Early Season / Classic Flavor / Origin: Florida

To rate ‘Edward’ as a good mango would be an understatement– it is one of our all-time favorite fruits, and has a special place in our garden since this is the tree that first introduced us to high quality mangos in 2017.  It is named for Edward Simmonds, who led the USDA’s plant introduction program in Miami in the early 1900’s. Simmonds’ goal was to breed superior mango varieties, by cross-pollination of the various cultivars available in Florida at the time.  After his passing in the 1930s, a tree on his property was found to have outstanding quality fruit, with a very early ripening season.  By the 1940s, propagation of the ‘Edward’ mango began, and it quickly became known as one of the best mangos in Florida, keeping that title to the present day.  

Edward trees usually bloom very early in the season, sometimes as early as October but always in full bloom by early January.  This leads to multiple crops, with the first ripe fruit appearing by mid-April, extending all the way to July.  The fruit is medium-large, yellow when ripe, with a beautiful orange and red blush.  It has fiberless, firm flesh, with an attractive sweet aroma and a well balanced classic mango flavor.  Edward is richly sweet with just enough acidity to balance its flavor, and at times there is a slight coconut note.  The tree is moderately vigorous, and grows large with a dense canopy.  

When we purchased our previous property in 2017, there was a large old mango tree covering about a third of the backyard.  This turned out to be one of the original Edward trees planted in West Palm Beach, and we were thrilled to discover this when it fruited that spring.  Since then, we have always favored this mango and look forward to it being the first fruit we pick each mango season.

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Latin name - Mangifera indica

The undisputed King of Fruits!  Mangos are widely celebrated around the world, and for us, Mango season is truly the most wonderful time of year.  Originating in Northeast India, Mango trees have been in cultivation for thousands of years, spreading to every part of the world where the climate is suitable to grow them.   Through many generations of cultivation and careful selection, a huge diversity of Mango varieties has been developed, leading to possibly the widest spectrum of flavors of any fruit in existence.  

We grow over 60 Mango varieties and counting– see below for our full list of cultivars.  Some have a mild and sweet flavor, reminiscent of peaches.  Others have more citrusy or floral notes.  Some Mangos have strong, intense flavors often described as “resinous”, and still others are highly aromatic with notes of clove or cardamom.  A Mango cultivar may be named for the grower who originally developed it, for the visual appearance of the fruit, or simply to describe the flavor. 

In addition to the depth of flavor and aroma, each Mango cultivar has its own set of characteristics, including growth rate, canopy shape, fruiting season, productivity, and the appearance and size of the fruit.  All Mango trees thrive in full, unobstructed sunlight, and require ample space to grow.  At maturity, they can reach heights of 30-50 feet, but through strategic pruning and variety selection, it’s possible to maintain a Mango tree at 12-15 feet or even smaller with some effort.  Mangos thrive in South Florida’s sandy soil, and can tolerate dry periods like a champ.  Occasionally it may be necessary to supplement trace minerals like Zinc or Calcium to improve fruit set and quality, but for the most part, Mango trees require very little care. 

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Size: Can grow 30+ ft tall, but possible to manage at 12-15 ft with pruning.

Sun Requirements:  Full sun 

Cold Hardy: 32 degrees

Harvest Season:  Spring/Summer

Watering requirements: Tolerates drought well, will benefit from additional watering.

Food Forest Layer: Canopy