Harvest Moon Mango Grow Guide

A cannonball of a fruit, Harvest Moon is an excellent mango cultivar for those seeking a beautifully large, classically-flavored, and ‘family-size’ mango that is also quite delicious 😛

With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Harvest Moon Mango:

Table of Contents

• Harvest Moon Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production
• Harvest Moon Mango Flavor Profile
• Harvest Moon Mango Season (And When To Pick)
• Harvest Moon Mango Disease Resistance
• Harvest Moon Mango History
• Harvest Moon Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)
• Conclusion

Harvest Moon Mango Tree Growth Habit & Fruit Production

The Harvest Moon Mango is considered a medium to large-sized mango tree.

Harvest Moon Mango Trees have a very vigorous & upright growth habit that produces an open canopy. As a result, Harvest Moon can realistically be kept between 15 – 20 feet tall with annual pruning. Due to their upright vigor, Harvest Moon would not do well long-term in containers and would not be considered a “condo” mango.

To combat the tree’s natural vigor, we can practice effective pruning practices such as tip-pruning. This will encourage the tree to produce more fruit, which, in turn, can help slow down its growth rate.

Despite their vigor, Harvey Moon Mangos are not precocious and have consistent fruit production ranging from poor to average. The reason for this is because Harvest Moon tends to drop a lot of fruit. This shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given that mango trees producing larger fruit also generally tend to produce smaller quantities of fruit (there are exceptions of course like Keitt & Kent).

The mangos themselves are large-sized fruits that typically weigh between 2 – 3 lbs. Harvest Moon’s large size and round shape honestly makes them look like a small cantaloupe. Additionally, despite their larger seed, Harvest Moon has a large amount of flesh that translates to a pretty good flesh-to-seed ratio.

Harvest Moon Mango Flavor Profile

Harvest Moon Mangos are considered a Classic Flavored Mango.

Slicing into the fruit will reveal a yellow fiberless flesh that is juicy & creamy with a texture that is also somewhat firm. The fruit also has a fruity/floral aroma that is reminiscent of Kent Mango.

From a flavor perspective, Harvest Moon Mango has a nice classic mango flavor. Not only is the fruit very sweet, but there is also a well-balanced acidity component that gives the fruit a slight citrus flavor as well. Additionally, depending on the level of ripeness, one can also expect to find notes of different stone fruits including but not limited to plum and pear. I would rate Harvest Moon’s flavor as above average.

What I really appreciate is that, unlike other large mangos, Harvest Moon does an excellent job of ripening evenly throughout the entire fruit. As a result, whether you are eating near the skin or seed, one can expect a uniform flavor experience in every bite.

Overall, Harvest Moon’s flavor will be mostly appreciated by those who are looking for a large & classically-flavored mango with hints of citrus & other stone fruit.

Finally, it’s worth noting that Harvest Moon Mangos produce monoembryonic seeds, which means that planting a seed from a Harvest Moon Mango won’t yield another Harvest Moon Mango Tree.

Harvest Moon Mango Season (And When To Pick)

Harvest Moon Mangos are considered a mid-late season mango (July – Aug).

The best time to pick Harvest Moon Mangos are when they are mature and beginning to ripen on the tree. From a color perspective, this is when the fruit is beginning to show signs of yellow color break. Harvest Moon is perfectly ripe when the majority of the fruit transitions to a greenish-yellow color.

With that being said, a classic sign of an overripe Harvest Moon Mango is when the whole fruit turns a golden yellow color (think Lemon Meringue gold). Additionally, Harvest Moon Mangos can also develop an orange/pink blush that can be localized to the top half of the fruit.

However, it’s important to remember that a mango’s blush has nothing to do with the fruit’s ripeness. A rule of thumb to remember is that More Sun = More Blush, Less Sun = Less Blush.

Aside from color, here are some additional tips to knowing when Harvest Moon Mango is ready to pick:

• Fruit fullness & shape 
• How does the stem look? It’s it drying up near where it connects to the fruit?
• Is the fruit’s skin beginning to stretch?
• Is the fruit beginning to soften ever so slightly?

Similar to Nam Doc Mai, Lancetilla, Valencia Pride & Venus, Harvest Moon Mangos can sometimes have a problem with fruit splitting during heavy rains. As a result, there are two things that we can do to prevent this:

• Provide consistent irrigation so that the tree is well hydrated and that the fruit’s skin can keep it’s flexibility
• Harvest and allow the fruit to finish ripening on the counter (assuming the fruit are mostly mature)

Harvest Moon Mango Disease Resistance

Harvest Moon Mango is moderately resistant to both Anthracnose & Bacterial Black Spot. With that being said, I have heard that Harvest Moon can have sometimes issues with Anthracnose when planted in more humid areas.

As a result, I would recommend planting Harvest Moon in drier areas, such as along the coast, to maximize overall fruit production.

Harvest Moon Mango History

The Harvest Moon Mango was first propagated in Boynton Beach, Florida by Gary Zill. Harvest Moon’s original planting number was 4-20.

Harvest Moon is a seedling of Edward Mango. It’s pollinating parent is speculated to be either Carrie, Val-Carrie or Gary.

Harvest Moon is also a sibling to Sugarloaf, Coconut Cream, Angie, Duncan, Seacrest, and Young. Additionally, Harvest Moon is a grandchild to Haden Mango.

Harvest Moon Mango Tree For Sale (Where To Find)

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Conclusion

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