# Are/Can almonds be grown in other areas of the country?



## Duncan151 (Aug 3, 2013)

There is supposedly a zone 5 Almond that is for sale here in WI. I may pick up a couple to see what they do. My guess is that our spring freezes are too unpredictable, and may damage early blooms, most years.

https://www.jungseed.com/C/794/Almond


----------



## Bombus_perplexus (Nov 17, 2015)

There are a few specific reasons why almonds do so well in California. They don’t tolerate overly wet soil and are extremely susceptible to spring frost. They thrive in mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers in full sun and do best in sandy loam soils. The Northern and Central California climate meets these specifics almost perfectly. They also take 180 to 240 days to fully mature, so it requires a climate that has a longer growing season. One thing that seems to never be mentioned is that Almond trees are rather thirsty, requiring a little over 1 gallon of water per almond grown. While other crops require more, its still a lot when you consider how many almonds are harvested per tree per year. While I'm not saying that they won't grow in Texas, its not the ideal climate for them to really thrive.


----------



## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

There are some almond orchards in south Texas.


----------



## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

RichardsonTX said:


> There are some almond orchards in south Texas.


What general areas are they in??? Been here all my life and have never seen one.


----------



## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

Bombus_perplexus said:


> There are a few specific reasons why almonds do so well in California. They don’t tolerate overly wet soil and are extremely susceptible to spring frost. They thrive in mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers in full sun and do best in sandy loam soils. The Northern and Central California climate meets these specifics almost perfectly. They also take 180 to 240 days to fully mature, so it requires a climate that has a longer growing season. One thing that seems to never be mentioned is that Almond trees are rather thirsty, requiring a little over 1 gallon of water per almond grown. While other crops require more, its still a lot when you consider how many almonds are harvested per tree per year. While I'm not saying that they won't grow in Texas, its not the ideal climate for them to really thrive.


Sounds like Texas is a pretty good match to me, except perhaps for the water supply. A gallon per almond does seem like a lot.


----------



## RichardsonTX (Jul 3, 2011)

Mike, I should have said I heard that there were almonds grown in south Texas. Now that I've actually tried to find a farm with a website advertising almonds, I can't. If you do find out for sure, I'd like to know because now I am curious. Almost curious enough to call A&M to see if they are aware of any almond growers down there. That would probably be the quickest way to get an answer. I apologize for restating something I'd heard that I couldn't verify.


----------



## mike17l (Jun 22, 2012)

RichardsonTX said:


> Mike, I should have said I heard that there were almonds grown in south Texas. Now that I've actually tried to find a farm with a website advertising almonds, I can't. If you do find out for sure, I'd like to know because now I am curious. Almost curious enough to call A&M to see if they are aware of any almond growers down there. That would probably be the quickest way to get an answer. I apologize for restating something I'd heard that I couldn't verify.


I've been known to do the same thing. Ill be on the lookout!!!


----------



## JWChesnut (Jul 31, 2013)

The late-flowering Mission variety almond is sometimes called the "Texas" variety in sales literature. Texas may have been the origin for the original California plantings. This is a hard-shell almond. Hard-shell almonds have less economic demand than the softshell Non-Pareil types. The Texas A&M website notes that the Texas (Mission) or Hall's Hardy almond can be grown in Texas (regions not specified). Humidity is troublesome for almonds, so the Gulf Coast is out.


----------



## jean-marc (Jan 13, 2005)

Almonds need a Mediterranean type of weather. California is the perfect match.

Jean-Marc


----------



## warrior (Nov 21, 2005)

I wondered the same once I learned they are kissing cousins to the peach and I live in the peach state.
They will grow and survive almost anywhere a peach will BUT they have very specific climate needs for best health and production. I believe humidity prevents the nut drying properly so they do better in a dry heat.
Heck, even our peaches are on constant life support with the spray schedule required.
Sadly peaches are self pollinating.


----------



## JRG13 (May 11, 2012)

They don't like moisture, that is the main factor. I believe Spain grows 20% of the almonds, California is 80%. Most areas the diseases from too much humidity or too much rain post nut set either does trees or crop in, or makes it uneconomical to grow them due to the continuous sprayings that would be required during nut fill. In general, we typically get all our precipitation October through March, then it does not rain again until the next fall typically. We may get a shower or two here and there but nothing that constitutes measurable precipitation. And this refers to mainly the central valley, the southern part of the state is even dryer which is why they complain about all the water going out to the ocean but they can eat one on that issue.


----------



## BEES4U (Oct 10, 2007)

Here's some more information on your question:
http://www.almonds.com/sites/default/files/content/Technical Information Kit.pdf
Regards,
Ernie


----------



## Tim KS (May 9, 2014)

I used to have a couple of Hall's Hardy almond trees growing here in Kansas. I bought them out of curiosity as an ornamental tree. They did bear fruit a couple of times like a small hard peach, but I don't remember investigating the pit that supposedly contained the 'nut'. They survived the cold winters and the rest of our climate here for maybe 10 years. They ended up being in the way when I built a machine shed, so they ended up being relocated to the burn pile.


----------



## beepro (Dec 31, 2012)

Almonds, like beekeeping or any other crops requires a local
suitable environment in order for them to thrive.
If you can find a suitable environment to plant the
almonds in Texas then you're in business. We're talking about
the temperature, weather pattern at certain time of the year, the water quality and
the soil type for them. I'm sure people already exploit the possibility of growing the
agriculture crops all over the country and in the 4 corners
of the world including the desert planting. It can be done only
if you find a way to do so. Try one in your backyard for a test.


----------

