COASTAL

Almond 'Coastal' – one of the most popular varieties of sweet almond, bred at the Nikitsky Botanical Garden and widely distributed across Ukraine. A medium-sized tree (up to 3–4 m), fast-growing, with straight shoots forming an oval-spreading crown. Leaves are small, green, turning orange in autumn. Flowering occurs in mid-April; with good pollination (cross-compatible varieties are required – Nikitsky, Milas, Dessert) nuts are formed by the third decade of September.

Fruits of 'Coastal' have an elongated shape and average weight of 3–5 g. The shell is thin, smooth, light brown, and easily removed by hand. The kernel occupies up to 52.3% of the fruit volume, is white, dense, with an oily texture and a dessert sweet taste. The yield of an adult tree (7–8 years) reaches 10–15 kg of pure kernel per season; with good pollination, one ten-year-old plant can yield more than 5–6 kg of nuts.

The variety is distinguished by high resistance to diseases, pests, and frost (zone 5b – from –26 °C to –23 °C). It grows well on fertile, drained soils, prefers sunny southern sites protected from drafts. Almond 'Coastal' is valued not only as an edible product with beneficial properties but also as a decorative tree, adorning suburban areas with its green leaves and light brown nuts.