Organic farming always is when you know how to use nature as it is.

As our knowledge of the harmful effects of agricultural chemicals grows, more and more farmers and consumers are rediscovering their organic history, returning to the methods of old, such as plucking insect pests and weeds by hand and hoe, and amending soil with natural fertilizers—compost. The joy in growing your own food is the joy in savoring its delicious flavor and in providing good food for others to enjoy. Discover how to rebuild your garden with an organic foundation and produce the vegetables, fruits and herbs that will nourish your family and the families of those who purchase your produce.
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How to grow avocado from seed?

The avocado is a tree native to Mexico and Central America, classified in the flowering plant family Lauraceae along with cinnamon, camphor and bay laurel. In today's marketplace, the largest producers of avocados are Mexico, Chile, the United States, Indonesia, the Dominican Republic, Columbia, Peru, Brazil, China, and Guatemala. Mexico is an especially large exporter of avocado into the U.S. Avocados are a creamy, buttery fruit grown in warm climates. The versatile avocado is the only fruit that provides a substantial amount of monounsaturated fat. Avocados are a naturally nutrient-dense food and contain nearly 20 vitamins and minerals.

 Avocado fruit

This fruit is prized for its high nutrient value and is added to all sorts of dishes due to its good flavor and rich texture. Avocados do contain carotenoids, in and of themselves. And thanks to their fat content, you can get good absorption of the carotenoids that they contain. However, if you happen to be consuming an avocado-free meal or snack that contains very little fat yet rich amounts of carotenoids, some added avocado might go a long way in improving your carotenoid absorption and vitamin A nourishment. Salad greens including romaine lettuce and mixed greens like kale, chard, and spinach are great examples of very low fat, carotenoid-rich foods that might be eaten alone but would have more of their carotenoid-richness transferred over into your body with the help of some added avocado.

To prepare avocados, use a stainless steel knife to cut the avocado in half lengthwise. Gently twist the two halves in opposite direction if you find the flesh clinging to the pit. Remove the pit, either with a spoon or by spearing with the tip of a knife. Next, take each of the avocado halves and slice lengthwise to produce four avocado quarters. With hundreds of thousands of combinations of fruits, veggies and natural sweeteners, smoothies make it easy to get the nutritional benefits of breakfast without getting boring. Try make your own servings: 1 frozen banana (the riper the sweeter), ½ a California Avocado, ½ cup almond milk and a touch of honey or agave.

 Avocado recipes

After eating an avocado, it is hard to resist planting its seed. To get the seed sprouting quickly, it needs immediate planting. Indoor gardeners have developed their own "traditional" planting method. This is done by poking three toothpicks into the side of the seed so that it can perch, halfway immersed in water, on the rim of a drinking glass. The seed could also be planted in potting soil, but this misses some of the fun of watching the roots and the shoots grow. Avocado roots, like those of most other plants, need oxygen, so the seedlings would actually grow better in soil than in water. When growing a seedling in water, the water should be changed at least every couple of weeks, before it gets dirty and depleted of oxygen.

One way to speed germination in soil is to remove the parchment like seed coat and slice a thin layer from both the top and the bottom of the seed before planting. In water or in soil, set the seed with its base (the wider portion) down. When the roots are thick and the stem has leaves again, plant it in a rich humus soil in a 10-1/2" diameter pot, leaving the seed half exposed. Water it frequently with an occasional deep soak. Soil should be moist but not saturated. And don’t forget, the more sunlight, the better. If the plant turns yellow, you may be over-watering; let it dry out for a few days. 

 Growing avocado

If leaves turn brown and fry at the tips, too much salt has accumulated in the soil. Let water run freely into the pot and drain for several minutes. When the stem is 12 inches high, cut it back to 6 inches to encourage the growth of new shoots. You can probably expect to see your first fruit 3-4 years after planting the tree. If growing from seed, it can take anywhere from 5 to 13 years before the tree is mature enough to set fruit. When the tree does flower, expect a lot of flowers to fall from the tree without setting fruit.

Over recent years avocado has become an important crop in many tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. This book summarizes avocado science and technology and reviews production practices on a worldwide scale. The book is split into 14 chapters and covers all aspects of avocado production and science and includes: history, distribution and uses, taxonomy and botany, propagation, crop management, diseases and insect and mite pests. This fully updated new edition of the successful 2002 book will provide a comprehensive review of avocado production, science and technology.

Pacu Jaya

Pacu Jaya

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