Wendy's Wanderings
July 12, 2023
Magical Mango Season
Not much brings me more joy than eating a cold mango over a kitchen sink. Living in Gainesville, I don’t always get the freshest mangos. But sometimes I am fortunate enough to travel to South Florida during the summer when I can get the best mangos in the world (yes, I am biased).
I was recently travelling through Homestead on my way to Marathon to meet with the Monroe County Master Gardener Volunteers and their new agent Maria Quirico Bautista. I knew I was getting close to my hometown when I saw people with small card tables sagging with fruit for sale under the shade of big mango trees. I made a mental note to buy fruit on my way back north.
What a happy surprise it was when new Monroe County Master Gardener Volunteer Flemming Mathiasen walked into our meeting with a big bag of mangoes to share. Flemming has a special mango tree that he is caretaker of. It has three varieties of mango growing from one multi-trunked tree at his Key West home. The variety he shared with me that day is called ‘Beverly’; I remembered it from my childhood. The color of the fruit is a gorgeous sunset orange and the flavor is divine. The following day Master Gardener Volunteer Pat Gill shared a big ‘Kent’ mango from her tree with me. I was feeling very fortunate indeed.
Mangoes originated in southeast Asia and were brought to Florida in the mid-1800s. Once an important Florida crop, urban encroachment and hurricane Andrew in 1992 reduced the commercial mango production to about 1,500 acres, though there are still plenty of trees remaining in residential landscapes and on specialty farms.
The 'Beverly' mangoes Monroe County MGV Flemming Mathiasen gave to Wendy.
If you are interested in sampling different types of mangoes, Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden has an extensive collection of 550 varieties. Many of these are available for tasting during their annual Mango Festival that is held during the first week of July. The Redland Fruit and Spice Park has many different mangoes to experience as well. When you are in the Redland you will undoubtedly find roadside stands selling the delicious fruit and the farmers will let you know what varieties you are purchasing.
If you live in Zone 10 and are considering planting your own mango tree remember that it is a large tree. They grow to be at least 40 feet tall and about as wide. Purchase a grafted tree and plant in the full sun. Some of my favorite varieties include old-timey ones like ‘Hayden’, ‘Edward’, ‘Keitt’, and ‘Julie’, and a few of the newer introductions to Florida like the big ‘Nam Doc Mai’ and ‘Valencia Pride’.
Please read more about growing mangoes in the excellent Ask IFAS publication, Mango Growing in the Florida Home Landscape.
-- Wendy Wilber