🥑 Can I Grow Avocado Outside the Tropics?

👍 Yes - with the right variety and care.
While avocados love tropical and subtropical climates, certain cold hardy Avocados types - especially Mexican varieties - can survive outside the tropics, even in USDA Zone 8b (like San Antonio, TX). Once established, some can handle short freezes down to 15F, even as low as 10F in dry climates.

Key Factors for Cold Hardiness:

• 
  🔤 Plant Size: Young trees are tender. Protect with mulch, blankets, and even Christmas lights during freezes. Mature trees are tougher.
• 
  🔤 Wind Protection: Wind chills do more damage than cold air alone. Plant near a south-facing wall or sheltered spot.
• 
  🔤 Tree Health: Healthy trees handle cold better. Fertilize regularly during the growing season.
• 
  🔤 Water & Humidity: Water less in winter. Avoid soggy soil - good drainage is a must. Trees in dry winter climates tolerate more cold than those in humid areas.

✏️ Tip: Always check the hardiness rating for your avocado variety. Protection matters most during the first 1-2 winters.

📚More about Avocado:
Posts about #Avocado
Avocado Variety Guide

🛒 Shop cold hardy Avocados and grow your own guacamole

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🫦 What makes Lolita so special and different from regular Surinam Cherry? 💋

• 
  ❣️ Black Surinam Cherry cv. Lolita (Eugenia uniflora) is Sweet, Juicy, and Cold-Hardy!
• 
  ❣️ Lolita Cherry is the cultivar you've been waiting for - also known as Black Star or Pitanga var. Black. This rare variety starts red and ripens to a rich black color, with a flavor tha'’s incredibly sweet, juicy, and free of the typical aftertaste found in regular Surinam cherries.
• 
  ❣️ The fruit is large (1-1.2 inches), packed with juice, and produced by a vigorous, upright, freely branching plant that often fruits in its first year. A reliable and heavy producer, this cherry tree is both ornamental and productive.
• 
  ❣️ Why grow Lolita?

💋 Delicious, black-colored cherries with exceptional sweetness

• 💋 Fast to fruit, even in the first year. Seedlings grow true to type - a rare trait!
• 💋 Cold hardy to the upper 20s F once established. Thrives in USDA zones 9–11 or in containers with winter protection
• 💋 Upright, bushy habit makes it perfect for edible hedge or small garden spaces
• 💋 Hard to find and easy to love, Lolita Black Surinam Cherry is a must-have for tropical fruit collectors.

🛒 Plant a Lolita Cherry and have lots of delicious fruit and juice

📚 More about Lolita Cherry from previous posts:

• 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #8 Lolita Cherry
• 💋 Who is that Sweet Black Lolita from Surinam?
• 💋Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #3. Eugenias - Tropical Cherries
• 💋How to make a jam with Surinam Cherry

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🐲 Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden - Part 3

Continued from previous post ⤴️

🛍 Limited-Time Offer:

This week only, enjoy an instant 5% discount on all dragon fruit plants, no code needed! Hurry - some varieties are in limited supply and highly sought after!​

🎮 Explore Our Unique Varieties:

• 💋David Bowie - Red-skinned with white flesh, offering a sweet, tangy, lemon-like flavor. Self-pollinating and best enjoyed fresh.
• 💋 Delight - Pink-skinned with light pink flesh, this variety is exceptionally fertile and produces large, flavorful fruits.
• 💋 Eureka Red - Large, red-skinned fruit with red flesh, known for its sweet and tangy flavor. Self-pollinating and originally from Nicaragua.
• 💋 Halleys Comet - A hybrid with pink skin and purple flesh, producing impressively large fruits up to 2 pounds. The flesh is sweet, and the plant features large, striking flowers. ​
• 💋 Lake Atitlan - Named after the Guatemalan lake, this variety has pinkish-red skin with white flesh, offering a sweet and tangy taste. Fruits typically weigh between 0.75 to 1.5 pounds.
• 💋 Palora (Ecuador, Columbian) - Yellow-skinned with white flesh, Palora is renowned for being the sweetest dragon fruit variety. It originates from Ecuador and is self-fertile.
• 💋 Seoul Kitchen - This variety produces medium to large red-skinned fruits with white flesh. The pulp is smooth and sweet, excellent when chilled and eaten fresh. Self-pollinating.
• 💋 Thai Gold - A rare yellow-skinned variety with white flesh, known for its sweet flavor with a hint of tartness. ​
• 💋 Vietnamese Jaina - Pink-skinned with white flesh, this variety is among the most common and is known for its mild, sweet flavor with a hint of Strawberry.

📚 Learn more about Dragon fruit:

• · How to make Dragon Fruit Smoothie - what to do with a Dragon Fruit
• · Does Dragon Fruit come from a monster cactus? Learn why you need to grow your own
• · Do red, white and yellow Dragon fruit taste differently?
• · What does Dragon Fruit Flower look like?
• · Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #6 Dragon fruit

🛒 Start your dragon fruit journey today and savor the unmatched flavors of homegrown, exotic fruits!

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🐲 Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden - Part 2

Continued from previous post ⤴️

➕ 10 HEALTH BENEFITS OF DRAGON FRUIT

• 💚 BONES AND TEETH

Great source of calcium & phosphorous which work together to improve bone mass and prevent osteoporosis.
• 💚 NERVOUS SYSTEM

High in B Vitamins which aid in the formation of nerve cells and healthy fats for proper conductive signalling.
• 💚 EYE SUPPORT

Contains Vitamin A in the form of carotene needed for proper colour vision and prevention of night blindness.
• 💚 DIGESTION / METABOLISM

Incredibly high in fibre for optimal digestive health. Aids in weight loss via improvement of metabolic rate.
• 💚 CARDIOVASCULAR

Prevents cardiovascular disease, lowers cholesterol & reduces high blood pressure.
• 💚 ANTI-AGING

Antioxidants work against free radicals and make your skin tighter & younger looking!
• 💚 GLOWING SKIN

Antioxidants and essential fatty acids for blemish-free, softer, tighter, younger looking skin!
• 💚 IMMUNITY

High vitamin & mineral content to improve immunity and prevent disease & illness.
• 💚 ANTI-INFLAMMATORY

Provides alkalinity due to high vitamin & mineral content, helping to reduce inflammation and irritation in joints, and nourish healing wounds, cuts, bruises and scrapes (as well as prevent disease).
• 💚 CANCER PREVENTION

Loaded with phytoalbumins, an antioxidant that prevents cancer-causing free radicals and blocks tumour cell growth. Also rids the body of toxic heavy metals.

Continued in next post ⤵️

🛒 Start your dragon fruit journey today and savor the unmatched flavors of homegrown, exotic fruits!

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🐲 Grow Your Own Exotic Dragon Fruit Garden - Part 1

🐉 WHY GROW YOUR OWN DRAGON FRUIT?

Dragon fruit isn't just a stunning addition to your garden - it's a nutritional powerhouse. Rich in fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants, this low-calorie fruit supports digestion, boosts immunity, and promotes overall wellness. While store-bought dragon fruit can be bland, homegrown varieties offer a spectrum of sweet, vibrant flavors you won't find on supermarket shelves.​

• 🍓 Unparalleled Flavor: Experience the true taste of dragon fruit with homegrown varieties known for their sweetness and rich flavors - far superior to the often bland, commercially grown ones.​
• 🍓 Stunning Variety: Choose from a range of types featuring white, pink, red, or purple flesh, each with unique flavors and appearances.​
• 🍓 Easy and Rewarding: Dragon fruit cacti are low-maintenance, thriving in containers or in the ground, with minimal water needs. They're perfect for both novice and experienced gardeners.​

🥗 HEALTH BENEFITS:

• 🍓 Digestive Health: High fiber content aids digestion and promotes gut health.​
• 🍓 Weight Management: Low in calories yet nutrient-dense, making it an excellent choice for a healthy diet. More health benefits in next post ⤵️

🌵 EASY GROWING TIPS:

• 🍓 Adaptable: This cactus plant thrives in both sun and partial shade and enjoys humid rainy summers unlike most cacti.​
• 🍓 Container-Friendly: Ideal for pots with a sturdy trellis, making it suitable for small spaces.​
• 🍓 Low Maintenance: Drought-tolerant and forgiving, perfect for those who occasionally forget to water.​

‼️ Want more fruit? Enhance growth and fruit production with Sunshine Boosters C-Cibus fertilizer, ensuring a bountiful harvest of this exotic fruit.

Continued in next post ⤵️

🛒 Start your dragon fruit journey today and savor the unmatched flavors of homegrown, exotic fruits!

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🍒 Why grow Grumichama? Benefits of Brazilian Eugenia Tree - Cherry of the Tropics

• 🍒 Did you know you can grow a tropical cherry right in your backyard? Grumichama (Eugenia brasiliensis), also known as the Brazilian Cherry, is a compact, evergreen fruit tree that's as beautiful as it is delicious.
• 🍒 With glossy green leaves and reddish new growth, it’s an ornamental gem. In spring, it produces white flowers that quickly turn into dark purple, cherry-like fruits - ready to harvest just four weeks after flowering!
• 🍒 The fruits have soft, melting flesh with a flavor similar to northern cherries. Enjoy them fresh, dried, made into jams, or even in baked goods and herbal teas. This is our favorite fresh cherry @TopTropicals!
• 🍒 Grumichama plant grows into a small tree or bush in tropical and subtropical climates. It tolerates light frost.
• 🍒 Fruits in small spaces or containers (5–10 gallon pots)
• 🍒 Perfect for edible landscaping and home orchards. Loaded with fiber and antioxidants.
• 🍒 Whether in the ground or in a pot, Grumichama is easy to grow, stunning year-round, and gives you a sweet, juicy reward.

📚Learn more about Eugenia cherries:
Ten best fruit trees to grow in Florida and Southern landscapes. # 3: Tropical Cherries: Eugenias.

🛒 Plant Grumichama and bring a little bit of Brazil to your garden

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💩 10 reasons why chocolate is actually good for you and how you can grow your own

• ☕️ That's right - the source of your favorite sweet treat, the Chocolate Tree (Theobroma cacao) we introduced in earlier post, produces cocoa that's packed with powerful health benefits. Growing your own chocolate tree isn't just fun and rewarding - it's a way to bring a superfood right into your backyard!
• ☕️ Here are 10 reasons why cocoa is a health hero:

• 🍫 Loaded with Antioxidants - Fights free radicals and supports overall cell health.
• 🍫 Heart Healthy - Helps lower blood pressure and improve circulation.
• 🍫 Mood Booster - Promotes feel-good chemicals like serotonin and endorphins.
• 🍫 Brain Power - Flavanols support memory, focus, and cognitive function.
• 🍫 Fights Inflammation - Natural compounds help reduce chronic inflammation.
• 🍫 Supports Blood Sugar Balance - May improve insulin sensitivity.
• 🍫 Glowing Skin - Boosts hydration and protects against UV damage.
• 🍫 Aids in Weight Management - May reduce cravings and support metabolism.
• 🍫 Rich in Minerals - Packed with magnesium, iron, copper, and more.
• 🍫 Good for Gut Health - Acts as a prebiotic to feed good bacteria.

☕️ With all these benefits, why not grow your own source of chocolate? Plant a Theobroma cacao tree and enjoy the magic of harvesting your very own cocoa pods. It's not just a tree - it's a conversation starter, a wellness booster, and your personal chocolate factory in the making.

🛒 Get your Chocolate Tree today and grow your own goodness

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💋 This is why Atemoya is better than any other Annonas

• 🎃 Atemoya (Annona cherimola × Annona squamosa) is a hybrid between the Cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and the Sugar Apple (Annona squamosa), combining the best traits of both fruits.
• 🎃 This tree is notably hardier than the common sugar apple and thrives in tropical heat, unlike the cherimoya, which prefers cooler summers. Its resilience makes the atemoya an excellent choice for both subtropical and tropical gardens, as it can tolerate light frosts.
• 🎃 The tree reaches about 15-25 feet in height and spreads equally wide at maturity.
• 🎃 One of the advantages of Atemoya over the Sugar Apple is its fruit, which contains fewer seeds, making it more enjoyable to eat fresh..
• 🎃 Grafted Cultivars:

Atemoya cv. Geffner: An Israeli cultivar renowned for its heavy cropping capacity and excellent flavor. Geffner is highly productive and is considered one of the best varieties, producing good fruit yields without the need for hand-pollination. ​

Atemoya cv. Lisa (48-26): Developed by Gary Zill, Lisa is praised for its outstanding taste and attractive appearance. The fruit has a pinkish-gray exterior and a soft, light pink interior. While not as naturally productive as Geffner, Lisa can yield well with hand-pollination. ​

Atemoya cv. Priestly: This cultivar produces large, green fruits with a creamy texture and uniquely sweet flavor. It is a grafted variety that combines desirable traits from both parent species, making it a delightful addition to home gardens. ​

📚 More delicious Annonas:

• • Sugar Apple: how does it taste?
• • Guanabana - the most delicious Annona fruit
• • Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #1. Annona
• • Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
• • The fastest to fruit: Annona

Spiny Hedgehog fruit: what does it taste like?

🛒 Plant Atemoya and enjoy your own rare exotic fruit!

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👍 Why this tree is so popular in Asia: health benefits of Chinese Olive Superfruit

• 🫒 Chinese Olive Tree (Canarium album) is a time-honored Superfruit tree that packed with nutrients, history, and amazing flavor.
• 🫒It has been celebrated in Asia for over 2,000 years - for good reason.
• 🫒 The olive-like drupes are packed with essential amino acids, healthy fats, fiber, and vitamins. Plus, they’re rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and other powerful bioactive compounds.
• 🫒 Enjoy the fruit raw, pickled, candied, or cooked into soups and stews. It can even be dried as a snack, brewed into herbal teas, or roasted like a nut.
• 🫒 With its unique flavor and ancient reputation in Asian medicine and cuisine, the Chinese Olive is both a conversation piece and a functional food tree for your garden.

🛒 Plant Chinese Olive - add timeless wellness and culinary magic to your garden

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🍑 TROPICAL FRUIT HEALTH BENEFITS GUIDE, Part 2:
What fruit and edibles can help with health issues and VITAMIN deficiencies 🥑

...Continued from previous post ⤴️

7. 💅 Beauty Enhancer
(Vitamin B7 - Biotin):
Banana, Avocado, Aloe Vera, Clitoria (Butterfly Pea), Patchouli.

8.🩸Blood Builder
(Vitamin B9 - Folate):
Avocado, Guava, Papaya, Moringa, Chaya (Maya Spinach Tree), Mulberry.

9. 🦠 Immunity Booster
(Vitamin C - Ascorbic Acid):
Guava, Pineapple, Carambola, Mango, Dragon Fruit, Loquat, Longevity Spinach (Gynura), Moringa, Allspice, Camphor Tree, Bay Leaf, Yerba Mate, Cherry, Peach, Passion fruit, Mulberry, Eugenia, Cinnamon, Piper sarmentosum (Vietnamese Pepper), Wiriwiri and Biquinho Pepper, Callisia fragrans (Golden Tendril).

10. ✋ Skin Shield
(Vitamin E - Tocopherol):
Avocado, Sapote, Dragon Fruit, Moringa, Patchouli, Aloe, Annatto, Camphor Tree, Callisia fragrans (Golden Tendril).

11. ❣️Clot Controller
(Vitamin K - Phylloquinol):
Moringa, Sauropus (Katuk), Chaya.

12. 🍲 Digestive Aid
(Enzymes):
Pineapple, Papaya, Ginger, Turmeric, Mango, Lemongrass, Cinnamon, Black Pepper, Bay Leaf, Betel Leaf, Peach, Eugenia, Jackfruit, Lippia dulcis, Allspice, Lippia alba (Poleo), Wiri wiri and Biquinho Pepper, Passion fruit, Callisia fragrans (Golden Tendril).

📚 Learn more in our next posts about specific benefits of each fruit or plant...

🛒 Explore tropical fruit trees with benefits

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