I planted a Don Gillogly sapling about 6, maybe 7 years ago. I drove 400 miles to get it at an Orange County nursery, and bought another for a friend. Hers died, but mine lived and since we live only two blocks apart, I can't say why I had better success- I would guess because I practice benign neglect and don't water very often :) The tree was about 5 feet tall when I moved 4 years ago and I returned to my house in Cupertino, CA in March of this year to find my avocado tree had grown considerably and had fruit. The tree is about 12 feet high, so it is either going to stay relatively short or it's going to grow very slowly. The fruit is absolutely wonderful- no strings, a true avocado flavor, not watery flesh, buttery and rich and about 7 inches long. A weird thing about the fruit- they have a channel, like a skinny conical envelope from the seed to the stem. The tree now has a second crop for this year. My tree has spread horizontally (maybe 10 feet from left to right) so it seems like a tall bush in some ways. It is near my house and may get a little protection from cold and wind because of that, but our winters get into the low 30s at night and the tree has done well without any special care or fertilization. When I came back this year, I did throw some avocado fertilizer on the ground under the tree. I'm very happy I planted it.

Great topic. I can see myself frequent this forum, as I am looking to add an avocado tree to my fruit garden. Thanks.

Don't know why pics didn't post.. here they are again.

Hey from Texas also! Personally, I would allow only one stalk to grow from each seed to ensure it is a strong trunk for what will one day hopefully be a tree. If your intent in growing avocados trees is for the avocado fruit then there is a lot more work that goes with growing an avocado tree. I highly recommend looking up on youtube or other forums avocado growers in texas, california, florida, and australia. You will find lots of useful information from videos and other people's experiences. I would also love to help out if you are still working on it. Send some updated pics. Cheers!