Behind the Scenes: Documenting Daily Life in a California Commercial Avocado Grove
Behind the scenes, daily life in a California commercial avocado grove is a mix of tree work, irrigation checks and family life…
From the Tree to UPS in About Two Hours: Our First Pick-and-Ship Mornings
How fresh is a farm-direct avocado? In the week this video was filmed, Becca picked the orders on a Monday morning and…
Fall Garden Planting for Avocado Farmers: Brassicas, Greens, and Seasonal Transitions
When avocado harvest slows down in fall, we plant cool-season vegetables: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, started on whatever flat surface we…
Sixteen Raised Beds: Building Becca’s Outdoor Kitchen Garden
Reviving the avocado grove is our biggest project, and it is not a small one. But Becca has been building something else…
Don’t Rake the Duff: Four Reasons We Leave Avocado Leaves Where They Fall
If you have an avocado tree, you have leaves. Lots of them. Avocados shed all year, and the pile underneath builds into…
Avocado Pollination Guide: How Planting Wildflowers Boosts Fruit Set
Planting wildflowers next to avocado trees gives bees a reason to be in the grove before the trees bloom, and that matters…
Avocados on the Ground After a Heat Wave: What Hot Days Do to the Crop
Why are there so many avocados on the ground? Because it has been hot. After a run of very hot days here…
Where Do Avocados Come From? A Kid’s Lesson on Farming and Kitchen Recipes
Avocados come from trees, and farmers do not make them: the tree does, through sunlight, water, soil and bees moving pollen between…
What We Took On: A Walk Through Our 10-Acre Grove Planted in the Mid-1970s
This is the grove we took on: 10 acres of avocado trees in Escondido, planted in the mid-1970s by Kirk’s parents. Both…
Avocado Tree Biology: How Roots, Pits, and Beneficial Insects Protect the Grove
An avocado grove protects itself in three main ways: shallow feeder roots that need moist, airy, covered soil; a seed that starts…
