In the magical world of California agriculture, there just so happens to be growers that are able to successfully grow mangoes in Southern California! Mangoes are typically grown and imported to the United States from tropical/sub-tropical regions in Central and South America, so for mangoes to be able to grow in the desert heat and humidity in California’s Coachella Valley is really unique and also very exciting!
In this post, I am sharing all about my experience visiting Wong Farms in the middle of August in Mecca, California.
Table of Contents
How do Mangoes Grow?
Mangoes grow on trees. Mango trees are alternate bearing, meaning that they produce large crops every other year. The alternate years, they have very minimal production.
Mangoes typically grow in tropical/sub-tropical regions, just like bananas. However, there are a few growers in the Southern California desert (Coachella Valley) that have mastered the art of growing mangoes! The soil is super sandy, just as though you were at the beach, and the summer temperatures can reach up to around 120°F.
At this particular operation, they start the trees as seedlings, graft them and grow them on-site in their greenhouse, prior to planting them in the ground and waiting for the trees to start producing fruit.
What Mango Cultivars Grow in Southern California?
Wong Farms grows Valencia Pride, Keitt, Golden Lady, Red Ruby, Manila, Turpentine and more, including experimental crosses that they are testing out!
How Long Does it Take for Mango Trees to Produce Fruit?
It can take up to 5-6 years for mango trees to bear fruit. This is a large investment on the growers part, especially when trying out new cultivars in which they would like to try to start growing.
How are Mangoes Pollinated?
Mangoes in this region are pollinated using the green bottle and blow flies. This happens naturally in nature in Southern California’s desert region, without needing to bring in extra resources to help with pollination process.
How to Protect Mangoes from the Heat while Growing
These mangoes are protected using white and brown paper lunch bags (the color of the bag is dependent on the cultivar being grown). For example, two of the different cultivars they grow (among others) are Valencia Pride and Keitt. Since Keitt does not change color to indicate ripeness, they are covered with brown paper bags. Meanwhile, Valencia Pride mangoes do change color (from green to yellow/orange) to indicate ripeness and they are covered with white colored lunch bags.
During harvest, the bags either end up in the harvesting buckets and are disposed of or they remain on the orchard floor. At the end of the season, they are swept up into a pile and disked back into the soil, as a form of compost.
Controlling Water in the Soil
The mango trees are drip irrigated. But, how do they monitor the water in the soil when it is just as sandy as the beach?! This was so interesting to learn about!
They are using a program that inserts a microchip into the trees that monitors the water pressure in the plant, and essentially lets them know when the trees are thirsty and need to be watered. That, plus the drip irrigation, allows for a greater efficiency with watering.
Mango Harvest & Packing
Mangoes are harvested and packed in the field. At this specific operation, it is a small family farming operation and they are able to do the entire harvesting and packing process in the field. After the packing has been completed, the boxes are taken to the cooler and kept at 60°F until they are taken and sold and distributed to their customers.
You can see the harvesting and packing process in the video below!
How are Mangoes Harvested?
Mangoes are harvested using clippers or a picking pole with a bag attached. The harvested mangoes are:
- Placed into harvesting buckets
- Taken to the packing table in the field
- Packed into boxes meant for the final customer
When is Mango Season in California?
The harvesting season runs from mid-July to September, based on the cultivars grown. The harvest for each cultivar lasts for approximately 4-6 weeks.
Wong Farms starts harvesting the Golden Lady cultivar in mid-June and then ends their season with the Keitt cultivar in September.
Harvesting Mangoes Unripe vs. Ripe
At this mango farm, they harvest the mangoes “ripe,” which in this case, is where there is a slight give when you feel the mango. This is not common practice, especially with imported mangoes because when mangoes are harvested ripe, they have a significantly shorter shelf-life (they don’t last as long) and imported mangoes have travel time to be considered. For the consumer, this is a big plus because they are guaranteed a fresh, properly ripening/ripened mango that is going to taste delicious!
However, it is important to note that mangoes are climacteric fruit and do continue ripening after harvest. So, if they are harvested unripe, they can continue their normal harvesting process, assuming they have reached the correct maturity stage prior to harvest. (You can see a good example of how this works with the Ataulfo mango from the UC Davis Postharvest group.)
Mango Sap During the Harvesting Process
Mango sap appears once the stem has been cut. The amount of sap is dependent on the cultivar type and timing during the season. At this operation, you can see that there is not a large amount of sap that is affecting the harvested fruit (Valencia Pride cultivar). However, when other mango cultivars are harvested, it can result in a large discolored area around the stem due to the sap released when the stem is cut, which is known as sapburn.
How does Mango Sap Affect the Workers?
The workers need to wear long sleeves (and can wear gloves as well) to help prevent from sap burn to their skin. Mangoes are in the same family as poison ivy, so their sap can cause a similar reaction to the skin.
Are California Grown Mangoes Hot Water Treated?
No. Imported mangoes are treated with hot water (or an equivalent treatment) to prevent unwanted fruit flies from entering the United States. Since these mangoes are grown in the United States, that is not an issue.
How Can I Buy California Grown Mangoes?
The mangoes grown at Wong Farms are sold at Farmers Markets throughout the Los Angeles region, but if you are located elsewhere, you can always order online from their website.
Tasting California Grown Mangoes
We did a taste test at the end of my visit and I got to try four mango cultivars that I have never tried! Those four cultivars were Valencia Pride, Red Ruby, Golden Lady and another that was still an experimental cross that is currently being identified as a number!
There was a mixture of floral versus fruity versus no fiber versus normal fiber and everything in between! Really, the best way to describe it was what a treat!
Featured Grower Information
This was a visit for the books and I am so thankful for the opportunity to be able to go and do these visits and continue learning and then share it with you! I would like to send a big thank you to Wong Farms for the great visit and for allowing this footage to be shared! If you would like to support them and order fresh California grown mangoes and cannot make it to any of the local markets, you can order mangoes directly from their online shop.
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Thanks for this well informative article and good luck in Georgia.
Hi can we visit your farm ? I had a 4 acre organic farm in maui did all the work would love to see your farm!
Carlo Vitale
510-381-2156
Hi! I am so excited to find your site and farm. I am a transplant from the Caribbean and Miami where I have gorged on freshly picked mangoes. Imported supermarket mangoes, like all imported fruit, are not tasty. My question is do you all come to the farmer’s market in Irvine?
I just recieved one of your “Golden Lady” trees from The Wong Farm. It is about 34″ (in the pot). My question is how long can I keep in in the pot before replanting it and how often do I have to water it. It is outside on the patio for the time being, in the hot La Quinta temps. Direct sun about 4 hours a day. Thank you for any help you can provide. I did read the article and watch the video provided on the Wong Farm. It was extremly interesting and very informative. Thank you again, Christine Johnson
Try reaching out to Wong Farms directly at thewongfarmers@gmail.com with your questions regarding their trees!
I would like to order mangos
Learning about mangos and watching the video is such a treat from my usual routine of finance, mathematics, and politics. Thanks for a dose of reality.
Hello Sara,
My name is Renier. I live in LA. I have some mangos seeds from my tropical native country and I would like to donate them to you. Those seeds are from my mom’s home in Cuba, It’s a delicious mango!! I do not have any land available where I’m living, but I can visit you someday and see the tree growing up. Please see my email and feel to contact me if you are interested.
Hi,
Do you know what rootstock they use for their mango trees?
I would recommend reaching out to them directly. You can even go on a farm tour there and I believe, you can also purchase the rootstock from them!