Almonds

Tree fruit varieties offered by Dave Wilson Nursery are selected for their firmness, good shipping characteristics and desirable flesh quality. Approximate ripening dates (for the Fresno, California area), chilling requirements and patent information are listed for each variety along with any special traits.

Rootstocks Available
Nemaguard, Lovell, Viking, Marianna 26-24, Titan Hybrid

Alamo™

Blooms 2 days after Nonpareil, harvest 28 days after Nonpareil, heavy bearer, fruit is similar to Mission in appearance, before Mission, fruit is slightly bitter,

Aldrich

(Patent # 5320) Blooms with Nonpareil and considered an excellent Nonpareil pollenizer; harvest 14 days after Nonpareil; nut characteristics and harvest time similar to Merced; shell is well-sealed; 62% crack out; tree is upright--similar to Mission in growth habit.

Bluegum

(Patent #12737) Blooms 1 to 2 days ahead of Nonpareil - Harvest 17 days after Nonpareil - California Type - Light-cocoa-colored medium-sized kernel with soft, well sealed shell - Easy to knock - moderate vigor - Upright to moderately spreading tree - moderate to heavy bearer.

Butte

Blooms 4 days after Nonpareil; harvest 18 days after Nonpareil; considered the most productive almond variety; small to medium-small kernel with semihard well-sealed shell; easy to knock; vigorous, spreading tree similar to Ne Plus

Carmel

Blooms with Nonpareil; harvest 15 days after Nonpareil; heavy and precocious producer; kernel is medium-sized and elongated; well-sealed, soft shell; tree is medium-sized but more upright than Nonpareil.

Folsom

(Pending) Blooms with Nonpareil, harvests with Nonpareil, pollinates Nonpareil - Soft shell, medium to large kernel, moderately vigorous spreading tree.

Fritz

Blooms with Nonpareil; one of the latest maturing varieties--40 days after Nonpareil--and among the most consistently productive pollenizers for Nonpareil; medium-small, ovate kernel with semi-hard shell; medium-sized, upright/spreading tree.

Livingstone

Blooms 5 days after Nonpareil; harvest 8 days after Nonpareil; medium size kernel; well-sealed papershell nut; very productive, upright, medium to large size tree

Mission

(Texas) Blooms 6 days after Nonpareil; harvest 28 days after Nonpareil; kernel is medium-small and plump; very well-sealed hard shell; consistently productive; susceptible to injury by salt in soil or irrigation water; tree is large and upright.

Monterey

blooms 2 days after Nonpareil; harvest 26 days after Nonpareil; large, elongated kernel with high percentage of doubles; well-sealed soft shell; heavy and precocious producer; tree is medium-sized and somewhat sprawling.

Ne Plus

Blooms 5 days before Nonpareil; harvests 14 days after Nonpareil. Early bloom is susceptible to frost. The kernel is large. Shell is soft and well sealed. Tree has a spreading, slightly willowy growth habit.

Nonpareil

Blooms approx. 3rd week of February; harvest at end of August; medium-sized kernel with excellent quality and flavor - commands top position in marketplace; paper shell is often poorly-sealed; large, upright/spreading tree.

Padre

Blooms 5 days after Nonpareil; harvest 23 days after Nonpareil; hard shell and medium-small kernel similar to Mission though slightly smaller; good producer with potential for high yields; upright tree is similar to Mission in growth habit.

Price

Blooms with Nonpareil; harvest 4 days after Nonpareil; medium-small, plump kernel and paper shell; tendency to alternate bearing and moderately high percentage of double kernels in some years; vigorous upright/spreading tree.

Ruby

Blooms 8 days after Nonpareil; harvest 30 days after Nonpareil; medium-small, plump kernel in semihard, well-sealed shell; productive, moderately vigorous tree with upright growth habit.

Sonora

Blooms 3 days before Nonpareil, tendency to alternate bloom, considered less frost sensitive than other early blooming varieties; harvest 7 days after Nonpareil; medium-sized, elongated, light-colored kernel; paper shell is often poorly-sealed; very high yields noted in regional trials; medium-sized tree with slightly spreading growth habit.

Winters

(Pending) A new variety from the University of California (Formerly UC-13-1). Blooms with Nonpareil and Carmel; harvests 3 to 4 weeks after Nonpareil. The kernel qualities are good as compared to both Nonpareil and Carmel. Tree is upright and vigorous.

Wood Colony

(Patent #5538) Blooms 1 to 2 days after Nonpareil; harvest 10 days after Nonpareil; kernel is medium sized and elongated; well-sealed soft shell; smaller tree than Carmel with similar, spreading growth habit.

Also available:

Peerless.........

Sauret #1..........

Sauret #2 ...........

Thompson.........

Kernel size in number of kernels per ounce - Large: 20 or less/oz., Medium: 20-25/oz., Medium-Small: 25-30/oz., Small: 30 or more/oz.

Shelling percentage (proportion of inshell almond weight that is the kernel) - Paper Shell: 65%+, Soft Shell: 55-65%, Semihard Shell: 50-55%, Hard Shell: 50% and less.

Almonds have an estimated chilling requirment of 350 to 500 hours. In general, an earlier bloom indicates a lower chilling requirment.

Please note: Although diligence in evaluation and selection of budwood sources has reduced the incidence of noninfectious bud failure (crazy top), the following varieties are susceptible to this genetic disorder: Carmel, Jordanolo, Merced, Mission, Monterey, Nonpareil, Peerless, Price and Thompson. Due to limited occurrence of symptoms, noninfectious bud failure is not considered a potential production problem in Mission or Price. Noninfectious bud failure is not known to occur in Aldrich, Butte, Fritz, Ne Plus, Padre, Ruby, Solano and Sonora.