Nuts · Dave Wilson Nursery

Mission Almond

A late-blooming almond with plump, hard-shelled nuts, so it dodges more spring frosts than most. It needs about 500 chill hours, which puts it at mid elevation, in warm spots like the Verde Valley and Sierra Vista, rather than Phoenix. It will not set nuts alone, so plant All-In-One or Price nearby, and expect a frost loss in the odd cold year.

Chill hours: 500 chill hours
Harvest: Late September to October at mid elevation
Pollination: Needs a partner such as All-In-One or Price
Mature size: 15–20 ft unpruned on Nemaguard; easy to hold at 10 ft with summer pruning
Cold hardiness: Hardy here. Species figure: dormant almond buds take about 20°F. Mission blooms late for an almond, which helps it dodge February frosts, but its 500 hour chill need is above what Phoenix reliably gets.
Heat tolerance: Takes full sun and heat. Almonds love heat and full sun, and the hard-shelled nuts ripen in fall inside a husk. Paint young trunks white until the canopy shades them.

Which one

Every nut side by side

Same fruit, different seasons and different jobs. Pick the row that fits your ground and your calendar.

	A late-blooming almond with plump, hard-shelled nuts, so it dodges more spring frosts than most. It needs about 500 chill hours, which puts it at mid elevation, in warm spots like the Verde Valley and Sierra Vista, rather than Phoenix. It will not set nuts alone, so plant All-In-One or Price nearby, and expect a frost loss in the odd cold year.	The almond that needs no partner, with soft shells and sweet kernels. It blooms early, so it is a low desert tree: Phoenix winters give enough chill and rarely frost the flowers, while at elevation a late freeze usually takes the crop. It needs a hot summer to fill the nuts, and birds and squirrels will help themselves once the hulls split.	The heavy-bearing home orchard walnut, with light-colored, good-tasting nuts on side buds, so it crops sooner than older types. It needs about 700 chill hours, so it fits mid elevation yards, not the low desert, where chill is short and heat scorches leaves and nuts. It is a big tree that needs deep, regular water.	A big, spreading chestnut with large nuts that peel easily. It needs 400 to 500 chill hours but also acid soil, and most Arizona soil is too alkaline, so use it only where the ground is acidic, such as granite soil around Prescott and Payson, or grow it in a large amended container. It needs a Nevada chestnut nearby for pollination.	The late-leafing walnut, so spring frosts that burn other walnuts mostly miss it. It needs 700 to 1,000 chill hours, so it suits frost-prone spots at mid elevation, such as Prescott, Payson and Sierra Vista. The tree is very large and upright, with thin-shelled nuts and light kernels, and it is slow to come into bearing.	A cold-hardy Carpathian-type walnut that bears young and heavy, with large, sweet kernels. It needs about 700 chill hours and shrugs off cold winters, so it suits mid elevation and sets nuts alone. It is a vigorous, large tree that wants deep watering and plenty of room.	The female pistachio that bears the nuts, and it thrives on long hot summers, dry air and alkaline, salty soil. It needs about 800 chill hours, so it fits warm mid elevation valleys; the low desert only suits colder pockets with enough winter chill. It needs a Peters male nearby, takes years to start bearing, and should go in from the pot without disturbing the roots.	A walnut bred in New Mexico, with large, well-sealed nuts that resist sunburn, and it blooms late enough to miss most frosts. It needs about 700 chill hours, so it suits mid elevation yards and not Phoenix, and it sets nuts alone. It grows into a big, thirsty tree, so give it room and deep, regular watering.	Nevada is a good nut tree in its own right and the pollen partner for Colossal, since one Nevada serves 8 to 10 Colossal. It needs 400 to 500 chill hours and, like Colossal, it will not tolerate alkaline soil. It only works where soil is acidic, like granite soils around Prescott and Payson, or in a big container with an acid mix.	The male pistachio: it makes pollen and no nuts, and one tree can serve up to eleven Kerman. Plant it close to your Kerman, because the pollen travels on the wind. It needs about 800 chill hours and loves summer heat, so it fits warm mid elevation valleys, and it should go in from the pot without disturbing the roots.	A small, heavy-bearing almond with nuts much like Nonpareil, a good fit for tight yards. At about 400 chill hours it works in the low desert, though that is the edge for Phoenix. It will not set nuts alone, so plant All-In-One or Mission nearby, and skip it at elevation, where its early bloom is usually frosted.	A walnut with a striking red kernel that stands out at farmers markets, bearing moderate to heavy crops on its side buds. It needs 700 to 1,000 chill hours and leafs out in mid April, so it suits mid elevation yards. It will not set nuts alone, so plant Franquette or Cisco nearby.
Harvest	Late September to October at mid elevation	Late August to mid September in the low desert	October to early November at mid elevation	Late September to October at mid elevation	Late October to November at mid elevation	October to early November at mid elevation	September to early October in warm mid-elevation valleys	October to early November at mid elevation	Late September to October at mid elevation	No nuts; male pollen tree for Kerman	Mid August to early September in the low desert	October to early November at mid elevation
Chill hours	500 chill hours	300–400 chill hours	700 chill hours	400–500 chill hours	700–1,000 chill hours	700 chill hours	800 chill hours	700 chill hours	400–500 chill hours	800 chill hours	400 chill hours	700–1,000 chill hours
Pollination	Needs a partner such as All-In-One or Price	Self-fruitful; no second almond needed	Self-fruitful; Franquette nearby can improve nut set	Needs Nevada nearby (one Nevada pollinates 8–10 Colossal)	Self-fruitful; also a good partner for Chandler	Self-fruitful; no second walnut needed	Needs a Peters male nearby; one Peters can serve several Kerman	Self-fruitful; no second walnut needed	Pollinates Colossal and needs Colossal nearby in return	Male tree that pollinates Kerman; one tree serves up to eleven females	Needs a partner such as All-In-One or Mission	Needs a partner such as Franquette or Cisco
Mature size	15–20 ft unpruned on Nemaguard; easy to hold at 10 ft with summer pruning	12–15 ft unpruned on Nemaguard; easy to hold at 8–10 ft with summer pruning	40–50 ft unpruned on Paradox; hard to hold below about 25 ft	40–60 ft unpruned; hard to hold below about 25 ft	50–60 ft unpruned on Paradox; very large, hard to hold below 30 ft	40–50 ft unpruned on N. Calif. Black; hard to hold below about 25 ft	20–30 ft unpruned, very slow growing; easy to hold at 15 ft	40–50 ft unpruned on N. Calif. Black; hard to hold below about 25 ft	40–60 ft unpruned; hard to hold below about 25 ft	20–30 ft, slow growing; easy to hold at 15 ft	10–15 ft on Nemaguard; small tree, easy to hold at 8–10 ft	40–50 ft unpruned on Paradox; hard to hold below about 25 ft
Cold	Hardy here	Cover in a hard freeze below 20°F	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Hardy here	Cover in a hard freeze below 20°F	Hardy here
Heat	Takes full sun and heat	Takes full sun and heat	Needs afternoon shade	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Needs afternoon shade	Needs afternoon shade	Takes full sun and heat	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Shade from late-afternoon sun	Takes full sun and heat	Takes full sun and heat	Needs afternoon shade
From	$32	$27	$51	$27	$57	$51	$54	$51	$40	$54	$30	$51

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Mission Almond

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