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You know when to pick your avocados by giving them a gentle squeeze and paying attention to a few key signs.
If you’ve ever wondered how do you know when to pick your avocados without cutting into them prematurely, you’re not alone because this is one of the most common questions for home growers.
Knowing when to pick avocados is a bit of an art, but once you learn the tricks, you’ll be harvesting perfect fruit every single time.
In this post, we’ll break down exactly how to know when to pick your avocados, the best methods for testing ripeness on the tree, and what to do after you pick avocados so they ripen beautifully in your kitchen.
Let’s dig in and take the guesswork out of your harvest.
How Do You Know When to Pick Your Avocados? Key Signs to Watch
The most reliable way to know when to pick your avocados is to understand that avocados do not ripen on the tree.
Unlike many fruits, avocados mature on the branch but only soften after they’ve been picked avocados from the tree.
So when you’re asking how do you know when to pick your avocados, you’re really looking for signs of maturity, not softness.
Here are the top indicators that tell you it’s time to pick avocados off your tree.
1. Check the Calendar for Your Avocado Variety
The first clue for how to know when to pick your avocados is simply knowing what type of tree you have.
Hass avocados, the most common variety, are typically ready to pick avocados from late winter through summer, depending on your climate.
Fuerte avocados usually mature in the fall and winter months.
If you’ve kept track of when your tree flowers, you can estimate that it takes roughly 6 to 8 months for the fruit to mature.
Mark your calendar with that window, but remember that weather and growing conditions can shift the exact timing slightly.
This calendar method is a great starting point for knowing when to pick your avocados, but you’ll still need to confirm with a hands-on test.
2. Use the Dark Skin Color Test for Dark Varieties
For varieties like Hass, the skin color is a fantastic visual clue for when to pick avocados.
When the fruit is still immature, the skin will be a bright, glossy green.
As the avocado matures on the tree, the skin gradually darkens to a deep, purplish-black or nearly black hue.
However, you should not wait for the skin to turn completely black while it’s still on the branch because that means it’s over-mature.
The perfect time to pick avocados with dark skin is when the color has shifted from shiny green to a dull, dark green with the first hints of purple or brown starting to appear.
Once you pick avocados at this stage, they’ll continue to darken as they ripen indoors.
If you have a green-skinned variety like Fuerte, you’ll need to rely less on color and more on the other tests below.
3. Perform the Stem Test to Determine Maturity
Here’s one of the most practical answers to how do you know when to pick your avocados.
Take a single avocado and gently twist it off the tree, leaving a small piece of stem attached.
Then, carefully pull that little stem cap off the avocado.
If the underside of the stem is green or yellowish, the avocado is not yet mature and you should wait a bit longer before you pick avocados from that tree.
If the stem comes off easily and reveals a brown or dark area underneath, that’s a sign your avocado is mature and ready to be harvested.
A brown color indicates the fruit has stopped growing and has reached the correct oil content for ripening.
This stem test gives you a clear answer for when to pick your avocados with confidence.
4. Float Test for Higher Oil Content
Another clever way to figure out when to pick your avocados involves a bowl of water.
Pick avocados and place one sample fruit in a bowl of water.
If it sinks to the bottom, it’s still too low in oil and probably not mature enough.
If the avocado floats, that higher oil content means it’s more mature and likely ready to harvest.
This indicator isn’t perfect for every variety, but it works well for Hass and similar types.
Remember that this is a maturity test, not a ripeness test, so you’re still going to need to leave the fruit at room temperature after you pick avocados to get that creamy texture.
What Happens After You Pick Avocados From the Tree
Once you’ve determined how to know when to pick your avocados, the next question is what to do with them.
Different avocados on the same tree will mature at different times, so don’t strip the whole tree at once.
You can easily pick avocados in batches over several weeks.
When you pick avocados, use pruning shears to cut the stem about half an inch above the fruit to avoid damaging the branch.
How to Ripen Your Picked Avocados
After you pick avocados, lay them out on the kitchen counter at room temperature.
They will typically ripen in 3 to 7 days, depending on how mature they were when harvested.
If you need them to ripen faster, place them in a brown paper bag with an apple or banana.
If you can’t use them all right away, you can store ripe avocados in the fridge for up to a week.
Just make sure you know when to pick your avocados for immediate use versus storing for later because that will affect your timing on the tree.
Common Mistakes When Trying to Know When to Pick Your Avocados
Many home gardeners make simple errors when they guess when to pick avocados, so let’s look at what to avoid.
1. Waiting for the Fruit to Soften on the Tree
As we mentioned earlier, avocados will never soften while attached to the tree.
If you wait until the flesh gives to gentle pressure, you’ll end up with over-mature fruit that may have an unpleasant, rancid taste.
So when you’re asking how do you know when to pick your avocados, remember that firmness is not your gauge.
2. Picking Too Many at Once
Just because some avocados are ready doesn’t mean they all are.
You should pick avocados selectively over several weeks to enjoy a continuous harvest.
If you strip the tree early, the avocados may never reach their full creamy potential.
3. Ignoring Weather Conditions
A cold snap or heavy rain can affect when you should pick avocados.
Fruit that has experienced frost may be damaged, so you’ll want to pick avocados before an expected freeze if they are close to maturity.
Conversely, extremely hot weather can cause sunburned skin, which makes it harder to judge color.
Use the stem test and float test together, and you’ll always have a solid answer for when to pick your avocados regardless of weather.
So, How Do You Know When to Pick Your Avocados? Final Thoughts
You know when to pick your avocados by combining the season check, skin color, and two simple maturity tests.
Specifically, you know when to pick your avocados when the stem underneath turns brown and when a sample fruit floats in water.
And remember, you know when to pick your avocados because they have reached maximum oil content, not because they feel soft.
After you pick avocados, the ripening happens at room temperature in your home.
So the next time you stand under your tree wondering how do you know when to pick your avocados, just squeeze a stem, drop one in a bowl, and trust those two signs.
Once you get this timing right, every avocado you bring inside will ripen to buttery perfection, making all your guacamole dreams come true.
Happy harvesting, and enjoy every single creamy bite of your homegrown fruit.