Hass Avocado Season Wrap-Up: What to Expect as Fuerte Season Arrives
As late summer gives way to early autumn in Southern California, we have officially reached the end of our Hass avocado harvest for the year. Walking the rows today, you can see the new crop already setting for next year, while our classic Fuerte avocados continue to swell and build their oil content. For growers and fruit enthusiasts alike, this seasonal transition highlights the natural cadence of a working family avocado grove.
The Overlap: Two Avocado Crops on One Tree
One of the most remarkable horticultural characteristics of the avocado tree is its alternate flowering and long hanging time. While our picking crews have harvested the last mature Hass fruit of the season, the trees are not taking a vacation. Right alongside mature branches, tiny fruitlets from the recent spring bloom are actively expanding into the fruit that will form next year’s harvest.
Managing an avocado grove through this transition requires close attention to several environmental and biological factors:
- Irrigation Management: Water demands shift as temperatures fluctuate in the fall, requiring dialed-in micro-sprinklers to support sizing fruitlets without causing root distress.
- Nutrient Partitioning: The tree must balance supporting its newly set fruitlets while simultaneously hardening current-year vegetative growth.
- Canopy Protection: Ensuring sun-sensitive green bark remains shaded by healthy leaf cover preserves next year’s crop from intense late-season heat waves.
Why the Fuerte Avocado Deserves the Spotlight
While the modern commercial supermarket is dominated almost exclusively by Hass, California’s commercial avocado industry was actually built on the back of the Fuerte variety. Originating in Atlixco, Mexico, and introduced to California in 1911, the Fuerte proved hardy enough to survive severe winter freezes—earning its name, which translates to “strong” in Spanish.
Unlike the pebbly, dark skin of a ripe Hass, Fuertes exhibit distinct characteristics that heirloom fruit lovers cherish:
- Thin, Pliable Green Skin: The skin stays vibrant green even when ripe, peeling effortlessly away from the pale yellow flesh.
- Rich Oil Profile: Fuertes boast a remarkably smooth, buttery texture with subtle nutty undertones that elevate toast, salads, and fresh slices.
- Natural Seasonality: Fuertes naturally mature during late fall and winter, picking up right as late Hass harvests wind down.
Tree-Ripened Quality Direct from Our Grove
Commercially packed fruit often spends weeks moving through distribution centers, cold storage rooms, and chemical ripening facilities before reaching grocery store shelves. Because we manage our trees by hand and pack on-site, we let our avocados hang on the tree until their dry matter and oil content reach peak eating quality.
Avocados do not ripen on the tree; they mature on the branch and only begin to soften once harvested. By allowing our Fuertes to hang until their internal chemistry is completely developed, we ensure that every box delivered to your kitchen softens evenly with the rich, melt-in-your-mouth flavor that store-bought fruit simply cannot replicate.
Be the First to Taste This Year’s Fuerte Crop
Our Fuerte harvest begins in just a few months, and because supply from our small family blocks is naturally limited, boxes sell out rapidly once picking commences. Sign up for our email newsletter right here on our website to receive 15% off your first box and gain early access to orders before public announcements go live.
