You probably have seen the countless pins on Pinterest sharing how to grow an avocado plant from a seed. The tutorials and graphics typically involve a jar and toothpicks. While I am sure that method works, the way I use differs and is much easier, in my opinion. I found it through a Google search and it’s also been pinned many times, but it’s not as popular, it seems. Perhaps a photo of a plastic bag isn’t as pin-worthy? At any rate, I have tested this tutorial many times: Not only do you get to enjoy a delicious avocado, but you can also add to your garden!
How to grow avocado plants:
- After you eat the avocado, clean the seed completely by rinsing it with water. (The original tutorial said to let the seed sit on a windowsill for two days after rinsing, but I didn’t do this. I just let it dry.)
- Take one paper towel and wet it lightly; it doesn’t need to be drenched.
- Wrap the paper towel around the avocado.
- Place the seed into a resealable zipper bag. Date the bag with a marker to remember when you did this.
- Place the bag outside on a patio or on a windowsill where it will get plenty of light.
- Check on the seed every week to make sure it hasn’t dried out or rotted. You might need to replace the wet paper towel at some point. Make sure the paper towel stays moist.
- In about four to six weeks, unwrap the seed and check whether it has split. If not, wrap it back up and place it back in the bag. Check in another week.
- When you finally see a little sprout coming out, it’s time to plant it.
- Fill a small pot with soil and place the seed halfway in it with the sprout on top and any roots on the bottom.
- Water it daily (Keep the soil moist but not drenched.) and let it continue getting sun.
- Enjoy! You won’t get avocados from it, but it’s nice to look at!
Right now I just have one plant because the previous plants died, one in an unfortunate accident in which it was knocked over and others due to moving or the winter. I only grew one each time but you can certainly do a few at a time and plant them together. One in particular was quite large when it died, so I was sad about it. But luckily it’s easy to grow another! I currently am working on growing three more in addition to the one above.
If you do this, let me know how it works for you!