Reproducing from supermarket fruits & vegetables

[DrYellow]

What are some fruits and vegetable you can grow indoors from what you eat already? I'm aware that people use strawberries, bell peppers, and tomatoes to grow from seed. Can I use the average orange or apple from the market to grow from seed? If so, will it taste the same?

 

[Chuck]

What are some fruits and vegetable you can grow indoors from what you eat already? I'm aware that people use strawberries, bell peppers, and tomatoes to grow from seed. Can I use the average orange or apple from the market to grow from seed? If so, will it taste the same?

Usually the commercial growers use hybrids and to have one come true from seeds would be iffy at best. I don't know about strawberries but peppers and tomatoes are not mature when they are harvested therefore the seed in all probability will not be viable. Also growing any kind of tree from seeds will take years to reach maturity.

 

[marlingardener]

Most fruit trees are grafted--a desirable fruiting type grafted onto a strong root type, so seeds will not come true to variety.
If you want to use supermarket vegetables as starters, try shallots (make sure the root end hasn't been cut off), garlic, and the bulk bean seeds. I get pinto beans from the bulk barrel and plant them for an in-between crop of green beans.
Growing vegetables indoors is very difficult. Try herbs, which are more forgiving!

 

[helagumamela]

I don't grow vegetables/fruits by harvesting the seeds from produce sold in supermarkets. I do, however, regrow the herbs and vegetables that I get there. Some of those I have regrowing before are onion leeks, celery, and ginger.

 

[Trellum]

Most of the things you find at the market are hybrids , so it's not likely you can grow anything from those. I have actually seen written in some potato bags that those potatoes shouldn't be used to grow potatoes. Go figure!

 

[zigs]

Supermarket Garlic is sprayed with a growth inhibitor for longer shelf life, so you'd struggle to get decent sized cloves from that.

Lemon would take about 20 years before it fruited, if it ever will.

 

[gata montes]

Lemon would take about 20 years before it fruited, if it ever will.

Even if it did - you would probably wish it hadn't - as the fruit is highly unlikely to taste anything like you were expecting.

 

[Inatoy]

I have never thought of growing ginger. Would it grow indoors if it could get full sun? How would I propagate it from what is in the grocery store? I thought it grew in the ground like potatoes. Will it grow a pretty foliage? Does anyone grow ginger indoors?

 

[Momhardatwork]

What are some fruits and vegetable you can grow indoors from what you eat already? I'm aware that people use strawberries, bell peppers, and tomatoes to grow from seed. Can I use the average orange or apple from the market to grow from seed? If so, will it taste the same?

Hi,
I have been successful at growing indoor tomatoes and a very small lemon tree from seeds that I took from the fruit after using it to cook or make salad. A friend of mine has an orange plant she has been growing for 4 years. I also had about 3 bell pepper plants that produced and did okay for being indoors. The key is attention to detail and environment. With the right amount of water, soil condition, and light, you won't get the hearty fruit as you would with natural light, but I think you will find that it can be rewarding just the same.

 

[franpj2]

I agree with what the others are saying. Just bite the bullet and go to a nursery and have at it. and the advice to grow herbs indoors is really good. They are usually pretty forgiving insofar as light and other growing conditions are concerned. Starting with the herbs is a good way to get some growing experience before starting anything more ambitious......

 

[Stephanie]

I have grown Meyer lemons from seed (from the lemons at the store) and they have flowered twice already (they are about 2 years old). They were/are super easy to grow!

I have also grown ginger (it's now going into its third year). It gets a little bigger each year - so exciting!

I've also grown garlic and potatoes from supermarket foods and they do just fine. I've grown sweet potatoes, avocado, and even turmeric - but I accidentally let it die after the first summer... bummer.

 

[deepestblues]

I've grown Meyer lemons too. Supermarket garlic and sweet potatoes. A few volunteer tomato plants and one freak watermelon with orange flesh. I don't put much thought into it. Either it grows or… I even had some weed sprout up one year. Which was interesting . But I doubt if it came from the supermarket.

 

[Mockingbird]

I have blackberry bushes thanks to kitchen waste. Years ago when I bought this property i used to compost. that year I bought a fair amount of blackberries to make some jelly and threw the little stems and bad pieces in the pile. Now I have a nice line of blackberries that started where the old compost was. I weave the new vines through a trellis and get a pretty healthy yield.

 

[Smartmom]

This is one cool question. One thing that bothers me though is all of the genetically altered fruit that we are getting. I would love looking into finding organic seeds. Does anyone know somewhere that I can find these. I heard from someone that soon we will have no more natural seeds. For me this is a little scary. It makes me wonder what we are eating.

 

[zigs]

The survivalist forums point out that there's no point in saving F1 hybrid seeds as they won't come true the next generation, they say its best to get heritage seeds.

This is a good one http://www.realseeds.co.uk/

They encourage you to save your own