Hi Barath, this area is requires jack hammers and more to move inches of dirt. It's all breccia, or a kind of lava flow cement intermixed with a bit of clay, sand and a lot of river rock and boulders. I spent four weekends and several weeknight evenings just digging out the three holes. Trying to grow the avocado in the "soil" as it was would have been no different than growing in another container. I tried to incorporate as much of the native soil and gravel as I could without producing a hard impenetrable medium. If there's any way to encourage the roots to seek out and branch, I'd love to know of it.
The shade cloth makes sense, and I had considered it. But, my neighbors are already giving a lot of concerned glances and questions with all the front yard work, and I fear a bunch of shade-cloth would put me over the edge. A few of them have already called the city on me a few years back due to the look of my backyard, so I can't really push it. I'd whitewash (or surround), but same concern. I appreciate the input.