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What I observe is that mature leaves of most varieties can withstand a brief dip under freezing. The fresh growth fails first. But if the frost isn't just a haze on the surface, it actually penetrates a leaf to the bottom, even mature leaves will not survive.

I've kept my collection small enough that moving pots around isn't too onerous. A greenhouse is a big investment to build one sturdy enough to last year-round. And it comes with it's own set of maintenance to monitor humidity levels, ventilating heat, and keeping clean. I'd rather apply available funds towards improving my house. I just had an electrician here yesterday replacing ceiling fixtures, and installing a flood light in the back yard to make working there in the dark easier.

Follow-up thought... I might do something like Millennial Gardener did. Use transparent frost sheets and put the lights on a thermostat. It does get old, to wrap and unwrap the trees multiple times. And there is an inconvenience factor too. I need to be nearby after the sun has been up for a few hours to unwrap them, and that's not always possible.

Bacon is a little sweeter and lighter than other varieties. Nothing wrong with that. I have seen people claim to make avocado smoothies with it. Guacamole recipes are fairly forgiving of variety. I'd say plant what works for you in terms of climate and the size of tree that you want.

@ cool thank you so much!

I could believe that. I have seen comments that in other parts of the world, people don't do much grafting. They just plant the seeds and the odds are good enough.

Yes, -4C starts curling the leaves of my planted Lila tree. You can only ask so much even of "cold hardy" varieties.

​@@Avo7bProject I am using incandescent lights and a plant jacket to protect an inground avocado tree (unknown seedling) that I planted this year. It seems to be working well so far. I suspect it's a Mexican type due to the liquorice scent to the leaves. Thankfully it is going to be warming up after tonight.

I don't have any grafted trees that I can sell, maybe in the future I might try organizing a private nursery. But I get most of my trees from FourWinds or from ANaturalFarm, and you can order a shipped tree from them. www.fourwindsgrowers.com/collections/avocado-trees www.anaturalfarm.com/#about-section

I need to keep mine in containers for a few years before putting them in the ground. They at least need to develop a woody trunk, to be durable enough to get through a winter here.

@@Avo7bProject does putting them in the ground increase their capability of going without being watered?

@@orfeasang That's true of any tree. A broad root system in the ground will seek out more water and support a tree through a dry spell.

I can't post daily, but I do when I think I learned something. 🤓

Yes, I made a couple of videos like that during a prior winter. ruclips.net/video/rgjs66ez5IU/видео.html ruclips.net/video/za9TL2eeT2c/видео.html

@Avo7bProject thank you!

You're probably in what is called "zone 8" in the USA. Here, "zone 7" could get as cold as 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15C) every 3 years or so. Some Google searching of Australia indicates that temperatures below about -7C are very rare and are record-breaking events.

@@Avo7bProject No it's zone7! And I am in Austria not Australia!!!

@@Avo7bProject thanks tò climate changing we had the maximum of -10°C in the last years! And also only for 1 or 2 weeks! So I am in a good mood, that my avocadotree will survive. I have a good winter protaction-coat and some heating tò keep the temperature in range of 0-5°C.

It's often a question of how cold, for how long. I think even small avocado trees can take a few negative degrees Celcius for a few hours - but when leaves are cold enough for frost to penetrate through a leaf, it will burn. But it's also true that several nights close to freezing but above by a few degrees, will degrade a tree over time. The usual protection that I have done that is helpful is to keep large buckets of water near the tree to moderate temperature, and cover it at night to keep the frost off.

I don't know what you'll discover, but that sounds like a box of generous genetic variety. You'll probably get some widely different plants out of them.

Yes I've seen other comments that Bacon is a vigorous grower, and can be a fruiting tree in as little as 3 years.

I ate all mine. 😄If you buy a tree from a vendor, it only takes about 3 years to start getting bowls of them. I needed about 6 years growing from small seedlings.

I have not. I've got a good collection going already and the reviews of that variety are kind of middling.

Yes, small trees and new growth are sensitive. I have carefully watched what happens each winter, and it's generally the oldest, thickest leaves that stick the longest time. I also have some speculation that some trees can take a beating and lose a little at a time (Lila), while others go into decline and it becomes a race against time to make it to spring (Stewart). Millennial Gardener selected a Stewart for his second planting, and I'm skeptical of that - but it's his trial to conclude.

There were some hints that it was about time to begin picking. The avocados had not gained size for about a month. And I could sense the seed rattle inside this one when I shook it. Millennial Gardener had picked his about the third week of August last year, and I picked that one around the 4th week. To top off the explanation, the remaining 3 avocados fell off during the final days of August and the 1st of September. That week was unusually hot, high 90ish which doesn't normally happen here that late in the summer. But I get the impression Lila fruit ripens together and falls... it's not a variety like the Guatemalan types which could hang on the tree for months longer.

Did you find the last of your fruit had improved in taste? What’s your overall thoughts at this point on your decision to grow Lila? Mine should produce its fruit next year so I’m curious.

@johnsonrobbins The remaining fruit dropped 3 or 4 days later during an unusually hot week for that time of the year. They were the same. Good, just a little bruised from falling. All very similar in size to this one.

I wonder if a slightly more cold hardy variety would be able to produce avocados commercially.

Lila fruit won't work well commercially. The thin skin doesn't protect the interior if fruits were packed in boxes. I think they ripen faster off the tree than Hass style avocados too.

I liked the Martin avocados the most, but they were small. I kind of wish he'd scheduled the event a few weeks later when more of the varieties were truly ready. People who live in Gainesville can find him at the farmer's market though and sample more of them.

I had modest expectations when I opened that one - but there was a thin layer of deep green Hass-like butter near the skin. I think if I can grow some larger ones that can hang in the tree for a whole season, they would rival Hass. Let's face it, Hass is not easy to beat. Some avocado growers in warm regions say Reed or Sharwil is better, but I must face the limitations of my climate.

@@Avo7bProject are you going to keep the others on another month?

@@johnsonrobbins Yes, I'll stretch out when to harvest the remaining three fruits. Usually September and October are mild months. A little sunnier and drier than the others (unless there is a tropical system).

The Lila has been through one winter there. I cover it with a plastic tarp if nights drop to the mid 20s Fahrenheit. I also string old-fashioned C7 Christmas lights in it, from about late December to late February, to use in case of nights that get into the teens or below.

I have been able to germinate seeds by keeping them in a bowl with a shallow depth of water, and waiting until I see a root, then putting them in soil. I don't use a grow light but I will keep the bowl near a window in summer or near an electric heater in winter. I don't have any trees from seed that will form fruit yet. It can take several years for a seedling to mature. Grafted trees can form fruit much faster.

Most avocados can survive temperatures close to freezing, 1 or 2 Celsius. If you experience nights below 0 then you may need to consider cold-tolerant varieties. Rootstock matters most if you have salty soil, (in which case you may want a rootstock similar to what is used in Hawaii or Florida.) Common rootstocks used in California for cold-tolerance are Dusa and Duke7.

The Mexicola flowered like crazy this past spring in a container, but putting it in the ground could not save the pea-sized fruitlets. Next spring will be interesting - will the tree bloom again? Or did it exhaust itself in 2024 and go into an alternate bearing in 2026?

Thank you for the first comment on my first-ever "short". 😆I have not decided if these are really worth doing - they take more time to create than a long-format video. Maybe I'll make enough of them to fill up a row on my home page.

Which varieties?