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If you love guacamole and want one of the creamiest avocados available, allow me to introduce you to the Sharwil Avocado.
Though its roots trace back to the 1950s, Sharwil is currently experiencing a surge in popularity as more avocado afficionados are discovering this exceptional avocado cultivar. If your top priority is flavor richness when selecting an avocado tree, Sharwil unquestionably deserves a spot on your list of contenders.
With that being said, this grow guide will cover everything that you need to know about Sharwil Avocado:
Table of Contents
- Sharwil Avocado Tree Characteristics
- Sharwil Avocado Flavor Profile
- Sharwil Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
- Sharwil Avocado History
- Sharwil Avocado Tree For Sale
- Conclusion
Sharwil Avocado Tree Characteristics
The Sharwil 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 Sharwil’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:
- Jan Boyce (CA)
- Pinkerton (CA)
- Catalina (FL)
- Super Hass (FL)
- Wurtz (HI)
- San Miguel (HI)
Sharwil’s fruit production consistently ranges from poor to fair. Additionally, Sharwil tends to display alternate bearing tendencies, meaning crops can alternate between stronger and weaker years. Though, in particularly strong years, Sharwil has the ability to produce bumper crops.
Therefore, we shouldn’t 100% rely on the tree to produce consistently high yields every year, especially if we have limited space in our yard that can be used to plant much more consistently reliable producers.
Regardless, the avocados themselves are small-sized fruits that typically weigh between 0.5 and 1.0 lb. The fruit contains a very small and round seed, resulting in Sharwil having an excellent flesh-to-seed ratio (similar to that of Pinkerton).
The Sharwil Avocado is a Guatemalan X Mexican Hybrid. Similar to other Guatemalan X Mexican Hybrids like Hass, Lamb Hass, Super Hass, Bacon and Winter Mexican, Sharwil is highly cold tolerant and able to withstand temperatures as low as 22º F, making it one of the most cold hardy avocados available.
Finally, Sharwil’s growth habit is location dependent.
In regions like California, Sharwil typically exhibits a low vigor and spreading growth habit. However, in areas like Hawaii, Sharwil displays a vigorous growth habit and tends to spread robustly. Regardless of its location, similar to Fuerte, the new growth stems of Sharwil boast small yet beautiful red flecks.
Sharwil Avocado Flavor Profile
The Sharwil Avocado boasts lighter green, pebbly, and pliable skin with a medium thickness that peels very easily.
The fruit’s overall shape and size closely resembles that of Pinkerton.
Cutting into the fruit reveals a pale yellow flesh that is fiberless and firm, yet creamy and buttery in texture.
What’s particularly notable about Sharwil is its remarkably high oil content, ranging from 15% to 25%. To put it in perspective, Hass Avocados typically average around 20% oil content.
This sometimes results in the fruit having a texture that is often described as “cheesy and dry.”
A more fitting description might liken it to eating an ‘oily canistel.’ While avocados like Catalina, Oro Negro, and Kampong share a similar texture, none quite compare to Sharwils.
For guacamole enthusiasts, this high oil content is perfect.
In terms of flavor, Sharwil offers a rich, nutty taste that is dense and full-bodied. Its flavor profile bears resemblance to the Reed, Hass, and Edranol cultivars. And while some may argue that Hass slightly edges out Sharwil in nuttiness, I believe that Sharwil’s creamier texture and overall robust flavor is better/preferred to Hass.
Honestly, there’s no doubt in my mind that Sharwil is definitely a top-shelf avocado.
Sharwil Avocado Season (And When To Pick)
The harvest timing for Sharwil Avocado largely depends on our location. With the exception of Florida, where the hot and humid climate isn’t that suitable to grow Sharwil, Sharwil does have a very long harvest season:
- Florida: September – October
- California: February – June
- Hawaii: November – May
For growers in Hawaii and California seeking an incredibly oily and creamy avocado, I highly recommend leaving the fruit on the tree for as long as possible.
That said, the best time to pick Sharwil Avocados are when they are mature on the tree.
From a color perspective, Sharwil will transition to a dark green color but will not turn black like Hass; in fact the color is very similar to that of a perfectly ripe Pinkerton. When the fruit is very mature, the fruit can sometimes develop black spots on the skin. Although, these spots don’t typically impact the fruit’s flesh.
In addition to color, one should also check to see if the fruit 1) is full size 2) feels soft and 3) can gently be removed from the tree.
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:
- On the first day of the first month when the fruit is in season (see above for location based seasons) 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
- Fruit that are picked too early will often become black/inedible.
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.
Sharwil Avocado History
The Sharwil Avocado was initially propagated in Redland Bay, Australia by Frank Sharpe in 1951. The property where the original seedling was located was later purchased by James Wilson.
The name ‘Sharwil’ was derived by combining the last names of Frank Sharpe (Shar-) and James Wilson (-Wil).
Additionally, a common question often asked is: “Are Sharwil and Kona Sharwil the same cultivar?”
And the answer is yes, they are the same cultivar. I suspect the addition of ‘Kona’ to the name is because Sharwil is very popular to grow in Hawaii.
Sharwil Avocado Tree For Sale
Speaking of Hawaii, unless you live there, finding a Sharwil Avocado is next to impossible.
And while I can’t speak from personal experience about how difficult it is to find a Sharwil in California, I have never came across one for sale in Florida. So, if you’re keen on growing a Sharwil Avocado, I highly encourage you to reach out to your local nurseries and/or join an online forum like the Tropical Fruit Forum to source scions.
Conclusion
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Thank you for reading! 🙂
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