Cherry tomatoes

Growing tomatoes from ripe fruit is a mysterious journey involving either total neglect or more time-consuming mouldy decay.

Method 1
Unceremoniously dump ripe tomatoes onto your garden plot, and leave them to rot. Gardening books make me look like a liar, but every year I have a batch of seedlings who sprout from my discarded heirloom cherry tomatoes. I also grow a backup batch using Method 2, just in case.

Method 2
• Choose very ripe tomatoes, or let ripen in a warm spot beside other fruit, such as bananas.
• Slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze out the juice with seeds into a very small container.
• Let sit on the counter 3-5 days until covered by mold, but not dry.
• Rince moldy, seedy mess over a fine mesh sieve until only the seeds remain (sometimes they will sprout if left moist at this stage).
• Let dry and plant in full sun after last frost.

Regrowth Result

Will thrive and produce fruit.


Tip
Avoid Frankenfoods: sprout only seeds from organic, therefore non-GMO, tomatoes

Sprouting green ideas

2 month old avocado tree

Years ago I conducted a simple experiment to see what sprouted and grew best, organic or conventional avocado pits. Within weeks I had my answer, the organic variety looming twice as high as its competitor.

Recently I repeated this experiment with a different result... both varieties sprouting and growing with matched enthusiasm. While the answer to this question remains unanswered, another, more fascinating nagged... which items from my grocery list could successfully avoid the compost heap and breathe new life sprouted, and green?

Sprouting your avocado

•  If you're in a hurry, you can soak the pit for a few days, otherwise plant it in a 6" pot,
   covered by 1/2" of soil.

•  Keep the soil moist while it is germinating... it takes several weeks, so you will be patiently
   watering a pot of dirt for what seems like a very long time

•  The sprouted plant grows quickly with big, robust leaves

Regrowth result

Potted plant, probably won't fruit