Welcome to this post about how you can grow a peach tree from a seed. Peach is one of the easier fruit trees to be grown from a seed at home. It sprouts relatively quickly depending on the variety that you have. Some will sprout within a month and others will do it within 3 months at least.
Since it’s not the fastest tree to grow this slow development and nursing it will make it sturdier and survive rougher times easier. In the article you will learn about how you go from cracking and extracting the seed all the way to being able to transplant a seedling to the outside or a pot, the choice is yours.
If you want to learn even more about growing peaches then you can check out a complete and comprehensive guide to that topic. It covers a lot of the most common questions that might come up. Find it here, How To Grow A Peach Tree.
How To Grow A Peach Tree From Seed
Growing a peach seed into a full-grown tree is more of a challenge in terms of patience than any in-depth technique. It’s as simple as any other plant really and reacquire a lot of the same things too.
Planting the seed is done in a small container filled with healthy and well-draining soil. It should not be pooling any water at the top layer. For us, that indicates that the roots will have a very rough time growing as time will fight against drowning in the thick soil.
After you have sown it half an inch deep you will leave it in a sunny window and leave it to sprout. There are several different peach varieties and some of the quicker ones will have the seed sprouting within a month. Otherwise, you can expect to see the first signs above the soil within 3 months.
Leave it in a sunny window until it has grown at least a foot tall. It might take some time for it to reach this level. This is where we feel it will be ready to go outside and grow. But if fall already is arriving when it’s grown this tall then waiting for the next year might be a good idea.
Transplant to a sunny spot and make sure the soil is never drying out. Water it about every week and let it grow completely during the whole year. Pruning can be done at the very end of the season.
If you wish to learn about how you should be harvesting your peaches when the time comes then we have written an article about exactly that. Find the article here, When To Pick Peaches.
How Do You Prepare A Peach Seed For Planting
Preparing the seed for growing is a pretty simple process. We need to first extract the seed from the larger pit. If we were to only show the pit then the seed within would have a very hard time growing and sprouting. Taking it out and then growing it in the soil will sort of kick-start this process.
Some people will suggest that you dry the seed before growing it. But we feel this is really not necessary if you want to grow it straight away. It’s alive and well at this point so there’s no point in drying it and making it dormant as the dried seeds are.
The reasons that you might want to dry the seeds are to save them for another time or just the next year. Then this is a must as the seed will start molding otherwise. Dry them at a very low temperature and you will be fine.
Curious about when the best time of the year is to start growing peaches? We have written an article about that here on the site actually. You can find it here When To Grow A Peach Tree.
How Long Can You Keep A Peach Pit Before Planting
Keeping a peach pit for a long time is sort of unnecessary. The best seedlings are often grown from fresh seeds. So going to the store and getting one might be a good idea. But growing your own harvested seeds can of course be very satisfying as well. For a lot of people, it’s the whole reason for gardening, to be able and continue the line of a plant.
Generally speaking, though the seeds might stay viable for a maximum of three years. After this, they will not start sprouting as they are just too old. Using the seeds as fresh as possible will increase your chance of having a successful germination of them. If you have some old peach seeds lying around and wonder if they can be grown then put them in water. Let them sit for at least 24 hours before checking on them. Those that float will not be any good to grow. Those that sink will probably germinate and grow fine. This is a very common test to do and one that is very effective too.
Let’s summarize a bit about what we have talked about. Peach seeds are best grown when they are fresh. That’s the experience we have had. Make sure the soil you are growing them in is well-drained and also damp. The moisture content in the soil should be pretty high at first, it really helps the germination process in the beginning.
Have you heard about people drying peach seeds before growing them and wondered if it’s necessary? In this article, we take a closer look at that topic. Find it here, Do You Have To Dry Peach Seeds Before Planting?
