Grow Your Own Guacamole: Avocado Tree Care

living color garden center grow avocado tree guacamole

Avocados have always been a popular fruit even before they started trending as a key part of a certain generation’s diet—looking at you, millennials! While yes, spreading the rich, buttery flesh of an avocado on toast is delicious, another timeless use for them is guacamole. Give us a bag of our favorite chips and a heaping bowl of mouth-watering guac any day!

If, like us, you love making guacamole but don’t care for grocery store prices—consider growing your very own avocado tree. That’s right, not only could you have your very own guac-making tree in your backyard, but as tropical fruit trees go, they’re also super easy to care for! Read on for avocado tree care tips and, as an added bonus, we’ve included our favorite guacamole recipe, just for you.

living color garden center grow avocado tree guacamole seedling

Care Tips for Growing an Avocado Tree

First, you’ll need to choose a spot for your new tree. The perfect location will need to be in a bright and sunny spot; however, some shade from the hot afternoon sun is recommended.

Second, take care that you’re planting your tree in nice, well-draining soil. Don’t worry about fertilizer just yet—in fact, you can hold off fertilizing for the first year—as added boosts of nutrients can affect the root growth.

Avocado trees really don’t like to sit in water, so it doesn’t hurt to add a layer of shale in the base of the hole. This is similar to using a pot that doesn’t have drainage holes and you want to avoid things like root rot; trust us, your plant will appreciate it! Water only when it’s completely dry, similar to the care of a succulent.

living color garden center grow avocado tree guacamole picking avocado

How Long Does an Avocado Tree Take to Bear Fruit?

With the proper care, your avocado tree should start producing fruits in three or four years. While this may seem like a long time, the only way you can achieve instant gratification is by spending the big bucks in a grocery store, so to avoid that we think homegrown is certainly worth the wait!

A huge feature of growing your own avocados is that you will never again have to deal with the dismaying discovery that they have all ripened, seemingly overnight. We’ve all been there, and there’s just something about the brown, mushy flesh of an overripe avocado that makes them far less appealing.

Luckily, when still attached to the vine, avocados don’t over-ripen. You’ll have the freedom to pluck one or two at your leisure and simply wait until they ripen just enough to be made into guacamole. Speaking of which…check out our delicious go-to guacamole recipe below!

living color garden center grow avocado tree guacamole ingredients cutting board

How to Make Delicious Guacamole

Using only 8 ingredients and taking a mere 10 minutes to prepare, it’s no secret why guac is our go-to snack. Avocados are delicious and healthy, making the choice to buy and care for your own tree a no-brainer!  

Ingredients:

·  3 ripe avocados

·  2 Roma tomatoes, diced

·  ½ small onion, diced

·  1 jalapeno, seeds removed, diced (optional)

·  2 garlic cloves, minced

·  3 tbsp chopped cilantro

·  1 lime, freshly squeezed

·  ½ tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Remove the avocado pits and mash the flesh into a mixing bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir until equally mixed.

3. Taste test (the most important step), and add more salt and cilantro as needed.

4. Serve with your favorite chips and enjoy! We hope you love this recipe as much as we do, and consider growing your very own avocado tree so that you can make it again and again! To pick up an avocado tree, and to inquire further about care tips, feel free to stop into our Living Color Garden Center right here in Fort Lauderdale, FL. We’d love to see you!

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