Fruit Trees from Seed

Cloning Fruit trees does not look very promising, and although I’m not giving up, I’ve decided to hedge my bets a bit by trying the one guaranteed way to get new plants: from seed. I should be very clear about this up front: When you grow fruit (especially apples) from seed, your not guaranteed much. These tiny seedlings could grow up to be the most sought after apple variety to date, but the odds are quite steep against getting a tree that grows anything but crab apples. Wildlife will eat crab apples,  so I guess the worst case scenario would be to fatten the local deer up a bit.

I’m also starting some other types of seeds, ones in which the odds of success are very much stacked in my favor: Pears, Plums and Peaches. Here’s how I do it: Purchase locally grown produce, and get some kids to eat the fruit. Save the seeds, and let them dry for a day or so, then place in a zip lock bag, and store them in the freezer for about three months. Thaw them out, and place the seeds in a small tray of water till they begin to sproat.  Place the sproating seeds in containers with Miracle Grow, covered with only 1/4 inch of soil at most.  Keep the dirt moist.  When the last chance of frost has pasted they can be moved outside.

Be sure to mark where you plant them, and what type of tree is planted there. It’s very easy to forget in a year or so.