Alaska News

It's the pits: Growing houseplants from grocery store fruits and vegetables

I cringe whenever I walk into a home and see a scraggly avocado growing from a pit suspended over a glass of water. These just don't make great plants, in my humble opinion. My first impulse is to morph into my father, who used to take people's dying poinsettias and dump them in the trash. Grocery store avocados are special hybrids. If you really want to grow an avocado (though who wants an 8-foot bush sitting in the living room or on the kitchen windowsill?), then get a pit from someone in California who grows them in their backyard. You will have better luck.

Still, I suppose I should applaud anyone who at least tries to grow something "unusual" from a seed or pit, and this is the time of year to try. What else is going on gardening-wise in your home?

If you really want to grow a plant suspended in water with toothpicks, why not try a yam? These sprout easily and make really terrific vining plants. Talk about easy. Those make avocados look very difficult.

Let's start with some really simple things to grow: most herbs. All you have to do is find a source of fresh herbs and then root some cuttings. Basil, parsley and mint will all root pretty quickly in water and are easy to find in good enough shape, despite usually being refrigerated. If you look about, you can also find more exotic fare to start, such as lemon grass. Just make sure it has the entire rooting end in place.

Of course, ginger root and its Thai relative, galangal, will root easily in a bit of soil. Just lay pieces sideways, half-submerged in soil. They should root and sprout in a matter of a couple of weeks. Give them enough light and time and they may even flower at some point in the future.

All citrus fruit pits are fair game when it comes to growing pits. Most will easily germinate when rolled up in wet paper towels or even placed directly in soil. Given enough light, these will all develop into usable houseplants and some may even flower.

Green onions do very well when grown indoors. Some folks just plant the little white bulbs after using the green tops. I have had success planting just the ends of the white bulbs, removed before using because that is where the roots are located. Try pushing these into potting soil. Leeks can be grown the same way -- that is, by taking the bottom and cutting off the rooted section.

ADVERTISEMENT

While a bit more difficult, you can root a mango pit from a store-bought mango. You will need to scrape off the pulp that covers the pit. Then wrap it in a damp paper towel and put it in an open zip-close bag. Keep it moist and once a root starts, pot it up. This is a tropical plant and will need plenty of light.

Apple seeds will usually germinate. Why not try a few grape seeds and see what happens? Why not try a peach if you can find one? The pit will need to be cleaned and then chilled for a couple of months. After that you can break off the outer shell and plant the seed inside.

I am not suggesting that you will ever get fruit from any of the seeds and pits you may decide to plant. I am suggesting, however, that growing things after you have eaten their coverings can be a lot of fun. You surely have nothing to lose in trying, and as a friend who actually got an olive pit to sprout told me, you never know.

Jeff's Alaska garden calendar for the week of Nov. 28

Poinsettias: They are baaaaaack. My thoughts are to try and find the locally grown varieties. Ask before you buy. Keep out of drafts, never dry out and poke some holes into those decorative sheaths they put on pots.

Reserve the date: Dec. 11 is the date for the Alaska Botanical Garden winter party. See alaskabg.org.

Houseplants: Check for invading pests. Isolate or throw away any that are under attack.

Join a plant or gardening club: Google for those in your area of the state.

Jeff Lowenfels

Jeff Lowenfels has written a weekly gardening column for the ADN for more than 45 years. His columns won the 2022 gold medal at the Garden Communicators International conference. He is the author of a series of books on organic gardening available at Amazon and elsewhere. He co-hosts the "Teaming With Microbes" podcast.

ADVERTISEMENT