If you love peaches and are wondering how to grow a peach tree from seed, you are definitely making an amazing choice to dive into a highly rewarding venture. Growing peach trees from seed will take you on a journey from peach tree pit germination all the way to sprouting through years of growth and finally to your first productive year. Peaches are absolutely delicious and can be used in hundreds of down-home recipes. Even if you find yourself overrun with fruit, you can always find friends or family members to take them off your hands. Before you embark on this journey, you should identify your favorite varieties of peach and search for pits from those kinds of varieties. Also, hybrid peaches that you purchase may contain pits that will not grow, so try to steer clear of hybrid pits. Choosing a common, commercial peach variety will probably provide the best outcome, as the most common varieties tend to have a higher production and disease resistance, hence their popularity. Peaches grow the best in USDA zones 5-8. Outside of these zones, the trees may not flourish or may die entirely. The pit should be washed well prior to planting and dried for a few days to two weeks. Leaving the pit unplanted for a few months will not harm it. The pit will need to be planted during the fall or winter, several weeks before the last frost. The pit needs to withstand cold weather before germination. Before planting a peach pit, you can rough up the outside of the pit with sandpaper to further encourage germination. Just be sure not to harm the delicate seed inside of the hull. Can you grow a peach tree from a pit? You most definitely can grow a full tree from a peach pit. The pit is actually the seed of the peach tree. The fruit of a peach is a protective shield that covers the seed as it grows and matures. The fruit is also used to lure in hungry animals. This is how the pits or seeds are transported so that peach trees can populate different areas and spread. If you are interested in growing trees from pits, you can buy the peaches and remove the seed from the fruit. The pits should be set out to dry for a week or two. You can also order peach pits, get them from friends or family, or even visit a local orchard to get pits from their crops. Planting peach seeds, how to grow a peach tree from a pit. While they may not look or taste just like the originals, it's possible to grow peaches from seed pits. It will take several years before fruiting occurs, and in some cases, it may not happen at all. Whether or not a seed grown peach tree produces any fruit usually depends on the type of peach pit it derived from. Just the same, whether or not the peach pit germinates depends on the peach variety. Germanating peach pits. Although you can plant a peach pit directly in the soil during fall and wait for spring germination nature's way, you can also store the seed until early winter, deck, jann, and then induce germination with cold treatment or stratification, one. After soaking the pit in water for about an hour or two, place it in a plastic bag with slightly moist soil. Store this in the refrigerator, away from fruit, in temps between 34 to 42F minus 6C. Keep a check for germination, as germinating peach pits may take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple months or more, and that's if you're lucky. In fact, it may not germinate at all so you'll want to try several varieties. Eventually, one will germinate. Note, while it's certainly not required, some people have found success by removing the hull, outer pit, from the actual seed inside prior to the cold treatment. How to plant a peach pit as previously stated, planting peach seeds takes place in fall. They should be planted in well draining soil, preferably with the addition of compost or other organic material, 3. Plant the peach pit about 3 to 4 inches, 7.5 to 10cm. Deep and then cover it with about an inch, 2.5cm, or so of straw or similar mulch for overwintering. Water during planting and then only when dry. By spring, if the peach was any good, you should see sprouting and a new peach seedling will grow. For those germinated via the refrigerator, once germination occurs, transplant to a pot or in a permanent position outdoors, weather permitting. How to grow a peach tree from seed? Growing peaches from seed isn't difficult once you've gotten through the germination process. Transplants can be treated and grown in pots just like any other fruit tree. Here is an article about growing peach trees if you'd like to learn more about peach tree care. Some peach pits germinate quick and easy and some take a little longer or may not germinate at all. Whatever the case may be, don't give up. With a little persistence in trying more than one variety, growing peaches from seed can be well worth the extra patience. Of course, then there's the wait for fruit, up to three years or more. Remember, patience is a virtue.