A slew of dishes instantly become more flavorful with the addition of nutritious avocados. Whether you have the taste for a delicious salad or avocado tacos, there's no shortage of avocado recipes to try.
While it might seem like a no-brainer to grab a few avocados at your local supermarket, there's no reason not to consider growing your own avocado plant from a single brown seed indoors. All it takes are a few simple steps and essentials like water, toothpicks and soil, and you're on your way to enjoying all the benefits of this gorgeous houseplant.
Take a look below for our step-by-step guide, as well as pointers on how to grow and care for your avocado plant. It also makes for a fun children's activity, especially if they enjoy gardening projects!
Check out these five basic steps to begin growing your very own avocado tree from a single brown seed:
Supplies Needed
- Avocado seed (from an avocado you previously bought is fine!)
- Toothpicks
- Drinking glass or jar
- 10-inch pot
- Potting soil
- Trowel
How to grow an avocado tree at home
- Wash any residue off of an avocado pit (be sure not to cut into or break it). After it dries, insert 3-4 toothpicks about halfway up the side of the pit.
- Place the broad end of the pit down in a drinking glass or jar. Make sure that the container has enough water to submerge the bottom third of the seed, the Missouri Botanical Garden suggests.
- Be sure to keep the glass in a warm area and away from direct sunlight and change the water regularly. You should notice roots and a sprout in about 2-6 weeks. However, if you don't see them, start with another seed.
- Once the sprout reaches about 6 inches tall, cut it back to about 3 inches to promote more root growth.
- When the stem grows out again, use a 10-inch pot with rich potting soil to plant your pit. That's it! All you have to do now is be patient and wait for your avocado tree to flourish.
Note: Rather than starting from scratch, purchase older trees. Visit Amazon to buy grafted, 4-feet tall avocado trees that may yield fruit in 3-4 years rather than 10.
How to care for an avocado tree
Place your pot in a sunny spot indoors and water lightly but often. The goal is to keep the soil moist but not sopping wet, California Avocados recommends. You can place your pot outdoors in the summer as long as temperatures stay above 45°F. Occasionally, prune your plant (every 6 inches or so) to encourage fullness.
Gardening tip: Overwatering can lead to yellow leaves. Cut back to prevent root rot.
Tips on growing an avocado tree outdoors
Avocados are tropical plants (they're native to southern Mexico), so you can also plant avocado trees in the ground outside in USDA Zones 10-12, a.k.a., regions with no frost. They do best in rich, well-drained soil with full sunlight and medium-high humidity. Ideally, you'll want to plant them between March and June. Give them plenty of space when planting, especially if you're growing multiple trees, since they can reach anywhere from 40-80 feet tall and up to 20-feet wide under the right conditions. Additionally, avocado trees have very shallow roots that mainly grow in the top 6 inches of the soil. For this reason, mulching (go for a coarse option) is key after planting. Water 2-3 times per week by soaking the soil thoroughly and then letting it dry out before watering again.
Will my avocado tree produce fruit?
Before you embark on growing your own avocado tree, there's one important thing to keep in mind: These trees typically take between five and 13 years to produce fruit. It's also quite challenging for this to occur indoors, which is why they're fairly pricey in stores at times.
But even though your tree won't produce fruit anytime soon (or ever), you can still round out your green-thumb project with some avo-themed dishes from the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. This creamy fruit is packed with nutrients, like healthy fats and fiber, as well as vitamins C, E and K!
Caroline is a writer and editor with almost a decade of experience. From 2015 to 2019, she held various editorial positions at Good Housekeeping, including as health editor, covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news. She's a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism and dreams of the day Northwestern will go back to the Rose Bowl.
Monique Valeris is the home design director for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand's home decorating coverage across print and digital. Prior to joining GH in 2020, she was the digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she explores everything from design trends and home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing her monthly column, "What's in My Cart."
