New Arizona-Grown Avocado Tree!

  It was well controlled chaos Saturday morning as eager gardeners met at The Farm at South Mountain to pick up their pre-ordered Aravaipa Avocado Trees from Shamus O'Leary's Tropical Fruit Trees.  Don Olson (a.k.a. Shamus) picked a perfect location in the grassy shaded area next to the farm's parking lot so it was easy loading up these 6 ft. beauties.

All of the trees were gorgeous, in 3 gallon pots, but the trees themselves were as big and sturdy as a 5 gallon tree!  I was a bit nervous about picking out just the right one, they all looked healthy.  I was relieved to see Ruth Brown from Jay Barringer's fruit tree forest in east Mesa, assisting customers purchasing Jay's magical compost.  Ruth came to my rescue and helped in choosing from the very long line of Aravaipa Avocado trees. 

This pup was there having a good time, not sure of what all the fuss was about over just a bunch of trees.  But these aren't just any old tree, or any old avocado tree for that matter.  These "Arizona Avocado" trees originate from a very old, very large (50 ft. wide x 50ft. tall) avocado tree found in Aravaipa Canyon in the Globe/Superior of Arizona.  The hope is that its offspring will be just as hardy and acclimated to Arizona's harsh climate.

I will be posting photos tomorrow of planting Alice the Avocado tree.  For now, here are the basics recommended by Shamus-  Plant using 1/3 native soil, 1/3 Shamus mix (compost, lava sand, sand), 1/3 Jays compost (super black, alive, fungi growing) plus shovel full of worm castings, and a tablespoon Mycorrhizae.  Dig roughly a 2ft. x 2ft. x 2ft. square hole.  See the super-informative videos below by Jake Mace to learn more.

The Farm at South Mountain is an old pecan farm with a few rustic on-site restaurants serving farm fresh fare.  We dined at the Morning Glory Cafe out on their patio.  The food was great but I couldn't really relax, I kept worrying about my precious avocado tree, left unguarded alongside my open van, several yards away.

I felt like a bad plant-mom, abandoning my newly adopted baby Aravaipa Avocado as I dined
nearby at the Morning Glory Cafe.  We had a good talk on the way home, and I named her Alice.

It was a beautiful way to spend the morning, soaking up the warmth and energy from the farm.

I'm thinking this is Purple Hyacinth Bean, forming a hedge between the cafe and the garden.

If you missed out on the pre-sale you still might be able to get one if you go to the FaceBook page for Shamus O'Leary's Tropical Fruit Trees and message Shamus.  If you still need to pick up your pre-ordered tree, they will be available for pick-up next weekend at Jake Mace's Garden Tour and Workshop in Tempe (RSVP here), and again the following weekend at Jay Barringer's tree tour in east Mesa (more info coming soon).

How to plant...






Where to plant...



How to shade... see https://youtu.be/WQiSgou3ZCQ

Special thanks to Don Olson of  Shamus O'Leary's Tropical Fruit Trees for giving all of us Phoenix-area growers an opportunity to grow these special Arizona Avocado trees, and the many other super-healthy organically-grown tropical trees he has available!

Also, thank you Jake Mace (VeganAthlete) and Jay Barringer (Yes It Will Grow Here) for passing along your knowledge of desert gardening to us via your awesome YouTube videos and garden tours!