Bacon Avocado Tree

Bacon Avocado (Persea americana 'Bacon') is the avocado for gardens where frost rules out the fashionable varieties. It is the most cold tolerant of the common avocados, growing to about 6m tall and 4m wide, and it doubles as a handsome evergreen shade tree that happens to pay rent in fruit. If you garden in a cooler avocado district, this is the variety to start with.

Why you'll love it

• Cold tolerance that widens the map. Where Hass and its relatives sulk or die back, an established Bacon carries on, bringing home grown avocados to cooler gardens.
• The classic partner for Hass. Bacon is a proven pollinating companion, so planting one near a Hass typically lifts the crop on both trees.
• Smooth green skinned fruit. The fruit is mild, thin skinned and generous, and a single mature tree produces more than most households can eat.
• A genuine shade tree. At 6m by 4m with dense evergreen foliage, it earns its position even before the first harvest.
• Tough once settled. Established trees handle heat and dry spells better than their soft reputation suggests.

Where it works best

Feature and shade planting. Give it a sunny, sheltered position with room for the full 6m by 4m canopy, ideally where the shade lands on a sitting area rather than the vegie patch.

The home orchard. Plant it upwind of a Hass and the pair will out crop two lonely trees. Allow at least 4m to 5m between avocado trees so both keep full canopies.

Growing Bacon Avocado in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun. It suits subtropical, warm temperate and Mediterranean climates, and it is frost hardy by avocado standards once established. Young trees are still vulnerable, so protect them from frost for their first two winters.

Soil. This is the make or break. Avocados will not stand waterlogged soil, so plant into free draining ground, and on clay build a generous mound and plant into the top of it. Mulch deeply, keeping mulch clear of the trunk.

Water and feed. Water consistently while the tree is young and whenever it carries fruit, but always let the surface dry between drinks. Feed little and often through the warm months with a fruit tree fertiliser.

Pruning. Tip prune young trees to build an even frame, then prune after harvest only as needed to keep fruit within picking height.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Bacon Avocado as an advanced 90L tree, so what arrives is a serious grafted specimen with years of growing already done, and at this size the first worthwhile crops are typically only a season or two away. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost. It is a popular variety, so it does cycle onto backorder; ordering secures your place in the next release.

Delivered Australia wide, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Planting fruit trees for every season
• Browse the full fruit tree range
• Pair it with a Hass Avocado
• More edible plants and bush tucker

Common questions

Do I need a second tree to get fruit?

No, a lone Bacon will set fruit. But avocados crop far better with a partner of the opposite flower type, and Bacon with Hass is the classic pairing, so plant both if you have the room.

How cold can it go?

It is the most cold tolerant of the common avocado varieties, and established trees ride out frosty mornings that would burn a Hass. Young trees still need frost protection for their first couple of winters.

How soon will it fruit?

An advanced 90L grafted tree is well past the juvenile stage, so expect meaningful fruit within a season or two of planting, building each year as the canopy expands.

Is it safe around pets?

No. All parts of the avocado tree, including the fruit, skin and leaves, are toxic to dogs, cats and birds. Rake up dropped fruit before pets find it, or site the tree where they do not graze.