Hi Anna

The good news are that there are a lot of tasty varieties of mangoes, you just have to decide depending on what is available, size of the tree, and when they fruit.

Since I have other fruits and my space is limited, I go for the condo mangoes, it might be a good idea for you so you can pick the fruit on time before the squirrels.

Here are my trees today

Fairchild next to the banana, still have some fruits ripening, harvested others.

Mallika, this one has to be picked green and ripen indoors

Young early variety Rosigold

You have a lot of choices, there are a lot more that I like Kent, Valencia, Manillita, early variety Angie,etc, etc...

Here are some pictures of the fruit from the mango festival tasting room, the colors are off sorry.

Mallika

Fairchild

Rosigold

Wish you a good mango hunting variety!

Silvia

Something to think about is root stock you can get grafted on dwarfed root stock ,harder to find but a good option if room is a problem.

Thanks, Silvia and Glenn! We would like a sweet, meaty and fiberless mango. Silvia, are any of yours like that? Glenn, size is not that important as long as it is not huge. Up to about 20-25 feet tall is acceptable, and even preferred, but smaller is fine too- we'd just get two.

Anna, all my varieties fit that description, but you have more choices since you have more room, bigger mango, more fruit...

Kent is very popular and tall, you might want to consider it, I got me a box at the festival.

Silvia

Jofus, thanks so much for your story and recommendation of the Glenn! I will have to read a little about it, but it sounds like just what we'd like. Thanks again for all the details! Ana

Silvia, thanks so much! I will look up Kent, Rosigold and Fairchild! They all look yummy. I hope I can find what we'd like this summer. Ana

One last comment, I promise. If I were up against a wall and had to decide which of only two mango trees I would plant in my smallish backyard, I would select a Glenn and a Kent. Plant the two youngsters 25' apart, would only need a minimum of 2,500 sq ft or so to fit them in comfortably. Would also prune each tree twice initially, - first a modest one after one year and then a second one, more aggressive, after three years in the ground. That'd open up the interiors of both trees and eliminate any fungus infections. An ideal setup IMHO,..not only two varietie's, but also two different ripening season's,..the Glenn, mid June to early July and the Kent early July to early Aug, { very nice ) !
Then set up two Adirondack chairs at rear of home and sit back and watch each tree sway gently in the breeze knowing you'll soon be dining on two of the most delicious mango's in the world ! Hate thinking of the squirrels sharing them tho ! ( smile )
PS : If the Kent does get a bit too tall, that'd take many years, but then just call in a commercial guy for an aggressive one hour pruning ! Whatever you decide, good luck !

We grow pickering & love it. We bought one at Crowley's originally 10 yrs ago. I grew it at the old garden and had to have one here too. Smallish fruit, melt in your mouth sweet and fiberless. I consider Mallika truly delicious too but it gets a bit taller than pickering so I passed on it. Both are dwarf trees but my friend's Mallika grows a bit taller to around 15'

Silvia, those Kents are beautiful! How old is your Mallika? We have similiar taste in mangos, at my old house I had mallika, rosigold, fairchild, nam doc. Jofus, Do you have pictures of your Glenn? Junglegal, do you have pictures of your Mallika. You all have gotten me looking into mangos again even though I wasn't looking for one lol. Pine Island Nursery rates the kent, the glenn and the mallika as near perfect mangos. Even though it will be years before I have to deal with the final size of the Kent, that kind of rules it out lol. But the glenn and the mallika do sound perfect but I would love to see the size and shapes of the trees if anyone does have pictures ;} Having mangos that alot of people like the taste of is important to me because I like to share what I grow

Helen

Helen, the above is a photo of my Glenn, taken almost a week ago. Planted six years and four months ago. Estimate it to be about 17 - 18 ft tall now. Talk about a vigorous but not too huge a tree ! Desperately needs an aggressive pruning to let light into the interior, which it will receive very soon,...the last 2 mangos ( as far as I could see ) fell off this morning ! The fruits are scrumptious,..need say no more !

Have nothing personal against the Pickering mango's per se, - eating one by itself, I originally thought they were fine. It was only after sampling a Glenn, and then within a few minutes a Pickering, is when I noticed the difference. I will still eat a Pickering on occassion, but much prefer a Glenn, and certainly a Kent or a Tebow ( both just now getting ready to drop ).

I am not the only one hereabouts who is blase' about the Pickering's, have given many away in plastic bags along with the Glenn's,..most respectfully ask that I just give 'em the Glenn's. That tree will be dug up soon, - will get me down to four trees, a more respectable load for a retiree to cope with. lol

u gave a Nam doc mai away?

No Ben, don't have that tree right now,..just a Kent, Glenn, Pickering, Tebow and a Carrie. I did plant a Nam Doc Mai when I first moved in here 7 yrs ago. It was the only one of five that survived the brutal winter we had here 2009/2010. My friends & I enjoyed it's fruits for a few years, It was a tasty mango for sure, but then it got a stubborn fungus and despite THREE YEARS of diligent spraying, - had to cut it down a few yrs ago.

Wow, my long post from yesterday disappeared. I must've done something wrong. In a nutshell, thanks to Jofus, Junglegal and Helen! Jofus, I think we've decided on a Glenn, thanks to you and your great post! We already have a Nam Doc Mai growing, so we don't have the space for a very large Kent. Would love to find a medium to small late season with excellent fruit or an even earlier mango. Fairchild and Tebow (which is too large), are also June/July as is Mallika, so those are out. Rosigold is March through June. Silvia, does Rosigold have excellent fruit and yield? If anyone has any other suggestions for very early or late season that's not too large and has excellent fruit, please let me know!

Jofus, I so appreciated your comments about how to go about trimming the trees, and the schedule for doing it. Will have to keep it in mind. If you have any other sources for a Glenn a bit closer to Sarasota, that would be great.

Yes, Ben, I gave it away. There seemed to be no hope to outsmart the squirrels cashing in on the culture of this tree. Now we've planted another one which is much smaller! It will take a couple more years to get to that size, I think.

Thanks, everyone! Ana

Helen, I don't remember how old is the Mallika because it was in a pot and I just planted it in the ground this year and I shaped it for this spot, gave me a few mangoes this year.

Ana, that is funny! I also saw some posts disappear, I wonder why? lol

About the mangoes, in the tasting room I sampled one after another variety and to me Rosigold, Angie and Manillita were kind of similar. The one I have planted in the ground is young so I don't know about the production.

From all the mangoes that I tasted and that I bought, 1 is still a big winner! the small expensive mango either from India or Pakistan that I bought it from the vendor, Cheryl said the same thing and we also thought that maybe because it is planted in different soil than ours? when I saw the name, I never saw that for sale anywhere, I know that I will look for him the next year, it was all worth it!

Silvia

Pickering is excellent...great taste and doesn't get too big ( supposedly,lol...)...Cogshall is a good one too and Glenn. SO many varieties and so little space :o)

Cogshall... 2nd picture is Glenn

This was my PIckering mango, one of the best I've had but sadly I had to remove it because it was right in the way of a screened porch we had built last year, SO sad!

TIME OUT GREEN BAY ! Anna, The Tebow fruits mature from late July to late August ! Have one, in ground 3 1/2 yrs, this is it's first meaningful harvest,..now has a dozen ( 12 ) big, hard as a rock mango's,..mostly all still yellow but one just turned pinkish 2 days ago, but still hard. Have no idea how tall the tree will get,...have heard from 15' to over 40'. Will let you know for sure in 15 yrs ! ( smile )

Us engineers. weirdo's as far as details go !

Will post a pic of my just pruned Glenn, after I remove all the cut off branches litering the grass around it. You'll notice a big change from the pic above. Still cooling down,...out in the sun for over 1 1/4 hours. Mad dog's and Englishmen !!!!

Just noticed your post about Pickering Jofus...exactly why I'm a true believer in "tasting" something before deciding,lol...Taste is definitely subjective :o)...No worries, that's why there are SO many different varieties to choose from...I miss my Pickering but I already have 4 inground and one potted. I have 2 Glenns ( potted and inground) its a very good mango ( but sometimes when we have too much rain) the taste can get watered down and bland...but most years its excellent :o)

Anna, I forgot to mention there is a Mango Mania Festival this Saturday and Sunday July 16&17 in Cape Coral...they sell mangoes and pretty sure they sell Mango trees too?

http://www.come-to-cape-coral.com/mango-mania.html

Thanks again, Jofus and Silvia!!! And thanks also to Puglvr1 for the beautiful photos and for the news about the Mango Mania Festival! We'll have to try to go! Thanks again, everyone!

This has been a fascinating thread! If I might, what is everyone's opinion on growing a mango in zone 9 - Daytona Beach. It freezes some years, but briefly. I had thought I would need to put the mango tree in a pot that could be brought into (or live in) a greenhouse. Thoughts? And if I do need to go with a pot variety in a greenhouse, is Pickering the best or are there other "condo" mangoes that are preferred?

Hi Liz,..only my opinion, but I wouldn't try planting a mango tree in the ground anywhere north of Merritt Island on the east coast. Your idea of a potted " condo mango " is the only way to go where you live. Please, again just MHO, forget the Pickerings, have had one in the ground here in balmy SW Florida for almost 2 1/2 yrs, now at the end of it's first robust harvest, but the taste is " blah ". I can't even give them away and will be cutting that tree down in next few weeks ! My advise would be a Carrie planted in a big pot. Good luck !

Here's a link : http://tropicalfruitnursery.com/mango/carrie-mango.shtml

I have a 10 year old Glenn mango tree, though when I bought this I didn't know a whole lot about the different varieties so if I had to do it over again I probably wouldn't have picked this variety for a pot. Below is Condo "suggestions" taste is subjective :o)...I DO love Pickering but I absolutely dislike Carrie,lol...it had a medicinal.herb after taste that I didn't like...I've been told you have to know the right time to pick it or they are known to have this unusual after taste...just my humble opinion as I know there are many Fans of Carrie...whatever you choose Good Luck. For what its worth I live in the central part of FL and I too have a few days of frost/freeze. I had to cover and heat my mango trees when they were young and newly planted...it can be grown in Zone 9 BUT it is a LOT of work...building a makeshift shelter for the winter is a necessity...Adding heat is a must if you want it to survive. There is a guy that grows a mango tree in Jacksonville...so its possible again how much work are you willing to do,lol...

Here's my Potted mango ( 10 years old)...I get about 10-12 mangoes a year.

Its planted in a 40-45 gallon pot

Here's the link to the guy growing Mango in Jacksonville...

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2185649/seedling-mango-tree-success-in-jacksonville-fl?n=58

Thank you Jofus and Puglvr! Very helpful, but also funny about the tastes that you each prefer. And thanks to everyone else on this distribution for all of the knowledge and insight. My husband is building me a conservatory for my birthday, and I'll have room for sprouting vegs and a few off season plants, as well as a **small** tree or maybe 2! It is mighty fun to be dreaming and choosing the tree now and imagining getting my veg sprouts out of my kitchen :-)

Thanks Guys...always interested in your info...

@puglvr - I have a Carrie tree and was also initially somewhat disappointed in the flavor after hearing so many people rave about them. I learned how to ripen them just right and made all the difference. A couple days over or a couple days under ripe and they have a bit of a piney aftertaste. Pick them a bit early and let them ripen on the counter and you should have better luck. When you figure out how to judge them when they are just right it's disgusting how indulgently good & sinful they taste and the best I have ever tasted, tho I assume Edward is probably even better.

A properly ripened Carrie will trump Valencia Pride and most other close Haden relatives.

Just some trivia: Mallika means queen and Carrie, is what we call the Paisley design that originated in India, that represents the mango. Mangoes originated in India and the latin name is Mangifera Indica. I do so miss my summers in India with afternoons full of baskets of Langra, Chusa and Alfonso mangoes. I have had mangoes all over the world, they were delicious, but the taste of Indian mangoes can't be beat! I live in Italy now but I see that you can buy fresh Indian mangoes online at http://mangozz.com/index.action or contact them for an Indian grocery store in your city. What I wouldn't give to get those!

@Mandy - The Carrie here in Florida is named after "Carrie Zill" the grandmother?? of Gary Zill from back in the 1940's or so. The Zill family in Miami has been responsible for many of the better known Florida/US varieties over the last 70 years or so.

I live in Boynton Beach, Fl and have 3 mango trees in the ground. All three trees were bought from Excaliber Nursery. I have a Dot, Carrie and a Mahchanook. It was a wonderful season approx 90 Dots, 150+ Carries and around 100+ Mahachanooks. Without a doubt the family favorites are the Dots and the Mahchanooks. Personally I find the Carrie to be just as delicious and the most fiberless out of the 3. I agree with nighthawk0911 about picking the Carries early and letting them ripen on the counter and that truly make all the difference. After reading the expert reviews on the Carrie I bought my tree about 8 years ago and was a little dismayed by the taste and within a couple of seasons I realized that I needed to withhold watering the tree the last 20-25 days prior to picking the first fruit and before they would ripen on the tree. DO NOT LET THEM RIPEN ON THE TREE. What a great sweet, juicy and fiberless mango you will have. Needless to say if they fall they bruise easily. I want to add another tree but I'm really not sure which one, but I'm leaning toward the Pickering because the few that I have tasted were delicious and it would fit in the space available. My second choice was the Nam Doc Mai until I tasted a few and was not overwhelmed. However I'm told that I probably had poor samplings of the Nam Doc Mai.

@pbcbob - If you/your family had to choose how would you rank the 3 you have for flavor?

Nam Doc was on my short list also, but was replaced by Mahachinook based on reviews. Nam Doc will also grow true from seed so I'm hoping get a couple of seeds to plant.

Coconut Cream I have heard is supposed to even better than Pickering.

nighthawk0911, to rank the 3 mangos my family would say Dot, Mahachanook, Carrie. I have a different opinion I lean slightly toward the Mahchanook, Dot, Carrie in that order. The Dot and the Mahachanook are really a toss up and my family would agree. My next door neighbor have the Valencia Pride, Bombay and Kensington Pride. Including my cultivars for my taste I rank them as Mahchanook, Dot, Valencia Pride, Carrie, Bombay, Kensington Pride. I picked my last Machanooks this past weekend. My season is now over but my neighbor still have Valencia Prides on his tree. His tree is a very large Valencia Pride that produce over 300 mangos annually consistently. I have tasted the Coconut Cream and it's a very tasty mango but from what I have read and heard I don't have the room for it. I need to sample more Nam Docs but that will be next year. Excaliber Nursery is about a 12 min drive from my house, My wife and I like to sample the different varieties during season. Nighthawk 0911 if you decide on the Mahachanook I don't think you will be disappointed.

@pbc - thanks for the info!!! Having tasted both Pickering & Coco Cream which do you prefer for flavor? Is Pickering the same as the Pina Colada Mango I sometimes see being listed?

Nighthawk, let me go back and make a correction. I never tasted the coco cream mango, when I replied I was thinking about the lemon meringue mango. Sorry !! I can compare the lemon meringue with the Pickering. I can tell you that I did detect a few subtle coco notes in the flavor of the Pickering. my opinion is completely subjective but that's what I think.