Coachella Date tree facts: Here in the Coachella Valley, our dates are second to none. Dates love our climate and our soil, and because the life of a date producing tree is quite long, the return on the crop can be substantial. The Eastern Coachella Valley, where so many of our original and still working date farms are located, is also under heavy pressure to be developed. The City of Coachella is interested in keeping the past of these original farms as part of it’s historical story. If you are looking to buy or sell in the Coachella Valley, give local agent, Kim Kelly a call at 760-285-3578.
Coachella Date Tree Information
In the late 1800s, date seeds and offshoots were imported from Egypt, Algeria and the Persian Gulf to the arid southwest of the United States. In 1904, the U.S. Department of Agriculture established an experimental agricultural station in the Coachella Valley devoted to the cultivation of dates. Different varieties, both from offshoots and seeds were tried.
In the following decades, crop production grew exponentially, from approximately 100,000 pounds in 1919 to 1 million pounds in 1926, and then by 1955 to 48 million pounds of dates. Ultimately, some 85 percent of U.S. date acreage was situated in the Coachella Valley. This production ultimately derived predominantly from 14,000 offshoots of the Deglet Noor variety imported from Algeria.
The Coachella Valley was, and is, uniquely endowed with favorable conditions for date production. The arid landscape, artesian water and high temperatures produce the highest quality of dates—sweet and plump.
Each date tree can produce approx. 200 lbs. of dates/year. Typically a date tree will start producing at 3-8 years old, produce their maximum yields at approx. 10-15 years, and can produce up to 30 years or so. Take a tour of this 9.7 acre organic date farm for sale for just $795,000!