Apricots grow reliably from seed.
Apricot kernels or pits are among the few seeds that produce a true copy of the parent fruit, so growing apricots from kernels takes little effort -- though it does take patience. Save your seeds next time you eat apricots, and plant them to get fruit of your own. Homegrown apricots make sweetly flavored pies, tarts and preserves and pair well with meat dishes. Since apricots are self-fertilizing, you need only one tree to get a crop of tasty fruit.
Instructions
1. Buy local apricots in the summer, when they're in season. Choose locally grown fruits so you know they can grow in your area.
2. Divide the fruit in half, and scoop out the kernel. Let the apricot pit dry out on your kitchen counter for a few days until it no longer feels wet.
3. Open the apricot kernel by squeezing it with a nutcracker or tapping it with a hammer. Scoop out the white almond-shaped piece inside, which is the seed. Discard the shell.
4. Store the seed in a lidded glass jar until fall, keeping your jar in a cool, dark place like your pantry.
5. Find a sunny spot for your apricot tree. Turn over the ground with a shovel to loosen the soil. Smooth the soil back out, the dig a small hole twice as deep as your seed.
6. Drop your apricot seed in the hole, and cover it with dirt; then add up to 2 inches of sand. According to Penn State University, sand helps keep the soil from getting crusty, which can prevent your seed from germinating.
7. Cut a piece of wire screen four or five times as large as the planting site to serve as a critter-barrier. Cover the apricot seed with the screen, pushing the edges of the screen into the soil all around the kernel to a depth of 2 or more inches.
8. Leave the rest to Mother Nature. Cold winters prepare the seed for germination in the spring. Check the planting site throughout the spring, and remove the protective screen when you see growth poking up.
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