Any bets on who dies first?

Contestant #1 is a tropical South Florida avocado, started from a pit in the compost pile. She’s now residing in the front yard, on the edge of the oak canopy. Her roots are buried in good organic matter… yet her pedigree suggests she won’t survive the brutal sub-freezing overnight lows of Norther Central Florida…

Contestant #2 is a 4′ tall well-established Thai variety who spent his first winter safely inside my greenhouse. Now he’s been planted in poor soil deep beneath the cover of a water oak. Right now, all seems well… but will the limited canopy above his head be enough to prevent him from… death?

Contestant #3 is the daughter of a California “Hass” avocado with diminutive fruit. As an embryo, she was saved from the trash at a party… then planted in a melon pit out front. Will she take the cold better than her totally tropical competitors in this fight against the elements?

Only winter will tell. There are just a couple of months left before things get interesting.

Stay tuned…

Update: Check out my book Push The Zone for more information on growing plants outside of their zones.