If you are interested in eating healthy, then you have probably heard of avocados and how beneficial they can be to have in your diet. Do you enjoy guacamole? It is a guilt-free snack that can only be made using this fantastic fruit; didn’t know avocados were fruit? Well, now you do, and there are several advantages of eating them on a regular basis.
Avocados possess an amazing amount of health-related benefits. In fact, those who are health conscious have not only added avocados to their diet plans, many of them are growing their own from the comfort of home. Packed with essential vitamins and minerals, avocados are known to contain Vitamin B5 & B6, vitamin K, vitamin E, vitamin C and potassium, just to name a few. Avocados are an excellent source of fiber, and are considered “heart healthy” fruits.
Due to the versatility of avocados, they continue to find their way into recipes and dishes in kitchens across America. Although sometimes used solely for garnishment, they can be used as a substitute for similar ingredients that may not be as healthy to consume.
Interested in avocados yet? Would you like to learn how to grow your own avocados without consuming the entire backyard? What if I told you it’s as simple as following this 3-step process…would you be interested then?
Sprouting the Avocado Seed:
First you must remove the seed from an Avocado. This is rather easy to do and should be self-explanatory. Once the seed has been removed and washed thoroughly, you need to build a support system for the seed using 4 toothpicks. Each toothpick must be inserted approximately halfway down the seed, equidistant from the others. Once you have these in place, it is time to germinate the seed by placing it in a cup of water, submerging the dimpled end of the seed in roughly 1” of water, allowing the toothpicks to support the seed in such a way that the upper half remains out of the water.
Avocado Germination
Place the cup of water and the avocado seed in a warm, dry place; not in direct sunlight, but at least room temperature. The avocado seed will need to continue germinating for anywhere between 2 and 6 weeks depending on external conditions and seed stock. You should eventually begin to see roots sprout, as well as the stem. It may be necessary to add water to the germinating cup occasionally.
Avocado Seedling
Eventually the stem will reach a height of 6”. When this occurs clip the stem in half, down to about 3”. At this stage, you simply need to wait for leaves to start growing and for the roots to get larger, thicker, and stronger.
Planting the Avocado Seed:
First, find or buy a large gardening pot, at least 10” in diameter if not slightly larger. I recommend purchasing a terra-cotta style pot; they normally have a nice size hole in the bottom that helps tremendously with drainage. Fill this pot with the best, nutrient rich soil you can find.
Now you just need to make a small indention in the soil and plant the avocado seed. Place the seed and the roots in the soil, ensuring that the roots are fully covered, yet the top half of the avocado seed remains exposed above the soil line.
Avocado Sprout
Your new avocado seed will require frequent watering; keep the soil damp and moist, yet do not over-saturate. A good rule of thumb for gardeners; stick a finger into the soil, no more than the first knuckle, remove the finger, if soil sticks, there is enough moisture, if the finger is free of soil, then the plant needs water. The leaves of the avocado plant can also signal lack of water, or over-watering. If the leaves are yellow and look as if they are sagging, the plant is receiving too much water. If the leaves are dry to the touch, or turning brown in color, then the plant needs more water.
Watch Your Plant Grow:
You have successfully planted an avocado from the comfort of home. You can now watch it grow and harvest the fruits of labor when it comes time to harvest!
Continue watering the avocado plant accordingly. Eventually you will begin to witness avocado fruit forming and growing from the plant. You can harvest these when they are ripe and use them for any recipe ideas you have!
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