Dear Sven

I need some advice about my avocado plant.
I've had it for about 2-3 years now, and it seems to be doing quite well in its pot on the kitchen window sill. But I was wondering if I would be able to plant it in the garden? My garden is in full sun most of the day, but on the kitchen sill its in shade all the time. Which do they prefer?
Also, as I'm not really a fully established gardener, I have no idea what kind of soil I have. What kind of soil do avocado plants need? And when would be the best time, if possible to plant it?

Cheers!
Zoë Dybizbanski

Our Gardens Expert replies:

Hi Zoë

Avocados come from warm humid places such as Mexico and Central America so you can derive from that that they will require a warm humid atmosphere in which to grow well. I have heard of avocado trees successfully being grown outdoors in the far south where temperatures rarely drop below freezing but I would not bet your plant surviving the winter cold for long! A good friend of mine has one he grew from seed and left it out last year as an experiment and it did survive but looks a little worse for the experience.

The best place is in a warm conservatory where it will be protected; avocados can grow really quickly so if it starts to get too tall remove the top which will encourage it to fill out. They normally only produce fruit after about 10 years but if you can get it to flower you may well be in with a chance. And an old wives tale says to treat it mean! By that I mean to slash the main trunk lightly with a knife which shocks the plant into flowering (I offer no guarantee to the plants health or effectiveness!!!) but if you are lucky enough to get flowers remember to leave some windows open for the bees because without them it will not pollinate and produce fruit.

Good luck

Sven