also makes a most attractive plant for the sunlounge in colder countries, or outside in the garden in warmer countries, where it will make a medium-sized, fruiting, evergreen tree. Surprisingly, with one of the largest, easy-to-grow seeds in the world, it is botanically in the laurel family and is native to the Americas, where it was first domesticated in Mesoamerica more than 5,000 years ago, as it still is now.

Sowing Advice

This huge seed should be planted into a well-drained, sandy compost at any time of the year, with the pointed top upwards, and just barely covered with sand or grit and kept moist. Keep at between 20-25 degrees C. Seeds sometimes germinate within 4 to 6 weeks although some may take considerably longer so please be very patient. Plant out in the open ground in warmer countries or in a large container elsewhere.

Key Facts