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Plant from the produce department?
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Posted by arden_nj z6 NJ (My Page) on Fri, Jun 6, 03 at 17:03
| What have you grown from stuff you've gotten at the grocery store? I read about the leeks and scallions giving up a second crop. I'm going to try them.
I've grown horseradish, and watercress and mint that I've bought at the grocery store. What else works? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Back when I was in college I grew a little tree out of an avacado pit :) Susan |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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- Posted by Lizbcss 8b Victoria, BC (My Page) on
Fri, Jun 6, 03 at 18:18
| You can grow so much from produce purchased from the grocery store. Here are some things that I have grown: Potatoes: I throw potatoes that are passed their prime into the garden where I have room. Garlic: Same with garlic. I save the dried out cloves that are no longer good for eating and plant them in september. This year I will be harvesting about 30+ garlic bulbs. lemon and orange. Just for fun I stuck a few citris seeds into the dirt of a window box in my kitchen. 3 years later I have three good sized plants. One I am training into a standard and the other two are adorning my living room window. Tomatoes: If you have access to open pollinated tomatoes (would probably be heirloom varieties), you can try and harvest seeds. Taro: Colocasia Esculenta (elephant ears) is the latin name for Taro. You can buy Taro tubers at many grocery stores, especially asian stores. These will grow into the regular green elephant ears and are a lot cheaper than buying the bulbs from a garden centre. Avocado
Pomegranate Basically I love to try experimenting with anything that has a seed/tuber/corm/bulb, you name it. It is very satisfying when you have positive results. Why not, they are free! |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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RE: Plant from the produce department?
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RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Jeruselum artichokes. They are far less expensive in the produce department than in the seed catalogs. My mom and I split a pack we bought last year in the produce department and now we have more than we need. My grandma has rooted basil bought from the grocery, which I didn't know you could do but my grandma is amazing with plants so, if any one could do it, it would be she. |
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| We're growing an avocado tree from a pit. :) I'm buying taro tomorrow! Thanks for the tip! :) |
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| water cress grows easily in a patio planter pond, or ditch. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I know an Italian family here in town that will go to the store to look for Roma tomatoes (in late December or January) - they look for the big meaty ones since this will hopefully produce big meaty tomatoes in their garden. Then they let them rot so the seeds are ripe. Then he plants them in pots and sets them in a warm place to germinate (like on top of the refrigerator). When they have started growing, he places them in his cold frame outside and keeps moving them to bigger size pots until it is safe to plant them in his garden. It is much cheaper than buying the seeds in packets. By the way, he is a retired chef, so he uses the tomatoes for the family meals. His wife makes some amazing homemade pasta and his sauce is out of this world! |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Cantaloup (sp?) I was trying to dry out the seeds from a cantaloup & they accidently (or maybe on purpose by one of my small garden helpers) landed in an herb pot, now I have 4 healthy starts growing out of the herb pot. And darn all you avacado plant people, I have killed three plus what is your secret???? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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Avocado, Star fruit, Mango, Papaya, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, cheremoia (sp), lime, horseradish, grapes, sugar cane, guava, and several others that the name excapes me right now. Search out all fruit sections to find new ones.
Patsy |
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| I don't know if it'd necessarily be worthwhile to save cantaloupe seeds; if it's an unlabeled hybrid, you're taking a chance that the successive generation will be worthless. That said, during the time of year you can get what they call "variety" melons, i.e. Casabas, Canary melons, Sharlyn muskmelons (look like a cantaloupe but w/ green flesh), Santa Claus melons, and so on, you can save the seeds and grow them out - you'll be likely to get something edible the next year... Also, you can grow Kiwano (those orange horned melons) from seed obtained by buying the fruit. They look tropical, and they are, but grow quite nicely in most areas. Jason |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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Jason,
I buy my cantaloupe from a local mom & pop stand. As far as I know they are all organic. Will that have any effect?? Oh well, at least I have a pretty green vine out here in the brown desert!! LOL
(Side note hubby is from NE -- love the summers there!) Tammy in Sunny Arizona |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I have about 9 yellow peppers growing at the moment. I saw this subject posted a while ago, and decided to dry out the seeds of a pepper I was cutting up for dinner. Gave up on it, when I didn't see any action after 2 weeks, but now, I have 9 little seedlings pushing their way up. Such glee to gleen free plants isn't it? (My dh thinks Im nuts) MK |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Try Ginger. Use a really big pot. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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Rosemary - I bought a bunch of rosemary from the farmer's market, to use with some lamb. but I don't cook with rosemary that often, and there was so much of it and it looked so fresh, I stuck a couple of branches in the ground -
I'm not sure when I did it (sometime last year), but the timing must have been right - they all rooted - instant bushes/edging/rosemary plants - getting big, looking wonderful and smelling great - all for about $2.00.
/rb |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I have ginger and a mango tree growing now from grocery store seeds. I was told that any mandarin orange (kumquats, tangerines, mandarins, etc.) will grow true from seed by a citrus expert here. I've grown grape tomatoes from the grocery store. Everyone said they wouldn't come true, but they did, and were delicious. I have a friend who has a produce stand, and she gives me a lot of overripe stuff to use for seed. As for canteloupe, we have one called Athena that is delish! I grew them from seed, and they tasted great. I want to try one of those horned melons, but they're $5 apiece! I guess growing the subsequent ones from seed would be worth the cost, but what if I don't like them? LOL Guess I could sell the seeds on eBay. ;) |
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| i still have a copy of "the after dinner gardening book" by richard langer. it was one of my first gardening books, published in 1969(!!!). each chapter is a different fruit or veggie from the grocery, and it's actually quite funny! he gives explicit instructions for each type of seed and plant. |
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| What does rooted ginger look like as a plant? Is it pretty, does it bloom, and will it grow in zone 8? |
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| It's not a very pretty plant. large green leaves, not very showy flowers. Likes shade. When I was in zone 8, I grew it in big pots in the summer, dug it when it died down, and replanted some for next year's crop. |
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| I threw a mushed pumpkin in the compost bin, seeds and all, last fall. I moved the bin last week, leaving some of the compost on the ground where it was. I now have baby pumpkin plants all over the place. |
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| ShelbyRayMom-- I too am growing an avocado plant from seed. I thought I killed mine, because after the seed split and the roots came down and a shoot came out, I put it into dirt and the shoot died back. Then I moved it to a sunnier location and let it sit and kept watering it. Lo and behold, a few weeks later I had a shoot. Now I have a whole stem and 6-8 leaves! Just be patient. Oh-- and btw-- I tried to root two seeds at the same time and only one worked. |
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| Oh Demeter, you bring back bad memories! I learned the hard way NEVER to compost a whole pumpkin. Those seeds do NOT disintegrate. I did it 2 years ago and I am still pulling pumpkins out of everyplace I spread that compost. I have been loooking for Taro root but no place around here seems to carry it. |
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Pumkins and gourds will re-seed themselves in my garden. I am not the best at composting and I find that the tomato seeds survive. If the plant is big enough when I find it, I'll transplant it to the garden. Who knows what they originally were but I found the tomatoes to be fine.
I also found some thyme in the supermarket that was picked by yanking it out of the ground. I put a extra bit in some water and planted it a few days later. It survived the winter. |
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| I had the same experience with pumpkins seeds. lol Liz mentioned her luck growing garlic. I have always heard that stores apply a growth inhibitor to garlic to prevent sprouting while in the stores. Is that true? Liz, did you plant organically grown garlic, or plant some that you purchased at a grocery store? This is a great thread! Y'all are giving me a ton of ideas to try. |
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I don't think that the garlic has been treated. More times than I can count, I have had garlic start to * sprout * if it was left too long without being used.
BUT if in doubt..buy some organic garlic bulbs! I just bought a large pack for $2.99...I think there were 6 bulbs in there..which means a LOT of cloves of garlic for planting.
I keep kicking myself. I meant to plant garlic in the Fall and didn't do so * whine *. I hope to have better success with my intentions this year. :) Kathie
Forest Hill, Maryland |
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| I figure I can always count the pumpkin seedlings as greens ... I've already scandalized someone on here by using hostas as a green (again, stuff sprouting in my compost pile), so why not pumpkins? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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- Posted by Lizbcss 8b Victoria, BC (My Page) on
Tue, Jun 10, 03 at 16:42
| Fammsimm, I don't think that it was organically grown garlic, however, the grocery store where I shop does take care in selecting their produce, i.e. untreated local produce etc. As Kathie said, I too have had so many garlic cloves begin to sprout before I have had a chance to use them. Liz |
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| I plant garlic from the grocery store every fall and it always comes up. Maybe only some growers treat theirs? This year its growing like mad. Must be all the rain. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I have an avacodo tree thats four feet tall now at 2 years old. Its been a house plant but I'm thinking of planting it outside :) |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| If you are in an area where you can get it...Lemon Grass. Choose stalks with a plump base and if they have root nodulues starting (they look like little bumps under the sheath of leaves at the base) then that's even better. Plant it about 1" into the soil and support it with stones and keep it well watered. It only takes about a month to get good rooting for transplant. I've also grown lemon, orange, pomegranate (very easy)from the market. If you have an organic market you can get garlic too. You can also take the ends of green onions and replant them and get a second crop. I would imagine if the fresh herbs you buy are really fresh you could root many things like Oregano, Sage, Basil, Mint, French Tarragon and the like. |
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| Any garlic I buy now is sprouting. What would be the harm of planting it now rather than wait for the fall when they won't be sprouting anymore? I've killed many avocados from sheer neglect - underwatering seems to be the worst culprit, followed by letting the leaves get damaged. I've also tried to start many that never worked. I've done them in water or in dirt in the cupboard. Some I've pinched at about 10" to make them branch, others not. At least 2/3 of those I've tried have been successful, especially one that grew under my apartment skylight that was taller than me and I'm 5'9"! Love to grow those avocados. |
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| I am growing cantaloupe from seeds that grew in my garbage disposal! They are growing in a small pot though (zone 9). What now? |
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| I've successfully grown avocados and mangoes from pits and grapefruit from a seed. I've also grown a plant from a pineapple top. And I've grown basil in my garden from bunches of fresh grocery store basil that already had roots. |
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| Mine must be the ultimate frugal pumpkins.Last fall my grocery store had a free sign on a bunch of pumpkins(after halloween).I took what would fit in my trunk for my compost pile.Well,some of the seeds ended up in a lasagna bed on front lawn,now I have glads,daylilies,cosmos,1 volunteer tomato,2 large pumpkin plants(I pulled up the rest for compost)!Dont know if the pumpkins will do well here in Louisiana,but it wont cost anything to find out! |
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| Bella - You'll get all your answers at this forum. No need to go Googling - it's all here at GardenWeb! ...S. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Allium [Garlic and Onions] Forum
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| If you're feeling adventurous, drop by any oriental store that sells fresh tropical fruits or vegetables (they usually do) and go crazy: you can grow, from pips, exotics such as star fruit, star apple, sapodilla, lychee, longan, sugar apple, soursop, even durian and rambutan. They also carry great taro selections, usually several varieties, including those with humongous leaves. Finally, try the West Indian or Hispanic stores, they usually carry yams (not sweet potatoes, but the true botanical yams) and sugar cane as well, both of which can be grown as cheap novelty plants Marcelo |
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| Marcelo, I have sugar cane that was given to me, but the man who grew it bought several short pieces at a store and just stuck them into the ground. I really love it! I never thought about the yams. I'm starting a tropical veggie garden and I might try to find some of those. I just read that chayote IS the seed of the vine it grows on. You just plant the whole thing. It needs heavy support, though, since the chayote is so large. I'm definitely trying that. |
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| Growin crazy, Sugar canes are probably the most easily overlooked plants that can be bought on the cheap! If you're going to try yams, look for the white and yellow yams that are starting to sprout at the top. They are usually the "older" specimens that no one else wants to buy, as the primary purpose of buying them in the first place is for consumption (same reason why no one buys potatoes that are beginning to sprout). Simply slice off the top with the sprouts, taking care not to damage the sprout itself, and plant about an inch deep in good organic soil. The plant should root almost immediately and can grow quite fast. The mature vine has attractive heart shaped leaves. If you can find the rarer purple yams, so much the better. Good luck! Marcelo |
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| Kiwi seeds can be harvested from ripe fruit, dried for a few days and then they will sprout (takes a couple weeks) They grow slowly (and I have a feeling with what I've read that I will one day have to accept that it is a plant I may not be able to keep). They are a vine and if you can find them, there are varieties that can even survive outside in Michigan's temperatures. ~Chills |
RE: Plant from the produce department?-Celery Root
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| Hi, I am new to this forum. I have been inspired by you all and have been looking very carefully when I am in the supermarket. I got a nice bunch of leeks, and have been putting it in water. What else do I have to do to make it flower? Should I strip its green parts off? or should I leave them on? Put them in pots? Outside or inside? While I was at it, I found a huge interesting looking root and looks very much full of life. It was labeled as "Celery Root." What can I do with that? and what should I expect? I know people use it in salads and soups, but I want to put it in a garden. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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- Posted by Ana53 8a/8b East Tx (My Page) on
Sun, Jun 29, 03 at 13:57
| We'd like some Mango info. The After Dinner Gardner used to be one of my plant bibles but I dont have it anymore. the other was Plants for 5 exposures...also dont have it anymore. I planted elephant garlic but I didnt know to plant it in the fall. it grew then the bulb rotted. I'm looking forward to fall gardening this year. I'm in 8 when do you put your aliums in? I just had a store bought rosemary die due to soggy root. I think it's dead. I've moved it to a pot and sheared off the dead branches... Dont forget all your beans! I've got pinto, butterbeans, purple hull and cream peas growing all over my back yard from where I was drying out hulls for my compost heap. (and then it rained for 9 days) Doesnt hurt to live behind a produce stand...I get all the old produce for my compost. I picked out at least a hundred tomato sprouts this spring. Left the three strongest and best placed. My Horseradish plant (it was the leftover stump from my freind's passover) is King of the Garden... (I dont know what to do with him over the winter tho...yes I said him. DH has given him the nick LeRoy.) I was wondering, do you know, are the leaves edible? |
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| I have quite a few bunches of garlic growing in my garden, they have been there for years, but I have never bothered to harvest them. I just keep dividing them and moving them around! I would like to eat them some day i suppose =) When is the best time to harvest them? |
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| After 25 percent of the garlic stalk has turned yellow or brown (in my area this is June-maybe later for you in MI) tie it down (I tie in a knot) then when 50 percent turns yellow or brown, harvest. Enjoy! |
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| Thanx Mama, mine are already yellowing, they have started "wilting" too, kinda just falling over. Guess its time to go tie 'em up! Oh, I have also heard this, but never tried it. If your alliums in the kitchen start to sprout, pot them up and set them on your window sill. When the greens start to grow, clip them for cooking. |
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| I do that with the garlic greens in the garden. I use them like chives but they have a nice garlic flavor. |
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| At present i am Experimenting with exotic fruit seeds i got from one night of fun with some buddies of mine. We went to a larger market than usual and bought only exotic fruits maybe not so exotic to everyone but i had never heard of them. we made fruit drinks and i kept seeds. I am going to try to make a kiwano horned melon vine here in texas so if anyone has germination tips drop me a line i would appreciate anything. P.S. baby pineapple is delishious and you can plant the head and have a nice little pineapple plant that basically reminds you to buy more. |
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| I grew grn peppers last year from seeds I'd dried from store bought peppers. They grew nicely. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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- Posted by jonlyd z9 Tx (humid!) (My Page) on
Tue, Aug 26, 03 at 0:20
Kiwis have to have a male and female plant to produce fruit.
Don't know how you assure yourself that you have both. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I planted a 1 lb bag of fingerling potatoes from our fancy grocery store because I couldn't find them anywhere else for that price. It was about $4 for the bag from the grocery and at least double that everywhere else I thought to check. They all came up great. |
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| This is a fascinating link. There is almost more information than I can handle. My balcony is about 10' by 5' and I already have bougainvillea,croton, caladium, chives, garlic chives, rosemary, basil, aloe, roses, bird of paradise, poinsettia, fern, blueberry, and decorative house plants. I prefer herbs and vegtables. Many of the plants on my balcony were gifts. I'm going to try the tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash and cucumbers from the grocery store. There was a lot of talk about potatoes, garlic and onions. I had heard that these plants needed a period of cold to be productive. Do you think it would be too hot in my area, (it used to be zone 10; now some are calling it zone 11) for them to do any good. Where do you find baby pineapple? I've heard of them for years, and had also heard that they were a very sweet pineapple, but have never seen one. |
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| We have a mango tree that is 8 years old and a citrus that is 10 or more years old. It's either a grapefruit or a kumquat, I think. Our home-started pineapple (regular pineapple) fruited last winter. It was tiny but very tasty. We're growing the top of it now. A few years ago, a date seed sprouted after having been planted in a pot for 9 months. I had it sitting on the porch and a chipmunk snipped the top off of it. I could have cried! I've planted others but they've never sprouted. Thanks for the idea about the taro. I want to try that. |
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I planted the bottom 1/2 inch of green onions. Lots of roots were already on it. I now have a cute little row of green onion shoots. I may not get to harvest any before winter kills them, but I'll know to start them earlier next year.
I just planted some seed from an apple, so I'll see what I get there. |
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| does anyone know if hot peppers are typicly hybrids? many caspians(green pepper) are but i see nothing on the seedpacks regarding jalapeno cyane ancho habanaro roleno being hybrid. Apple peach grape and nectarine are all sports from seed. the fruit trees are grafts usually better root and branch from known good fruit. Seed from most north american fruits will be sports(random). I have had potatoe and sweet potato(yam?) both produce true from the grocer |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Most hot peppers will produce true from seed. There may be some mild variations but with 99% of the peppers I have grown from seed, they have produced true. They are similar to tomato seeds in that respect. Kathie *ReddKatt*
Forest Hill, Maryland |
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| ty i was gonna try the roma tomato but so many other tomato are hybrid in USA i would expect random results. Also i have seen some winter squash like acorn come true from seed. I may try a grape tomato since on this site i see someone did ok. I have read brown rice will usually grow. Health food stores carry wheat and flax that could be planted |
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| I have grown roma tomato seeds from the grocery. My results were identical to what I had purchased. These Romas stay green for a long time (to ship to the stores) and the plant is still producing in my cold frame almost a year old now (survive both heat and cold). Grape tomatoes worked okay, they are just a bit bigger than what the parents and one plant out of 4 has slight dark streaks in the skin. My way of collecting tomato seeds is to simply wipe them up after slicing to eat in a paper towel. Let that dry and keep in fridge / freezer. When ready to plant simple plant the paper towel. Almost 100 percent germination rate. |
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| If your looking to get the exact same type of apple your not going to get it. Apple seeds are going to be totally different from the parent plant. Sometime the fruit is even not to edible. "The Botany of Desire" by Michael Pollan is an excellent book that explains why this is. |
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| After reading this message chain, decided to try Taro and Star Fruit. Question though, about how long does it take for each of these to sprout? Thanks! |
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| I've had what I think is better than average luck with avacados. Out of 7 or 8 that I tried, 4 have come up. I use the same procedure on all of them. Small container about 4" high and 2" or so dia. I scrape just a bit off the flat end of the pit. This is the end where the roots come out and the scraping makes it just a bit easier. Then jam some toothpicks or the tines of plastic forks in and suspend in the water. Keep it watered. Once the roots get about 2 to 3 inches long, transplant in a mix of peat, topsoil, sand and perhaps some perlite or vermiculite. After about 6 or so leaves sprout, pinch off the little nub at top. This will cause the plant to send out a two braches rather than a long skinny one. I plan on putting the next few pits I get directly into the pot and keeping it moist. I kinda doubt they need to be sprouted in water. YMMV |
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| I PLANT THE AVOCADO PIT (UP TO THE SHOULDER) IN DAMP VERMICULITE IN A 6" HIGH POT, KEEP THE "SOIL" DAMPENED & PUT A PLASTIC BAG AROUND IT (MINI-GREENHOUSE EFFECT) UNTIL IT SPROUTS SEVERAL TRUE LEAVES. THEN I REMOVE THE BAG & LET IT GROW IN LIGHT, ABOUT 12" AWAY FROM WINDOWS TO AVOID DRAFTS...SEEMS TO WORK BETTER THAN TRYING TO FORCE TOOTHPICKS THRU THAT TOUGH SEED!! GOOD GROWING TO YOU, K. |
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Beets!
I bought a nice looking beet in the "reduced produce" aisle. After a few weeks without cooking it, it looked kinda sad and wrinkled, but for some weird reason, I planted it in with two geraniums I have that are kinda lost in the pot. Lo and behold, beautiful cranberry and chartreuse leaves, which I am told are edible as "chard". Such pretty colors on these beet leaves. This year I may just plant some beets around my flower gardens as a pretty, perky "border". |
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I ourchased some Galangal root ginger from the Hong Kong market in south Houston last year. It's the larger cousin of the regular ginger. It's more round than flat, and is a light beige with brown rings. Smells more like a spruce or pine than normal ginger. I understand there's a greater and a lessar Galangal. It wasn't very fresh, with no sign of pink tips, and fairly old looking. But in 3 weeks it came up slowly.
It has 4 or 5, to 6 - 9 inch lance shaped dark green vertical leaves. I have it in the bathroom with a grow lux now, but will move it outside soon, (unlike their smaller cousin, they don't go dormant, and must be protected from frost). Mine's doing great, even adding 2 new shoots with leaves in the low light that the 4 foot red sprectrum florescent gives about 3 feet above. |
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| At the grocery store here they are selling Yucca Roots that are about 2 feet long. Anyone know if these will grow?? |
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| The yucca roots will not only grow, but they will spread all over your yard and be a pain to get rid of. I had someone dig out one in my yard, and it kept coming up for 6 months until I guess I finally pulled all the babies out. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| how long does it normally take pineapple to fruit? ive had plants for years and have never gotten them to fruit, whats the secret? |
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| Hi All; Try to find:
"The After Dinner Gardning Book"
by: Richard W.Langer
Collier Books/Div. of Macmilliam Pub.
copyrifgt..1969 It' a fun book! JoyW |
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| Carrots stick them in the ground and they make a 2 or 3 foot fern like plant. I also have rooted the tops of pineapples.They make nice house plants. |
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| I've always had luck with spaghetti squash. Easy to grown, but give it room! |
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| You can get the same effect by using the top inch or so of the root veggie - plant it and eat the rest. At the end of the season, you will have another root to pull and eat. If you leave it all winter, it will go to seed for you. |
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| and Chayote is called Merlaton squash in Louisiana (might have misspelled it) My friend and former boss called to ask if I could send her some Chayote to grow because her local Kroger didn't carry it and she adored it and my Wally world had it because of the Mexican peoples who have moved here. I sent her four and made her very happy. she said you had to plant the whole thing to get the producing vine. Later I discovered teh Merlaton squash reference from an explaination on a Chris Smither's cd where he sang of the produce man who walked the streets of New Orleans singing his wares. Great song, and interesting explaination at the first part of the song. When I played it for my son's best friend who lives in N'Awlins he was amazed when he heard it and told me I had to try Merlaton myself. To cook it like squash with butter. That's my next dish! I too have had potato's I've bought reduced to grow in my compost pile and provide me with a nice new potato crop. I must not get them all too, because I always see more shoots every year. I gotta harvest some of them this year or I'll have taters forever! And I've grown pineapple, garlic, onions, cucumbers, squashes, even some woody okra when I had a real spot for a garden. thanks for these tips and memories!
madgardener in zone 7, Eastern Tennessee |
Had success with garlic--in Sept., Feb., Mar.
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| Hi all, especially ReddKatt and fammsimm, Speaking of garlic, any head of mine that sprouts in the kitchen, I go ahead and break it up and plant it in a bed. I figured that if it sprouted in my shady kitchen, it had a shot in my sunny bed, no matter what time of year. I've planted in September, February, and March, and each time had success. I saute the garlic scapes (the leaves) for my scrambled eggs, and used the bulb base (not quite a bulb yet--young plant) in soup just today. It's really easy--just go for it. Many people won't use the head once it's sprouted, anyway, so you might as well plant it.
WT Rose |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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How are you people growing mangoes?? I've tried a bunch of times. I've planted the whole pit, and I've even carefully opened the pit and planted the seed inside. I even found one once that was just starting to try to sprout. All without success. Now I have 4 Champagne mango pits and need suggestions.
By the way, my avocado pit is now a 6 foot tree in my living room. I finally pinched off the tip when I couldn't reach it any more (word to the wise: don't wait this long!). At its base is a small volunteer bell pepper plant that sprouted from a stray seed from the kitchen. Even though it's practically a bonsai haha! it has produced several small but tasty peppers. Whenever I see a flower on it I use my finger to pollinate it. My daughter is also growing a flowerpot full of oats--wanted to see what they looked like--and they just started flowering last week, after looking pretty scraggly all winter. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I tried planting ginger root last year, but wasn't successful at all. How did you guys get it to grow successfully? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I've had no problem starting my garlic.... i planted some earler this month. I found out that it isn't the best time to grow it.... but, i'll give it a try and see if it will do ok anyways. I planted all my plants in containers since we are planning on moving in the near future that way i can take them with me. After i move i'll have to plant lots! |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Re mangos from seed - IIRC from other reading, mangos from seed don't grow nice fruit; they're one of those plants that's grafted, when you buy a mango plant. Still makes a nice tree, though. What kind of yucca grows from the grocery-store roots? Scientific name? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Does anyone have a problem with garlic sprouting in the fridge? I was wondering if you plant it, do the bulbs just keep multiplying or do they die away after a certain time... |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Don't keep garlic in the fridge. Keep it like you would potatoes or onions, in a cool dry dark place. I plant mine in the fall, and harvest it when the tops turn brown at the end of summer. I've missed a few though, and they do what most other bulbs do. They multiply with smaller ones surrounding the original. In other words, all the cloves in the "fist" sprout the next year. |
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| Not all varieties of herbs such as rosemary tastes the same. If I find one I like from the grocery store, I treat them like the cuttings that they are, root them and grow them! My favorite rosemary was from a Melissa's herbs over seven years ago. The rosemary is a huge bush now. You can do this with many other herbs. Vietnamese cilantro, which dies each winter here, is only 50cents for a big bunch at the Vietnamese market as opposed to $2.50 for a plant from my garden center. Quite a bargain plus I get to eat some of it, too. I have found that buying various green veggies and planting what is left from the root often produces seeds that come up for me later that year or the next. Right now I have planted some plum seeds I got from a fresh plum served at a salad bar. We'll see! |
RE: Plant from the produce department? Taro Root
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| Taro root, AKA elephant ears. Much cheaper in the grocery store but are usually the plain Jane kinds. |
RE: Plant from the produce department? Yucca Root
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| I have bought a yucca root that I want to plant in a container. Do i need to do anything to it before planting? It looks like it has kind of a waxy coating. Is that ok? |
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| I've had fantastic success with Avocado, Oranges, Apples (VERY ripe ones in the fall season crops, that is), Mangos and Tamarillos. In fact, mangos and tamarillos are embarrassingly easy to grow from store-bought seed. Papaya works nicely too. Horseradish is easy, but for the love of all that is holy don't plant it in the ground! You'll never get rid of it!! I put my tropicals out this summer to get some sun and fresh air, and a squirrel gnawed my mango tree right to the ground. Cut it down like a beaver, the little bugger. Oh, ginger does really well, as do dried (not freeze dried or frozen) peas, beans, and lentils. The soup lentils that come in plastic bags do extremely well once they're rehydrated, and are actually better for you eaten as raw sprouts than as boiled seeds! |
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| The secret to getting avocados from seed is to wait until it gets overripe and plant the entire avo including the part we normally eat. The fruit feeds the pit while it is getting established and it will easily grow into a tree. Keep in mind that it takes about 7 years from seed to bearing some fruit. Ginger and horseradish are both invasive in my climate I've tried them both and won't do it again! |
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| funny...i tried avocado with the fruit on, and all i got was a rotten pit (probably too much moisture in the soil). I had no problem with the gradeschool version of the avocado project though; stick toothpicks in the sides to support it over the mouth of a glass...then just keep the bottom half immersed in water. Took a couple of months, but it rooted, and now it's doing fine. |
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| Mommymammal, I planted my mango seed just barely under the soil surface in a pot. It sprouted fairly quickly. Pennypoohtoo, Our pineapple grew for about 18 months before fruiting. |
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| I have some garlic I'd like to try, but it's been in the fridge for a couple of weeks. Will it still work if I plant it now? Also, what's the secret for rosemary cuttings?! I've tried to root cuttings from my rosemary plant several times - in water, in soil, with growth hormone and without, and even in the green stuff you use for flower arrangements. No luck... :( I've had good luck with mango so far, so I'm definitely trying the avocado! |
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| garlic needs winter chilling so best to plant in the fall. Rosemary takes awhile to root. Use soft to semi hardwood cuttings, rooting hormone, sterile seed starting mix, and PATIENCE. Leave the cuttings out in a somewhat shaded area (I see you are in zone 9) making sure they don't dry out. |
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| joanna; definitely try the avocado. once they take, they're quite happy to put up with whatever abuse you can dish out. I'm training mine for pre-bonsai, and have already cut the trunk back twice. Each time, it's grown buds for new branches within a couple of weeks. Just remember, it will take quite a while for the seed to root. Also, keep the bottom half in water, but don't change the water...just add more as it evaporates. Don't ask me why, but this seems to work best. It starts to look pretty vile after a few weeks, but the seed seems to appreciate it. |
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| Oh, I am SO glad I found this forum!! It's awesome finding out about all these different things that can be grown from "free" seed. I had tried several times without any success to grow an avocado tree from seed, but since I have read through this whole thread, I am gonna give it another try. Yipee!! Thanks so much guys. Now, I'm off to plant one or two avocado seeds. :) Leona |
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| Lots of herbs.... cilantro etc. leeks..... ginger..... the tops of pineapples and yes you can grow avocados.... also I've saved tomato seeds..... :) |
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| Grew a bunch of Pequin pepper plants from a dry seasoning packet...Hamster or bird food has a lot of goodies in it, too. Hmmm...what else? We had driveway watermelons as a result of a seed spitting contest one year. Lemons & Key limes are good, too. |
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- Posted by Baci z10Ca (My Page) on
Sat, Feb 5, 05 at 22:41
| In addition to the above, I have grown apples, pears, & strawberries (they will not be true). Don't forget dates, soursop, cherimoya, peaches, nectarines, pluots, plums, malanga, & grapes. Other unusual ones include coconut & cranberries. |
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| Can anyone give me instructions for growing avacados, kiwi, apples, and pineapple from seeds/pits? Do I start in water for the avacados and pineapple or in dirt? And, can I use a commercial potting soil that has "slow release" plant food in it? Thanks for the info and any helpful links. |
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- Posted by Buzzy 8PugetSound (My Page) on
Fri, May 6, 05 at 19:01
| This reminds me of a terrific little book by Richard Langer: The After Dinner Gardening Book. Very enjoyable read about creating indoor jungle from exotic and regular stuff he et. Well-written, funny, probably out of print but still in libraries. Histories of plants, directions, taste-tests. |
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| Haven't heard anyone mention Malanga root. This is a Xanthosoma elephant ear, not the common Taro(Colocasia). Malanga is found in latino markets here in the DFW metroplex. Just picked up a few yesterday. Also found a Colocasia tuber labeled "Large Taro" that was almost as big as my head. Only set me back $4, and can't wait to see the monster sprout! |
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| I had really great luck with garlic the one year I tried it. Mine was just the regular garlic from the store and I planted each clove in the ground when i planted my onion sets that year--Didn't know I was supposed to plant it in the fall--oops! But it did fine, by the end of summer I had nice sized garlic and tons of it to boot- it keeps well too if dried out good and stored someplace cool and dry. You've inspired me I might try some ginger--great post! |
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I can't believe this thread is still active.
I started it 2 years ago! |
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| I'll help to keep it going. I know I'm crazy, but I'm trying blueberries from the seed in frozen blueberries. The way I see it, they're already stratified. :) Probably won't work, but it's fun to try things! |
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| so arden_nj, have you tried anything new since then? |
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| I thought this was so interesting that i started a group of my own on the subject. Here is the link. We are just starting and could use some more good info. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Plants from the Produce Department
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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arden_nj:
Taro is also called eddoe...
And elephant's ear. |
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For all that have mentioned the garlic, I too have
done garlic growth from the supermarket. I cook with
garlic all the time, and have prior to my gardening this
winter (for the first time as an adult), tossed sprouted
garlic away. Instead now, I buy garlic 'fresh' from the
supermarket, use it to make what I want (usually salsa
or omlettes), and soak the other cloves (10-15) in water
over night. Then I plant. I now have 50-60 plants in
the garden growing, which represents about a 90-95% success
rate of cloves planted to plants growing. I'm pleased. I have had zero luck with bell peppers. I'll
try again this spring with the next 3 beds I'm building and
putting in compost during February (the amount of coffee
grinds and leaves I have for free is amazing, its about
40 cubic yards worth now and should provide me with enough
compost to grow most of my food for the summer and coming
winter [canning])... Great thread, I learned a lot and it was exciting to see
folks getting something for 'nothing' out there. I'm into
low waste and high yield lifestyle.' Pudgy |
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| Nobody ever said how to sprout the pineapple tops. I'd really like to know. Are they a pretty plant; easy to grow? I am very new to gardening, so cheap and easy is what I'm looking for... By the by... What zone is Boise? I looked it up and it said Zone 6, but the temps listed to qualify were way too low. |
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| Yucca roots.. I had the same question- I bought one but it appears to have a waxy coating on it. Will this cause problems? |
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| Ok, seems like people have lost interest in this thread... But just in case, anyone tried growing a Kiwano Melon (Cucumis metuliferus) from the grocery store? I bought one and am going to try planting the seeds tomorrow. |
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I did grow a melon from the grocery store once. Before I could harvest the fruit winter had started to settle in. We ended up moving and I didn't have space to try again for a number of years and never did try to grow it again even though I now have space to grow! It sure was quite a thrill that it sprouted though! I've still got some seeds that I keep in the fridge... wonder if they are still viable??
Since that time I have collected many pepper seeds, some cucumber and various beans and peas. I plan to grow these this summer. I had been pretty unsure about the peppers though, but now reading this thread I am really excited to try this now! I am going to put "sweet potato" on my shopping list too! Should be fun to try this with my kids! I have done poppy seeds from the spice jar and they worked out great! |
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| The how to grow pineapple is easy...cut the top off and peel off the fruity part...leaving a green knob or just slice the top off close to the green part...let it dry on the counter for a few days and then stick it down in some good soil and let it root...I have never used rooting hormone but that would probably help too.. |
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| It's been out of print for years, but I own a book called "The Don't Throw It, Grow It Book of Housplants," by Selsam & Peterson. It contains instructions for growing a wide variety of fruits, nuts, and veggies as houseplants. If anybody on this forum needs to know how to start a particular fruit/nut/veggie, let me know and I can look it up. There is a similar thread to this one on - of all places - the Bog Garden forum. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Grocery Store Plants
Oops
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| OOPS - just realized that somebody had posted that link back in '03 - but it's worth repeating. |
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| I was wondering if you think it would be possible to grow black peppercorn plants from the black peppercorns you get in the store . has anyone tried to grow some from black peppercorns if you have did you plant them in dirt or sprout them in some water. any suggestions do you think the black peppercorns will grow? |
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| This year so far I have planted bell peppers and taro. Both are doing great! Took quite a while for the taro to get going, but once the temps started heating up they really start growing. Lee |
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| oh crap i should have read this thread before posting on "my favorite frugal tip" |
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| Don't plant normal potatos, they can cary a miriad of soil borne deseases, Spend the extra few bucks and buy seed potatos which are certified desease free, it not only greatly lessens your chances of losing your ability to grow potatos and tomatos in the future, but it does so for the gardeners around you who may catch any deseases you bring in aswell. |
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| I'm growing a mango. It germinated almost instantly and is just sending up leaves. Also, I have a tip for germinating citrus seeds. dry overnight, peel away the thick wrinkly skin, soak in cool (not too cold) water for 2 hours. Then, plant it into moist compost. DO NOT LET IT DRY OUT! |
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Hello All,
I have planted several things from the grocery...right now I kiwano melons and peppers comin up...and i have grown the little grape tomatoes from mcdonalds and they have turned out awesome...actually so awesome that alot of ppl in the neighborhood would come over and ask for them...all i did was save the seeds from one of them. P.s. I love this thread and i hope it never ends! |
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| I germinated some papaya and some Dragonfruit seeds. The dragonfruit seeds had already produced roots in 3 days! |
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| They sent up leaves overnight! |
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| Tumbleweed- did you plant peppercorns? I just found this link in an effort to see if you can do just that :-) Please let me know if you can plant peppercorns from the store to get a plant that produces peppercorns! |
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| Onions and Garlic.. I have just planted a few small rooted stems from garlic and onions. I live in PA where is is really cold for quite some time. When should I plant outside? The garlic is a real trooper and seems to be growing fast and will need to transplant soon. I did not dry out plants just cut and placed into soil. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
~Sarah~ |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Time to help keep this thread going. Few years back, I did a pineapple top. Just stuck it in a glass of water until it rooted, then put it into a pot and kept it in the most sunny spot indoors. I had it for about two years or so. Never fruited, but got pretty good sized. Word of warning - those leaves are SHARP. Both needle sharp at the tips and knife edge sharp along the edges. Word of warning Mark II - not all pineapple tops are created equal. For some reason, some you find in stores have the inner most (newest) leaves cored out. Those will not sprout and grow, at least in my experience. Right now, I've got an avocado from seed. About 14 inches or so tall. Pinched it back at about 12 or so inches in hopes of branches, but so far there's just the one. Pinched it back again so we'll see what happens. Doing fine, though. Took it FOREVER to root. Did the toothpick and glass of water trick with the pit. Didn't change water, just added more as needed. Eventually it tossed up a stem sprout and the rest is history. My kid (5) also was able to plant and sprout an orange pip and apple seed. Apple sprout got killed after a repot (dang) and I let the orange sprout dry out accidentally which resulted in shrivelly death (dang again). |
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I planted avocado and garlic back in Oct 2006. Here they are today. I think I'll pinch the avocado after learning that it's beneficial to start branches.
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RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| The newest food fad is acai berries. Frozen ones are available in organic food stores, etc. Has anyone tried growing them?? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Thanks to all who have posted here. Think this thread should be kept alive. Going to try rosemary and garlic that are lingering in the fridge. Has anyone tried mushrooms? Heard that if you find them in the store with little bumps around the stem they will work. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Acai berry is the fruit from a palm tree from the lowlands of brazil. I am intrested in trying to grow some here. The recent fad has a drink being sold for $35 to $45 a bottle (OMG!). I thought it would be funny to have it grow here for free. Love this thread!!! Current success: a volunteer avacado that I allowed to grow. About 6 yrs old with her very first flowers, the Mama tree came down in H.Katrina (she was huge). I just had to top off her leader because she is getting too big for me to handle. New hurricane rule: No tree is allowed to get higher then what I can trim with a pole saw and A-frame ladder. I've been putting scallions in the ground for years, pulling them out as needed. Keeps them fresher. Mine just blossomed. But they are still tasty. Just put garlic in the ground to see what would happen. Grew like a rocket. But have no idea how to harvest. Going to do more research on this. Might not work long term because of our nematodes and heat. I only grow cherry style tomatoes. Had the most success and there is much less waste for me. After H. Wilma ripped thru and destroyed my backyard, I had golden pear shape tomatoes volonteer from where my composer use to be. They were the most incredible taste. All the neighbors came around for them. Alas, I failed to save the seeds (but I'm learning). |
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| I let my sons grow thier own plants in a planter i bought for this purpose in an effort to get them to eat fresh fruits and vegetables. Orange seeds, apple seeds, even corn kernels get put into this planter and everything is growing quite nicley. They even put jalepeno seeding in there and sure enough, everything grows! |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| right now lettuce, garlic, roma tomato |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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I never buy seed garlic, always save and plant sprouted store-bought, and I plant 2 crops a year - the first as soon as the soil can be worked in spring and the second around Columbus Day.
A few years ago I tossed a few neglected, already-sprouting sweet potatoes onto the compost pile during a rainy March and was later shocked to see a bunch of vines growing up onto the fence. I was careful not to destroy them and ended up getting a good amount of gorgeous, fat sweet potatoes! Really surprised me.
Lots of ideas on this thread have never occurred to me - going to quit throwing out stuff - thanks! |
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| Here in Pannsylvania they sell fresh rooted basil plants in plastic sacs in the produce department for alot cheaper than I can get them at the plant store plus they're alot more developed. I put them in right away. I get huge plants from them. I think the grocery stores got hip lately about that because the price went up a dollar last year in the grocery store but it's still cheaper than buying the small basil starts in the pots from the plant stores. They put a warning sign on the sacs that says "not for growing in garden" or something silimar. I dont know why they put that warning on there because it grows super well for me! |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I've had really geat success getting the newly popular Goji berries to sprout. Throw em in some soil and they have a really amazing germination rate. Has anyone been successful with the acai yet? I've got some kiwi, green pepper, couple kinds of tomatoes, watermelon, some kiwano and some purple fingerling potatoes in the ground now, see how they go. Also picked up a pair of baby pineapple I'm gonna try, but some of the leaves don't look so hot. Maybe with rooting hormone! I'm looking forward to stratifying some cherry, nectarine, plum, and apricot that i have on hand, though I think they won't be true for the most part. Chances are! Anyone been successful with things that aren't already in the thread? I'm curious... |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I don't know if pineapple is in the thread or not, but here's a top I planted about a year ago. It looked very sad all last winter, but come spring, it perked up and started to grow. No pineapple yet! 
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RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I was told that in order for an avocado plant to bear fruit, it has to be *grafted* onto something else. Any truth in this? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| anything with a seed in it - - grapes, apples, pears, even the sub tropical (avacados, mangoes) and tropicals are worth a go All it costs you is the seed which would have been thrown out anyway. And it's fun to show off to your friends your mango seedling (even if the first winter kills it) Onions are good, as are carrots - if the root doesn't grow you'll get a flower head (like Queen Annes Lace) and seeds; pineapples;
sweet potato and ordinary potatoes - you just need a bit of the peel with an eye in it.. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Ages ago I bought 1/4 red cabbage to use as a dyeing experiment, but I didn't get around to doing it and the still wrapped cabbage spent weeks in the back of the fridge. When I finally got it out to throw it out I noticed that there was a bulge of leaves right at the base of the cut section. Showed it to my parents and asked if they think it might keep growing, was told definitely not. I rarely take no for an answer so stuck it in a pot with the rotting part under the soil, well it has kept on growing, the leaves have now opened, it's sending up stems. I'm waiting for it to flower and set seeds, going to grow them when it does. Has anyone else ever seen anything like this? |
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Thread is still alive!
:)
Very interesting ideas. I'm on a wicked pepper kick, so am giving the seeds from red pepper flake spice jar a try. lol, I figure anything with a seed is worth a try for free. What have I got to lose? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Well two years after reading about the "After Dinner Gardening Book" on the plants from the produce department thread, I finally found the book (out of print for years) and it is helpful(and a good read). Because of it, I have some healthy papaya seedlings in the windowsill and some key lime seedlings. Who knows? It may work this time. Anyway, Get the book..... |
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| The pineapple looks GREAT! I gave up on the mango seed and am going to dump it in the compost, and who knows, maybe it'll like it there? :) |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Doris, thanks for the comment on the pineapple. It's still growing but looking a little sad like it did last winter. Maybe Hawaiians don't like our chilly winters in CA! I hope it will perk up now that the weather is warmer. I've had a mango sprout in my worm bin, so that's a good idea to put it in your compost pile. I'm glad this thread is still alive. |
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I grow passionfruit from fruit bought at the grocery store.
All you need is a little bottom heat and you can be elbow deep in passionfruit- not to mention the vines and flowers are beautiful. -Lileecoi- |
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- Posted by bcskye 5 Brn.Co., IN (My Page) on
Tue, Mar 18, 08 at 20:25
| My sister and I both started orange seeds last year and wound up with some nice tiny plants. Unfortunately, I got distracted and mine dried up. Will do them again and would really like to try a purple yam. I've not seen one in our area before so will need to branch out a little. I'd like there vines for my hanging baskets. Would like to try the passionfruit and several other things mentioned here as well. Has anyone tried a coffee bean? I had a store bought plant that died at the same time the orange plants died but it was so pretty I'd like to get another one started. I have the "After Dinner Gardening Book", but haven't read through it. Picked it up on eBay. Love this thread. Hope it keeps going. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Raw peanuts are fun for kids to grow also. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| has anyone tried tangerines or clementines? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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- Posted by gee8ch zone 9 SoCali (My Page) on
Tue, Apr 15, 08 at 22:40
| Lileecoi: Please share directions for how you prepared and grew the Passion Fruit Seeds. Love the looks of the vine and flower, and would like to have some to eat, too! TIA Gloria |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| I have two clemantine orange seedlings on my windsill from the few seeds that I saw in the box of "seedless" oranges we got in December. Who knows if they will ever bear fruit but it sure is interesting to try and see what happens. |
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| I love The After Dinner Gardening book - so fun! Our kids always dig seeds out of their fruit and dry them in the kitchen window. We have more stuff coming up now. We actually have a lime tree and a lemon tree that are in the ground outside and made it through winter - both from seed! And a tiny baby loquat that's still only about 6" high. I think another lemon or maybe an orange is growing in one of my potted plants thanks to the 4-year-old. And I know for a fact she stuffed apple seeds in another indoor plant. Last year I found a bizarre looking round red ribbed squash at a South American grocery store. I just planted those seeds around the yard, and I'm really hoping some of them will come up. After Halloween last fall, the kids and I garbage picked the Arboretum for fancy pumpkins from their patch. We got a few strange ones - white, blue, chocolate brown... Those seeds have all sprouted out back and the enormous vines are everywhere. Fun stuff - I love it. |
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| Also, the cabbage question - I have the base of a purple cabbage growing like mad in my compost heap right now. I need to dig it out and stick it in the landscaping somewhere to see what it does. |
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| I'm new to growing plants from items in the produce department. This thread, along with some others, got me interested. I purchased The After Dinner Gardening Book. I was so surprised to find out it was humorous as well as loaded with good advice. In the last couple of weeks, I have started seeds of avocado, mango, and lemon. I am trying to root ginger by thee different methods. Currently, I have lime, grapes, kiwi, and tangerines in my kitchen. I think our consumption of fruit will increase significantly. I have a friend going to Hawaii soon. I have asked her to bring me an unhusked coconut and some fresh macadamias. |
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| WOW im supprised this thread has lasted five years and now i have a whole list of produce to plant and a few new books to buy KEEP THE THREAD GOING |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Please, I implore you... I last asked this 3 years ago in May of '05. Can we please, Please, PLEASE let this thread die???? I haven't posted on this forum in many years but this ONE thread continues to haunt me. (Yes, I know I can turn off email notification but still...) Surely we have covered all territory that there is to be covered. Please let this thread die an (un)natural death...I swear I didn't know what I was doing!!! |
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- Posted by dorisl 5 NW Chicago burbs (My Page) on
Wed, May 7, 08 at 11:01
| its a fun thread, maybe somebody else should start a new one? |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| Arden, just don't look at it. Everyone else is enjoying it. We could start a new one, but then all the valuable information wouldn't be on it. I posted a pic of my pineapple a while back. It's bigger now but has not shown any signs of bearing fruit. |
RE: Plant from the produce department?
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| wow arden ur violent and a little demented |
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