Growing Stone Fruits from Seed

Many fruits infamously don’t grow true to seed. In essence, what this means is that the apples and oranges that we take seeds from won’t grow the same type of fruit their parent plant does. It’s much the same as with humans: children aren’t exactly replicas of their mother and father, but rather a melding of the two, along with several other genes thrown into the mix.

Stone fruit, however, is different. They provide fruits very similar to the trees that they come from. This means that with stone fruits, unlike other fruits, we can plant seeds and reliably get quality produce. For those looking to create orchards on the cheap, this is great news. Adding to the good news, many stone fruits are quick to grow and produce.

Fruits that fall into this category include peaches, nectarines, apricots, cherries, plums, mangoes, lychees, olives, and dates. These fruits have one large seed at the center of their drupes (fruits), and they tend to be happy and easy to grow successfully from seed. It’s not all that complicated, either.

Source: Epicurious/Youtube

Collecting the Seeds from Stone Fruit

The first wonderful way of collecting seeds from stone fruits is to eat some fruit you’ve bought from a farmers’ market or even a supermarket. Obviously, it’s great to go organic here, but it isn’t entirely necessary. Basically, the idea is to eat the fruit and keep the pit.

A simple test for seeing if the seed is viable is to put it in water. If it floats, then the seed has lost its pizzazz. If it sinks, then there is a good chance of growing a new fruit tree from it. If the pits do float, then— boo hoo!— it’s time to eat another delicious stone fruit.

Source: Attainable Sustainable/Youtube

Stratifying Your Stone Fruit Seeds

Temperate stone fruits, like peaches, nectarines, and cherries, require cold stratification to grow. This means that they must go through a “winter” season to germinate. Tropical stone fruits, where there is no true winter, don’t need this. That includes stuff like mangoes, dates, and coconuts. But, of course, these fruits won’t work in most of the United States.

To stratify seeds, they should be sown into moist soil in small containers and then put into the refrigerator for a few months. For those in temperate climates, especially with fruits bought from local farmers’ markets, they can simply be left outside in pots. They’ll start to root during this process, and once the weather begins to warm (or they are taken out of the fridge, they’ll begin to send up shoots.

Source: MIgardener/Youtube

Planting Those Little Trees

Young trees of any variety are more susceptible to the elements, things like pests and weeds, and bad weather, so it’s good to wait until the saplings have reached about a foot tall before trying to put them in the ground somewhere.

To plant them, it’s good practice to dig a hole about twice as wide and equally as deep as the container they are growing in. To give them some added advantage, clear all the grass and weeds from the surrounding area (at least a foot in every direction) and mulch that space with well-rotted wood chips.

Source: Byron Herbalist/Youtube

Caring for Stone Fruit Trees

Most stone fruit trees are self-fertile and don’t require a second tree to produce fruit; however, harvests are often bigger when a partner tree is nearby. They also tend to fruit early and lose harvests due to late frosts. Choosing appropriate, i.e. local, varieties can help to prevent this issue.

Most growers like to prune fruit trees into vase shapes so that they get plenty of airflow and the energy gets concentrated into the right parts: the fruits. Pruning should be done when trees are dormant, which is late fall, winter, and early spring. When the tree comes out of dormancy, it’ll grow healthy new growth with lots of fruit.

Source: The Gardening Channel With James Prigioni/Youtube

When to Harvest Stone Fruits

Different types of stone fruit trees take different amounts of time to mature and provide harvests. Nectarines, peaches, and plums are known for providing quick harvests, whereas cherries, coconuts, and mangoes might take a bit longer.

Different varieties also put out fruit at different times of the year. In other words, it’s important to do a little research about the fruit and cultivar being grown. Ask the vendor at the farmers’ market or pay attention when buying fruit from the supermarket.

Nothing is quite as satisfying as growing a fruit tree from seed and devouring the bounty that it eventually produces. Why not go for it?

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• 10 Endangered Fruits in the U.S.
• 5 Fruits and Veggies That are Toxic to Your Dog
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