Mid-Season / Indian-Alphonso Flavor / Origin: Florida

‘Ugly Betty’ is named for its bumpy, uneven shape, but its flavor is far from ugly, with a rich sweetness and Indian spice/resin notes.  It’s a seedling of Carrie and has similar flavor, with a touch less acidity, and a very soft, fiberless texture.  When ripe, Ugly Betty has a nice pink blush.  Our friend Steve Herndon of Hidden Acres mango farm has a few productive Ugly Betty trees, and favors the fruit so much that he often keeps most of them for himself.  The tree grows vertically with medium vigor, and the fruit ripens at the end of June through July.  It isn’t exceedingly productive, but has shown enough disease resistance to make it a good candidate for inland areas.

___________________________________________________________________________

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. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

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