According to the US Department of Agriculture, all adults should eat about 1.5-2.5 cups of fruit daily. Although today it’s easy to buy all the products you need in a nearby supermarket, it’s still much healthier to grow plants yourself.
We made a list of 8 fruit trees you can easily grow from the seeds or pits of your own picked fruit, right on your balcony or in your garden.
8. Tangerines
Tangerines are evergreen plants that grow about 10-15 feet tall. If you want to grow a tangerine tree yourself, you should take into account the following tips:
- Place the trees in a well-lit spot but not in direct sunlight. Use well-draining soil and water it often, but don’t make it too soggy.
- It’s better to use seeds from fresh fruit as they are more viable, and plant them in spring or early summer.
- When the seedling is large enough, repot it into a larger container with some fresh potting mix.
Seed-grown tangerines may take anywhere from 4 to 7 years to flower and fruit. Flowering usually occurs in spring with fruit forming in the summer and ripening by early autumn.
7. Lemons
You can easily grow lemons from fruit seeds by putting them directly in soil and following these simple rules:
- Plant at least 5-10 seeds at one time in case some of them don’t sprout. It’s better to choose plump-looking seeds from a fresh lemon.
- Don’t forget that lemon trees love water so keep the soil damp by watering it about 2-3 times a week.
- Lemon seedlings will require 10-14 hours of sunlight while grown trees need at least 8 hours.
- If you can see roots through the drainage holes in a pot, it’s time to replant the tree into a bigger container.
It may take about 5 years for the tree to produce fruit, and in some cases, you’ll have to wait up to 15 years.
6. Avocados
Before planting an avocado seed into the soil, you should prepare a seedling. To do this, take 3-4 toothpicks and use them to suspend the pit (broad-end down) over a glass of water. The water should cover about an inch of the seed. Put the glass in a warm place avoiding direct sunlight for about 2-6 weeks until the roots appear.
- When planting the seedling, make sure that the seed is half exposed to the air.
- It’s better to plant your tree during the period of March to June.
- Avocado trees do best with moderate humidity and need to be watered 2-3 times a week.
It may take anywhere from 5 to 13 years before the tree is mature enough to produce fruit. Don’t be afraid when you see a lot of flowers falling from the tree, it’s a natural process.
5. Pears
To make the process of germination easier, it’s better to stratify your pear seeds first. For this purpose, put your seeds into a plastic bag with moist peat moss. Place the bag in a refrigerator and store it there for 60-90 days. After that, put the seeds in a glass of warm water for 2 days. Then you can plant them in soil following these recommendations:
- Pear trees need well-drained soil and at least 6 hours of sunlight. Remember that the more light a plant gets, the more water it needs.
- Water the plant at least once a week, it’s better to do it in the morning or in the evening.
It may take at least 3 or at most, 10 years for your tree to bear fruit. Pick the pears when they start changing color while they are still hard, they will finish ripening afterward.
4. Apples
If you want to grow a fruit tree from your seeds, keep in mind that the type of apple tree you’ll end up with might not be the same as the seed you planted. Also, don’t forget that your tree will grow to its full height unless you choose a dwarf type of tree. Here are some tips to increase your chances of success:
- Collect 2 different kinds of seeds if you want your tree to bear fruit. Place them into a sealable plastic bag on a moist paper towel. Then keep the bag in a refrigerator for 70-80 days.
- Plant the sprouts in the early spring after the last frost.
- Put the pot with your seeds on a windowsill so that it has enough access to sunlight.
- While an apple tree is short, it should be watered every 10-12 days. As it grows, you can start watering it less frequently.
Trees planted from seeds may take anywhere from 8 to 10 years to produce fruit.
3. Plums
Growing a plum tree will need some preliminary preparations from your side. First, place a plum pit on a windowsill for several days to dry and then use a nutcracker to get the seed. After that, take a glass of water and put your seeds inside for a night. Then take a canning jar filled with compost, place the seeds inside and seal it. Put the jar into a refrigerator for 6-8 weeks until the roots appear.
- Plant sprouts into the potting mixture that contains 2 parts of soil and one part compost.
- Plum trees need at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
- During the germination period, keep the soil slightly moist but not too soggy.
Your plum tree should start bearing fruit in 3-5 years.
2. Cherries
To be able to bear fruit, cherry pits need to go through a stratification period. For this purpose, put the dry pits into an airtight plastic container and store it in the refrigerator for 10 weeks. When the sprouts are ready, plant them in soil while keeping in mind the following recommendations:
- Cherries need plenty of sunlight and good air circulation; they prefer fertile, sandy soil with excellent drainage.
- Keep the soil slightly moist and water it whenever it feels dry.
You’ll have to wait for about 7-10 years to taste your home-grown fruit.
1. Peaches
To stratify your peach pits, wrap them in a damp paper towel and place them in the refrigerator for 8 weeks. After that, you can plant them in the soil.
- To ease the process of stratification, get seeds out of the pits and place each seed into a separate plastic bag. Also, it’s better to plant more than one seed at a time as many of them may not survive their first year.
- The soil should be deep, sandy, and range from a loam to a clay loam. Remember that poor drainage in the soil can kill the root system of growing peach trees.
- Keep the soil moist but not wet, otherwise, rot will set in. Your trees will also need a lot of sunlight.
It may take about 3-5 years for your tree to produce fruit.
