g'day sugar_snap,

ther are lots growing avo's down your way, i think the common variety is 'hass'? but there is at aleast one that does well down there. check out a fruit tree nursery.

also i'd be looking at planting it on the northern aspect part of your garden where it is going to get good winter sun and warm, and keep it heavily mulched.

but for now you could get one anytime over the winter months but reckon i'd hold off planting into the ground until late spring, when the ground is beginning to warm. keep in mind they like to be well drained and they can grow to a very large tree.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

Hi Helen
They have Bacon, Hass and one other (can't remember the name) at All Green. Sorry I can't recall the price. Somewhere between $20 and $30.

I don't recall seing any at the Laverton market last time I went.

Jason

Thanks Len and Jason. Hass seems the best variety for me going by the Glowinski bible too, so I'll have to fly down to All Green (subject to hubby approval of course - where did I think I'd fit it again, and did I really promise that it wouldn't need bird protection?)!

Hey sugar snap,

watching a gardening program a few weeks...maybe months ago the presenter ws talking about a dwarf avocado now that I think would be really good as from expirience in Albury they grow very large, but yes Hass was the variety

Mrs Gloworm, do you have one yourself? If so, do you have any competition from the birds (for the fruit)? Do you prune it at all? And how yummy is the fruit? The dwarf one sounds interesting, but I wonder where you can get them.

Jason, I took your advice and checked avocadoes out at All Green Nursery - wow, they are big before they even get into the ground! I think I've convinced hubby that we have room, so it'll probably be the Hass. We have a spot up against our water tanks which should mean that it keeps a bit warmer.

Thanks again all, Helen

Sorry to be so long in answering sugar_snap but I only found your question by accident (red faced here). I did not grow the avocado personally but an elderly neighbour of mine grew it. Competition from the birds... I have no direct expirience of this however, from the size they grow I am sure a small to medium amount of competition would be not a problem. As for the dawrf avocado I saw it on Gardening AUstralia Josh in Western Ausralia put one in his terrace house garden and he would have ordered it from a nursary. Now I would not suggest it would be a cheap item BUT I would love one. I have so many fruits which my birds eat I am sure I could manage a dwarf avocado and get all the fruit.

Cheers
Susan

Thanks mrs gloworm. I've gone against all my better instincts. I was impatient and bought a Hass and Sharwill, which will pollinate each other. Of course I shouldn't have put them in till after winter - now they have to cope with winter and wind! They are planted about a foot apart, should be interesting to see if they will co-habitate! We've got them fairly close to our water tanks, so hopefully that will help prevent frost.

Hi Helen
You might want to make a temporary cover for the first couple of winters. Some shadecloth draped over tomato stakes should be enough to protect them. Went to Mildura 2 yrs ago and they were growing them under citrus until they are about 5 or 6 yrs then pulled the citrus trees. Go figure! but after the first few yrs they are supposd to frost tolerant.

Also they do well with a good layer of mulch. They should do well at your place. I bet they copped a beating in the winds earlier this week.

sugar_snap why is it the Universe gives us our answers AFTER we have gone and done the thing which we sort advice about??? This weeks gardening program had a segment on Avocado trees even ones whihc would survive down to
-8C ........ ohhhhhh weellll

The latest Diggers Club mag had an article about avos used to form a screening hedge. Don't have the room to allow one to spread out, but pruning back to a hedge would be great. I am still waiting to hear from them to see just how wide the 'hedge' would be. If its not too wide, then I'll consider planting some. We can grow 3 or 4 varieties here in Melbourne I believe. They just need frost and wind protection for the first few years.