Grow Your Own Veggies from off cuts/ scraps - super basic system: Avo-(Soil-less growing)

originally posted August 2022

Avo's are terribly priced. Don't know what the price is, but it's safe to say, it's always some ridiculous price. So instead of wasting money on buying 4 avo's for R100 or something, rather buy your last 2 avo's and start planting your own trees.

How to plant an avo tree

Now, this isn't for the faint-hearted..no, that's not the right word... or rather it's not for the impatient.. This process to gain avo's is going to take quite a long time. I'm only on year 2 of my avo growing journey --and I've already lost one avo baby... (forgot to water it).

Step 1: Buy avo's

Take your pic, the cheaper the better, it doesn't matter as long as it's a good avo. Try food lovers market or pick n pay or shoprite/ checkers. Especially if it's your first experiment.

Step 2: Cut avo in half - keep pip aside

Cut avo's in half

Step 3: Take a break... Eat your avo

Or if you prefer to reward yourself after you've completed the main tasks, you can save this baby for later and eat after step 7.4

Step 4: wash off pip

wash pip

Step 5: strip pip - peel skin

Step 6: place flatter base part of avo (bottom part) in some water

Best way to get your avo seed to germinate - toothpicks inserted by base to suspend on water surface

Step 7.1: Top up water

Check every few days, to make sure the base is still sitting in the water... -be careful of using containers that are too small. As you need to leave space for air. if the avo base doesn't have space to breath, it will go funny (mouldy or it won't grow).

Step 7.2: Alternative (recycled bottles new hydroponic system - basic system)

This option will require regular changing of water, as there won't be a pump system. But if you have empty plastic bottles and left over plastic containers you can remix it to create your own basic hydroponics system (minus the pump) -- glass and avo pip ratio is incorrect in this picture. This was one of the failed experiments. Make sure to use a larger glass with toothpicks in you avo... to ensure space between avo and glass. Leave room for air. In this experiment the pips didn't grow as well as the containers with enough space to breathe.

Step 7.3:

Toothpick option

this works well with containers that are either too big or too small-- as per example left (container too big) as well as above (container too small)What helps to give space is placing some toothpicks on by the base of the avo--as per images below.

Be careful of using containers which are too small and don't allow room for air above water surface level

Step 7.4:

old plastics option

You can use variations of any used plastics... From yoghurt cups to plant holders. Just make sure to cut holes at the bottom of the pots, to leave space for the roots to grow

Step 7.5: Wait for roots

Roots will take time, about 4-6 months before you'll start seeing them.

first roots appear between 4-6 months

Step 8.1: Watch your baby grow

Step 8.2: Watch out, don't let it die...

if you don't look after it.. it will die, just look out for wilting leaves, water them on time. Try to give them enough love

Step 9: Transplant

Keep indoors until it's a bit stronger. Then transplant from water jar to small soil pot. Once the plant is over 30cm transfer to a larger soil pot 2 -5L pot will be fine indoors.

Step 10: Transplant outdoors

This, I am yet to do. But the example below is from my neighbour. He's managed to get his avo from pip to plant, to transplanted baby tree. (If you're lucky enough to own a garden, be careful to plant in soil where there is enough space around it, and enough space above it....remember, it's a tree it needs room to grow) .

Possible to also plant in a large container.

Transplanted avo tree by Uncle Piet

Step 11: Wait 4 years

Step 12: Wait another 3 years

Step 13: Wait another 4 years

Step 14: Every time you buy an avo... plant a tree

If we all did this once in a while, there'd be trees with food for everyone.

Did you know that avo's are perfect fruits?

• Many health benefits: decreasing the risk of depression, improving digestion, and protecting against cancer.

• Contain antioxidants (such as lutein and zeaxanthin)--good for your eyes and brain : antioxidants may lower your risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) like cataracts

• nutritious, full of fibre

• vitamins K, C, and E, contains small amounts of B vitamins and various minerals

Nutritional value of raw avocados

TIL: Avo's are actually classified as single seeded berries