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Brogdon Avocado always looked like an eggplant to me.
However, it definitely doesn’t taste like an eggplant! Instead, Brogdon is a delicious avocado that is also highly cold-tolerant, making it a great option for those who live in areas with occasional freezes.
Seriously, what else could you ask for?!
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Brogdon Avocado:
Table of Contents
- Brogdon Avocado Tree Characteristics
- Brogdon Avocado Flavor Profile
- Brogdon Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
- Brogdon Avocado History
- Brogdon Avocado Tree For Sale
- Conclusion
Brogdon Avocado Tree Characteristics
The Brogdon Avocado Tree is a Flowering Type B Avocado. In other words, the female flowers open in the afternoon and male flowers in the morning. In order to maximize Brogdon’s fruit production, the tree should be planted near a Flowering Type A Avocado with a similar fruiting season.
This includes avocado cultivars such as:
Speaking of fruit production, Brogdon’s fruit production consistently ranges from average to good. The avocados themselves are small to medium-sized fruits that typically weigh between 0.5 – 1 lbs.
Brogdon is a pure Mexican Avocado. Similar to other Mexican Avocados like Joey, Poncho, Lila, Mexicola, and Mexicola Grande, Brogdon is highly cold tolerant and able to withstand temperatures as low as 22º F.
This makes Brogdon a great option for those in USDA Hardiness Zones 9A and above.
Brogdon Avocado Flavor Profile
The Brogdon Avocado stands out with its dark-purple to black skin (reminiscent of the deep hue of eggplant) that is smooth, edible and very thin.
Image Credit: Alex Curtis-Slep
However, due to the fruit’s thin skin, it can sometimes be challenging to scoop out the flesh with a spoon without the skin sticking to it. Additionally, the seed’s papery husk can also get easily stuck in the flesh, which is less than ideal for making guacamole (though it’s still possible, just a bit of a hassle!).
However, despite the ocassional seed husk sometimes sticking to the fruit, Brogdon’s high oil content, akin to the Hass, really does make Brogdon a great avocado for guacamole (again, just be careful with the skin!)
From a flavor perspective, Brogdon’s greenish-yellow and buttery flesh has a rich and nutty flavor. For fellow Floridians seeking a creamy avocado reminiscent of those grown in California, Brogdon is a standout choice.
In fact, if I were given the choice between planting a Hass and Brogdon, I would choose Brogdon every time.
Not only does Brogdon’s fruit production outperform Hass in Florida’s climate, but Brogdon’s exceptional flavor profile definitely makes Brogdon an excellent Hass substitute in Florida. Although to be fair, if I lived in California, I would probably opt for Hass over Brogdon due to Hass’s heavier production habits when grown in California.
Brogdon Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
Brogdon Avocados are considered an early-to-mid season avocado (July – September).
That being said, the best time to pick Brogdon Avocados are when they are mature on the tree. From a color perspective, this is when the majority of the fruit has transitioned to a deep-purple, almost black, color.
However, if you have problems with wildlife, Brogdon Avocados can be picked when the deep-purple, black color covers around 80% – 90% of the fruit.
And while determining an avocado’s maturity can be difficult and require some trial and error, I have developed a repeatable process that has worked great for me:
- Starting July 1, after the majority of the fruit has transitioned to a deep-purple color, pull a single fruit off the tree and allow it ripen for 3 – 8 days (at room temperature)
- Delicately create small indents all around the fruit using your fingers.
- If you detect a mixture of hard and soft spots, the fruit is not yet ripe.
- Conversely, uniform softness (not super soft) throughout the fruit indicates that it is ready for consumption.
- Delicately create small indents all around the fruit using your fingers.
- Taste the fruit – is the taste or consistency off ?
- If the fruit tastes great, the rest of the avocados on our tree are ready to be harvested
- If the fruit tastes sour/foul/rancid, wait another month and repeat the process with another single fruit
After confirming that the avocados on our tree are mature, we can begin developing our ‘avocado pipeline.’ This involves picking some fruit to ripen on the counter for more immediate use while also placing others in the refrigerator to be used later. By adopting this approach, we can ensure a continuous supply of ripe avocados.
Brogdon Avocado History
The Brogdon Avocado was first propagated in Winter Haven, Florida by Tom Brogdon in the 1930’s.
Brogdon’s thin skin has limited the cultivar’s ability to be sold on a commercial scale.
However, that hasn’t stopped Brogdon’s growing popularity with homeowners and tropical fruit enthusiasts who are seeking a delicious and cold-hardy avocado 😊
Brogdon Avocado Tree For Sale
Fortunately, Brogdon Avocado is easy to find in the nursery trade!
With that being said, if you are unable to find one at a local nursery, your next best option is checking out Lara Farms Miami (not sponsored). They are one of the only legit places online where you are getting exactly what you are paying for.
Lara Farms has over 30 varieties of avocados available. They do ship!
Conclusion
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If you have any questions regarding anything mentioned in this grow guide, please comment them below! This way, others can also benefit from the answer to the same question. For any other questions or growing tips that you think may be helpful, feel free to use the contact form and drop me a line.
Thank you for reading! 🙂
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