When Michael Skivinis volunteered to help at Margaret River Primary School last year during a garden lesson with his then Year 5 daughter Mikayla, he saw an opportunity to support the Kitchen Garden Program in a rather unique way - by offering locally grown Hass avocado trees grafted by Michael himself, as a fundraiser.
"Several of our kids have been through the program and we wanted to show our appreciation of all that it has given our kids - not only in the growing and planting of edibles, but also in the preparation and cooking of those fruit and veg into delicious, healthy meals," he said.
Garden Specialist Terri Sharpe was delighted with the donation.
"These avocado trees have been grafted by an expert using super healthy, high-producing stock, so you know you're getting an excellent tree.
"And as they've been grown here in Margaret River, they've acclimatised to our specific climatic conditions and are ready for planting right now," said Ms Sharpe.
Buying grafted stock also ensures you will get quality fruit, and fast.
"These trees are already eighteen months old, so should be setting flower next season," said Mr Skivinis.
Students in the Kitchen Garden Program germinate avocado seeds as part of the curriculum, but it is made very clear to them that those seeds are unlikely to produce edible avocados.
"You have to wait at least ten years to see if your tree will even produce an avocado, and the probability of that is only 40 per cent - that's a very long wait for a relatively low chance of getting edible fruit - not very good odds," said Ms Sharpe.
"With these donated grafted trees, you are guaranteed you will get fruit, and usually within a year or two of planting. That's a much shorter waiting period and excellent odds," she added.
The trees will be available for sale for $50 each.
Call or text Terri on 0404 745 354 for payment details and to reserve your avocado today.
Pick up will be from the Primary School Garden located on Forrest Road from Nov 1.
Numbers are strictly limited so don't delay.
