Avocado Growing

Avocado seeds grow well in the compost bin

Have you ever found something strange in your vegetable crops?   One story I read this week was about a family who found themselves scared witless when they discovered a mysterious hole in their shop bought turnip. 

The offending vegetable was bought from Lidl in the UK and when the woman’s husband cut into it they found what looked like a hole with a spiders web inside (fungal growth probably) They are now convinced that venomous spiders are in their home. The woman said that she was in a “state of shock” at finding the offending hole. 

Lidl are looking into it “as a matter of urgency” and claim it’s an isolated incident. 

I’ll bet that the family don’t grow their own veggies, if they did, they’d find more than just the odd spider in the sink when they are washing them… Oh the stories I could tell of the strange things I’ve brought into the house from the vegetable patch, well not really, it’s mainly slugs, snails, ant and wasps. The squishiest thing I brought in was a blighted potato. Now the thought of that could keep me awake at night.

Avocado Selling

I was making my daily visit to the buy and sell websites and came across an interesting post in the plant section that I had to look at twice in the same manner as the spider story.  A woman is selling avocado plants (or trees) for … wait for it…€120 each, or 2 for €200. Now I don’t know what you think but that price does seem a bit steep for a 10cm tall plant with 6 leaves in a 1 litre pot. They tell us that these plants are really hard to propagate and are worth every cent. I’d like to save you a lot of money here and tell you how you can grow them for free. You might already know how to do it because as of yet, surprise surprise, they haven’t sold one!

Avocado Growing

When we have finished with our avocados I put the stone/seed in the compost bin and forget about them. When it comes to emptying the bin in winter/ spring, I just scatter the compost onto the beds in the polytunnel and fork it in gently. 

The forgotten and neglected avocado seeds go in there too without much thought. So far every one of them germinated and produced healthy green leaves on sturdy stems. The trees grow in the humid regions of Mexico and Central America and the compost bins replicate the warm, damp and humid conditions needed to sprout the seeds. 

There are alternative methods, however, if you don’t fancy rooting around the compost heap:

Pierce the seed with toothpicks and suspend it, pointed end up, over a glass of water. Roots should start to develop within two to six weeks. Then pot up the plant, leaving the tip just poking out of the soil. However, not all avocado seeds will germinate, so if your seed hasn't sprouted after six weeks, try again with a fresh seed

Leave the seed in direct sunlight until it starts to split. Then pot it up.

Place the seed in a pot, and cover it completely. Water well, allow to drain, then leave in a warm, dark place, such as an airing cupboard. Check on the pot every week to ensure it is moist, and water if necessary. As soon as the shoot starts to show, move the pot to a sunny spot, such as a windowsill.

Avocado Care

Use rich, peat-free potting compost and use a pot that has good drainage. After your plant is roughly 30cm tall, cut it down to around 15cm. This makes the plant grow bushy, rather than tall. Once your plant has filled its pot with roots, transplant it to its permanent home – the largest pot you have room for. Fill with rich, peat-free compost, which you should top up with fresh compost each year.

Avocado trees can take up to ten years to bear fruit and indoor-grown plants don’t always live that long. However, if you provide it with a moist, fertile soil and plenty of sunlight, and keep it in humid conditions such as a greenhouse or conservatory, your tree will have a fighting chance of fruiting.  Mine only last the year as I don’t move them when they grow, although I might do now and sell them on the web for loads of money!