How to Plant a Nectarine Seed
The sweet, summertime flavor of a nectarine can come from someplace closer than the grocery store produce section if you decide to put your gardening skills to the test. Save the pit from the next nectarine you sample and plant it in your backyard. You'll taste the joy of a homegrown nectarine within as little as three years and save the $35 or so you might pay for a grafted nectarine tree. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Nectarine pit
- Hammer
- Vise
- Empty jar with lid
- Potting soil
- 1/2-gallon waxed paper milk carton
- Mulch
Instructions
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1
Select a late-season variety of nectarine during the summer. Eat the fruit but save the nectarine pit.
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2
Place the nectarine pit on your countertop. Allow it to dry out for four to five days.
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3
Crack the pit open with a hammer or with a vise when the nectarine pit feels dry to the touch. Gather the almond-looking seed from inside the pit.
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4
Place the seed in an empty jar. Add water in the jar and soak the seed at room temperature overnight.
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5
Empty the water the next morning. Add moist potting soil to the jar to cover the seed and place it in your refrigerator.
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6
Check the seed periodically for one to three months, watching for signs of white rootlets from the seed. Empty contents gently into a waxed paper milk container with punched holes in the bottom. Keep the seed in your refrigerator until about a month before the last frost.
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Cut the bottom from the milk carton and plant the container in a well-drained, full-sun area. Lay a 2-inch layer of mulch 3 feet around the sapling, keeping a 2-inch radius around the trunk free of mulch. Provide 1-inch of water per week.
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Tips & Warnings
Avoid pruning the young sapling because it will delay when the tree bears fruit. Target only dead or broken branches.
