Growing Florida Avocados in California: My Two-Year Experiment

When most people think of avocados, they probably picture the familiar dark, pebbly-skinned Hass avocado.

But there is a whole world of avocado varieties that look and grow very differently from Hass. Florida avocados are a great example.

For the past two years, I’ve been experimenting with several Florida avocado varieties here in Montebello, California, to see how they would perform in our climate.

The varieties I’m growing are Choquette, Russell, Red Thompson, and Miguel.

I ordered the trees online from Everglades in Florida. I didn't receive all four trees at the same time, but all four came from the same place.

And after roughly two years of growing them, the results have been interesting.

What Makes Florida Avocados Different?

“Florida avocado” isn't really one single variety. Florida is known for growing and producing many different avocado cultivars.

Compared with the Hass avocado that dominates California commercial production, many Florida-type avocados produce fruit with smoother, thinner skin and larger fruit.

They also generally have less oil and more water than Hass, which gives them a different texture and eating experience.

That difference is one of the reasons I wanted to grow them.

I already knew what a Hass tree could do here in Southern California. I wanted to see what would happen if I introduced some of these less-common Florida varieties into my own growing conditions.

My Choquette Avocado

The biggest surprise so far has been my Choquette.

This tree has exceeded my expectations.

The Choquette has developed a very upright growth habit in my location. Instead of immediately spreading outward, it has been pushing upward and developing a strong vertical structure.

Another thing I've noticed is where the fruit is developing.

The fruit on my Choquette has been forming more toward the inside of the canopy, rather than hanging primarily on the outside of the tree.

So far, the tree also appears to be handling the heat very well.

That's particularly interesting to me because Southern California can get extremely hot during the summer, and I wanted to see how these Florida varieties would respond.

At this point, the Choquette is also holding more fruit than my Russell.

Of course, the real test will come later.

I haven't tasted the Choquette yet.

So while I can talk about its growth, fruit production, and appearance, I can't honestly tell you how good the fruit tastes from my own tree yet.

That's still to come.

The Russell Avocado

The Russell has also been a very impressive grower, but it has a completely different growth habit from my Choquette.

Where the Choquette has been growing more upright, my Russell appears to be much more of a spreader.

Its branches are reaching outward, giving the tree a wider appearance.

Right now, my Russell is holding two avocados.

That may not sound like a lot, but these trees are still relatively young, and I'm more interested in watching how they develop over time than judging them based on one season.

And this is where the experiment gets interesting.

Eventually, I want to compare the Russell and Choquette fruit side by side.

But I haven't tasted either one yet.

So I don't have a winner.

Not yet.

Red Thompson: The Red Avocado

The third variety I'm growing is Red Thompson.

This tree is growing well, but it hasn't produced fruit for me yet.

I'm thinking it may simply need another year of growth before it reaches the point where I start seeing more significant flowering and fruit production.

One of the main reasons I wanted to grow Red Thompson was because of its unique fruit.

The avocado can develop a red skin as it approaches maturity, making it very different from the typical green or black-skinned varieties most people are familiar with.

For me, that alone made it worth adding to the collection.

I'm going to have to be patient with this one.

Right now, I'm more interested in building a healthy tree and letting it establish itself before expecting a crop.

Miguel: The Slowest of the Four

Then there's Miguel.

So far, Miguel has been the slowest-growing tree in my experiment.

It's still growing, but compared with the Choquette, Russell, and Red Thompson, there hasn't been nearly as much activity.

Every tree is different, and that's one of the things I enjoy about growing different avocado varieties.

You can put four trees in the same general environment and still get four completely different growth patterns.

The Miguel will have more time to prove itself.

I'm not ready to count it out yet.

Three Out of Four Are Doing Well

After approximately two years, I would say that three out of my four Florida avocado trees are doing really well.

The Choquette and Russell have been the biggest standouts so far.

The Red Thompson is growing well but hasn't produced fruit yet.

Miguel has been slower.

And that's exactly why I wanted to do this experiment.

Growing different varieties isn't just about finding out which one produces the biggest fruit or grows the fastest.

It's about learning how each variety responds to your particular growing conditions.

My trees are growing in Montebello, California, not Florida.

That means they're experiencing our Southern California heat, our growing season, and the conditions of my particular location.

Florida Avocados in California

One of the most interesting parts of this experiment is seeing how Florida avocado varieties adapt outside of Florida.

Florida and Southern California have very different climates.

Florida's avocado industry developed around varieties that perform well in Florida's growing conditions, while California's commercial avocado industry is dominated by varieties such as Hass that are well suited to California's climate.

That doesn't mean you can't experiment with other varieties.

It just means you shouldn't assume that because a variety performs well in Florida, it will automatically perform the same way in California.

That's something I'm learning firsthand.

The Choquette and Russell have already surprised me with how well they've grown.

But I'm still watching them.

The Taste Test Is Still Coming

There is one major part of this experiment that I haven't been able to answer yet:

Which one tastes better?

I haven't tasted any of the fruit from these trees yet.

So I'm not going to pretend I know.

That's actually one of the things I'm most excited about.

Once these avocados mature and I'm able to harvest them, I'll finally get to compare them for myself.

Choquette versus Russell.

And eventually, Red Thompson and Miguel will get their chance too.

I'll be looking at more than just flavor.

I'll want to see the texture, oil content, seed size, flesh quality, how easily the fruit peels, and how the fruit compares with the avocados I'm already familiar with.

Why I'm Growing Them

For me, this experiment is about more than simply growing another avocado tree.

There are hundreds of avocado varieties out there, and many of them never get the attention that Hass receives.

Growing different varieties allows me to see the differences firsthand.

Some grow upright.

Some spread.

Some produce enormous fruit.

Some have unusual skin colors.

Some may handle certain conditions better than others.

And sometimes the variety you didn't expect much from ends up becoming your favorite.

That's what happened with my Choquette so far.

I didn't know exactly what to expect when I ordered these trees from Florida.

Two years later, I'm still learning.

The trees are growing, the fruit is developing, and eventually I'll get the answer I'm really waiting for.

Which Florida avocado tastes the best?

For now, the experiment continues.