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When we bought this place we inherited several small, wizened fruit trees, they survived the intense heat and lack of water last summer, but survived is all they didn't they really did not flourish, they were only about 3 foot hight. I asked the previous owners what they were, she didn't know as they were there when she moved in, so that must make them say 8 years old - stunted to say the least. Anyway, we lay down loads of irrigation pipe last year and they started to get water. This year one of them got fruit (well a fruit) on it, and it turned out to be an apricot. Now this is extremely early in the year for apricots, so early that it even beat the commercial orchard just up the road (they were astounded -been working in their shop recently, so get to chat to the owners). OK so i is only one, and the stunted trees have yet to reveal what they are, but hey it is a start.
We also have another fruit tree, quite a big one which again I think might be apricot with loads of fruit on, just waiting for it to ripen now.

Lovely! Have you eaten it yet?

Nice one - let us know how it tastes

Gidday

Beauty Eh!

You are just wanting to make us jealous!

But I know what you feel like - a couple of years after I moved in here I realised that that little neglected looking tree which somebody stupidly planted under a row of huge sycamores is a damson... It had some fruit last year - none this; but this has been a funny year for fruit anyway.

it tasted gorgeous, loads more taste than I am used to in fresh apricots

Now just trying to work out how big an avacado tree should be before you plant it out (got three growing in the garage at the moment.

Gidday

I doubt isin you will ever be tasting you home grown avacado's though.

Jack wrote:Gidday

I doubt isin you will ever be tasting you home grown avacado's though.

I hear a challenge here. Seriously from what i have read it needs frost freed and well drained conditions, so why not here?

What pary of nz are you in possum? if you only get ground frosts then you can grow the trees on a mound and with shadecloth around them and wrap in frost cloth the first 4-5 winters then once they get up a bit, say 2-3 m enough leaves should survive above the frost to keep the tree alive.
I would definitly say make sure your drainage is impeccable though. avacardoes HATE wet feet.

Also, when first planting them dig alot of WOODY material like bark and rotting wood in the ground they are planted in. as they grow, keep the ground they cover/shadow covered in rotting wood and high celulose material.
I say this because Avo's get a disease called phytopthera (sp?) which nukes them and the fruit and generaly stuffs upp the tree pretty fast. However there is some evidence (trials, anecdotal and firsthand) that the fungi that inhabit rotting celulitic material like wood kill/inhibit phytopthera spores on and in the soil.

Prevention being the best cure I say good luck and give it ago. Reed or Hass would be my preference for varieties, but there are also some relatively new types out that might warrent investigation i think.

i am on the Banks Peninsula, however down beside the sea on a shingle bank (so drainage is not going to be an issue) the five frosts we had last year were apparently exceptional as usually there aren't any most years we have been told

An apricot - fantastic! We got very excited last year when we managed to produce a fig. This year we had about 10. Shame though - I hate figs! DH had to eat them!

Gidday

Hey sorry mate, I didn't see that question of yours. The reason I doubt you will ever taste a home grown avacado there is that they need quite a war night temperature when they are flowering, and not just the lack of frosts. They also have to have a cross polinator as well.

well i still think it is worth trying them, our nights are pretty warm here - about 25C about a week ago. What time of year do they flower and what night time temperatures do you need?