Hi Alison,

Can’t help with raccoons and squirrels questions but we had an avocado tree which grew from seed at last place I lived in. The avocados were lovely. They have to be picked green and then they ripen. There were some leaves but i certainly don’t remember much mess from them and we had it for many years. It did not branch out much so didn’t make a great deal of shade. It was wider than a cypress but nothing like most trees in width. Ours grew over a fishpond and the fish used to nibble at any which fell in. Fish thrived on them. Our climate in Sydney NSW would probably approximate yours, I think.

May I recommend a crab apple tree? We had those in Vegas, and the ones that the horse from next door reached over the fence to eat make very good jellied crab apples. But then again, maybe not.

Oh, I’d love an avocado tree…

Thanks for the good news.
Lemon tree very pretty.

I LOVE ripe avocado.

And the story about the okra leaf thief was a kick.

We had squirrels with the sleekest, silkiest coats, and the plumpest hindquarters, when we had our tree, and when one of those little buggers had just finished dining on the avocados and made a leap for the house, the resulting landing shook the foundation. Short of a blind and a varmint gun, I have no clue how to keep them out of the avocados save for diligent harvesting.

Our late, great mighty Hunter, JP, could never catch them, and he most certainly tried!

my whole experience with avocado growing is the poking toothpicks in the seed and sitting it in a jar of water — at one point we transplanted one and it actually got to be a couple of feet tall before we moved

good luck with that and the squirrels and racoons — I’m thinking they might like them as well as I do!

I planted Fuji apple and Gala apple espaliered trees. Lots of lovely apples out of both trees – the squirrels ate all the Fujis and left me the Galas. Not entirely sure why – I certainly enjoyed the ones I got 🙂

We feed our kiddens a food with avocado in it, and like Patricia’s squirrels, they are so sleek and silky. I’m thinking more avocado would have to be good for our tresses, too, don’t you?