When life hands you avocados....

Following several failed attempts this summer (harsh well water was the culprit), one of the avocado (persea Americana) pits I tried to germinate has done so. Did you know that avocado is in the same flowering plant family as cinnamon? An avocado is basically a large berry.

Clean a fresh avocado pit well. Using four sturdy toothpicks, insert the toothpicks into the pit about 2/3 of the way up from the bottom. Suspend the pit over a glass of water - spring or distilled  is best, but tap will do. Place in a bright window. Check the water level weekly (about half the pit or more should be under water).

In a few weeks, the pit will split, and a tap root will pop out of the bottom. Change the water weekly, to prevent fungus or rot. Within another few weeks, the baby avocado tree will start to sprout from the top of the pit. Now it's time to plant. Carefully bury the rooted pit in standard potting soil. Bring soil about halfway up the stem of the tiny tree. Water deeply. Place in a sunny spot until summer, when it can go outdoors and really get growing.

I love these little green miracles. Thank you Mother Earth!