Hass avocados, the fruit unheard of before 1926, has become a fruit favorite worldwide. You know how to choose, how to prep and how to store avocados, but do you know how they grow? The story of Hass Avocados may be short, but their journey from tree to table is a must-know.
- Hass avocado trees flourish in regions with the right combination of mineral-rich soil, plentiful sunshine and mild climate (moderate humidity, cool nights and warm days).
- A tree can range from 15 to 30 feet tall, depending on the region it’s grown and the horticultural practices used by orchard owners.
- Avocado trees begin bearing fruit in three to five years and can thrive for decades.
- Like other fruits, each Hass avocado emerges from a bloom on the tree. A mature tree can produce more than a million flowers during each of its two annual blooms.
- Only pollinated blooms will produce an avocado, which is why bees play a vital role in an avocado orchard.
- Pollinated blooms – which can range from just 150 to 500 on a Hass tree – take about a year to grow into a ready-to-pick avocado.
- Hass trees are harvested gently by carefully cutting the stem and using a pole pruner to pick those above arm’s reach
- The fruit is packed in crates, which are whisked to packing plants as soon as possible—once the avocado is plucked from the tree, it starts to ripen.
- Some packing houses delay ripening by cooling avocados in water while others chill them in specialized rooms.
- Once cleaned, the fruit is sorted by size, boxed in cartons, and shipped to their destinations at grocery stores and markets—all within 2-4 days of being picked.
