Shepard Avocado – Premium Late-Season Hass Alternative for Toowoomba Gardens
The Shepard Avocado (Persea americana ‘Shepard’) is one of Australia’s most reliable late-season avocado varieties, prized for its smooth, green skin, creamy texture, and distinctive nutty flavour. Unlike Hass, Shepards stay green when ripe and maintain a firm, non-browning flesh, making them a favourite in Toowoomba kitchens for slicing, salads, and gourmet plating.
If you're looking to extend your homegrown avocado season, the Shepard is an outstanding choice for Toowoomba’s warm summers, cool winters, and well-drained garden soils.
Key Features & Benefits
✔ Late-Season Harvest - Extend Your Avocado Season
Shepard fills the gap between Reed/Fuerte and early Hass, cropping February to April in the Toowoomba region. Perfect for ensuring fresh avocados well into autumn.
✔ Green-Skinned & Non-Browning Flesh
The flesh stays vibrant, firm, and fresh-looking - ideal for food prepping, salads, restaurants, or home entertaining.
✔ Excellent Performer in Toowoomba Climates
Shepard thrives in:
Full sun
Well-drained, slightly acidic soils
Sheltered sites protected from frost
Perfect for the Toowoomba Range, Highfields, Glenvale, Wyreema, Wellcamp, and the Lockyer Valley fringe.
✔ Compact, Attractive Growth Habit
A medium-sized avocado tree suitable for larger suburban backyards, small acreage, and food gardens wanting a reliable autumn crop.
✔ Delicious, Creamy, Nutty Flavour
A favourite with Queensland growers - smooth, buttery avocados with a clean flavour profile and a firmer texture than Hass.
Growing Shepard Avocado in Toowoomba
Climate Suitability
Shepard avocado is well adapted to the Darling Downs and Toowoomba escarpment. Its natural resilience to Queensland summers allows it to grow vigorously in our warm days, cool nights, and well-drained volcanic or sandy-loam soils.
Frost Considerations
Young trees appreciate frost protection in winter, especially in locations like Top Camp, Crows Nest, Meringandan, and Helidon where frost pockets can occur. Once established, Shepard becomes noticeably more resilient.
Soil Preparation
Avocados dislike “wet feet”, so:
Choose a mound or raised bed
Improve drainage with compost and coarse organic matter
Mulch heavily with sugarcane mulch to regulate root temperature
Keep mulch away from the trunk
Watering & Feeding
Keep soil moist but not waterlogged, especially from flowering to fruit set.
Apply a regular avocado/citrus fertiliser three times per year (spring, summer, early autumn).
Add trace minerals to assist fruit quality in Toowoomba’s often alkaline bore water areas.
Fruit Characteristics
Skin: Smooth, glossy green even when ripe
Flesh: Creamy, firm, non-browning
Flavour: Mild, nutty, clean
Seed: Medium
Harvest in Toowoomba: February - April
Planting & Care Tips
Best Planting Time: Spring to early summer
Position: Full sun with wind protection
Spacing: 4-6 metres from other trees or structures
Mulching: Heavy organic mulch, refreshed yearly
Companion Pollination:
Shepard is a Type B avocado. While it can fruit alone in home gardens, pairing with a Type A (e.g., Hass, Reed, or Wurtz) significantly boosts yields-especially in Toowoomba’s cooler flowering periods.
Why Buy from True Blue Garden Centre, Toowoomba?
Locally grown, climate-ready stock
Specialist advice for Darling Downs conditions
Quality grafted trees for faster fruiting
Trusted by Toowoomba gardeners for over 20 years