How to Grow Your Own Avocado Tree from a Grocery Store Pit
Because buying $9 toast isn’t enough—we want to grow the avocado too.
Welcome to Flora + TIMBER, where we make bold gardening decisions and sometimes question them halfway through—but look great doing it, thanks to dirt under our nails and unmatched enthusiasm.
Today we’re diving into that wild green dream: growing your very own avocado tree from a humble grocery store pit. Will it be fast? No. Will it be easy? Also no. Will it give you avocados in three weeks? Absolutely not. But it will be satisfying, a little ridiculous, and make you feel like an indoor plant wizard. And if you’re an NC gardener like me, you’ll appreciate any excuse to make something tropical happen in your living room.
Let’s go full millennial and try to grow a tree from food scraps, shall we?
First Things First: Manage Expectations
Listen, before we go any further, let’s get real for a second: this is not a shortcut to an avocado orchard. You’re not going to be harvesting guacamole anytime soon. Growing an avocado tree from a pit is a long game. Like, “write it into your will” kind of long.
If you’re looking for a fast-producing fruit tree for your NC garden, look elsewhere (blueberries, anyone?). But if you want a quirky, leafy indoor plant that comes with a built-in conversation starter—this one’s for you. I grew mine from a pit from Aldi- CHEAP, clean, fun!
What You’ll Need to Get Started
Here’s your gloriously low-budget supply list:
1 ripe avocado (eat the good stuff, keep the pit)
Toothpicks (the cheap kind, you're not catering a wedding)
A glass or jar that holds water
A sunny windowsill
A healthy amount of patience
Your favorite playlist or podcast—because you’ll be staring at this thing for weeks
Step 1: Extract the Pit (Like a Gentle Avocado Surgeon)
After slicing into your avocado and pretending you’re on a cooking show, remove the pit without hacking it to death. Rinse it gently under warm water, removing any clinging avocado bits. Don’t scrub too hard—we’re growing a tree here, not exfoliating.
Let it dry for a day or two on the counter. Why? Because it helps you tell which end is which. You’ll want the pointy end up, the flat end down. The flat end is where roots emerge. The pointy end is where the drama happens (a sprout, hopefully).
Step 2: Toothpick Engineering
Insert three or four toothpicks into the middle of the pit at a slight downward angle. You’re building a little avocado tripod so the pit can rest on the rim of your glass, with the bottom half submerged in water.
Yes, it’s a bit Frankenstein, but it works.
Place your new contraption in a sunny windowsill where it will feel like it’s starring in its own rom-com montage. Change the water every 2-3 days so it doesn’t become a science experiment.
SIDE NOTE: The above does work, I’ve done it before! BUT, you can also get a nifty vase specifically for sprouting avocado pits (I got mine from my awesome plant-obsessed brother and sister in law!) It’s like this one here.
Step 3: Wait… and Wait… and Then Wait Some More
Here’s where you’ll be tempted to give up. Weeks may go by with seemingly no activity. But deep inside that pit, botanical miracles are brewing. If it splits in half—congrats! That’s good. That’s the avocado pit equivalent of a standing ovation.
Eventually, you’ll notice:
A root growing down (exciting!)
A sprout reaching up (more exciting!)
Leaves unfolding like green origami (cue joyful screaming)
This process can take anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. Or longer, if your avocado pit is feeling stubborn or dramatic.
Step 4: Pot It Up (Like a Houseplant Pro)
Once your avocado sprout is about 6 inches tall and has a few leaves, it’s time to give it a permanent home—indoors, in a pot.
Use a medium-sized planter with drainage holes and fill it with a well-draining indoor potting mix. Something labeled for houseplants will do the trick.
Plant the pit so the top half still sticks out above the soil. Give it a good watering and return it to a sunny windowsill where it can soak up the limelight.
If you're in North Carolina like me, remember: this plant does NOT love frost. It’s a houseplant here, unless you’re very committed to wheeling it in and out like royalty each season.
Step 5: Keep It Alive (It’s a Commitment)
Now that your avocado tree is an official member of the household, you’ll want to treat it right. A few care tips from your friendly NC gardener:
Light: Lots of bright, indirect sunlight. Direct sun in the morning? Great. Afternoon scorch-fest? Maybe not.
Water: Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Think “damp sponge,” not “swamp.”
Humidity: It’s a tropical plant, so it will pout if your air is too dry. A nearby humidifier or occasional misting will earn you brownie points.
Pruning: Once your tree hits 12 inches, you can pinch back the top to encourage branching. That’s right—you’re in charge here.
Feeding: A little balanced liquid fertilizer every month during spring and summer will keep it growing strong.
Common Problems & How to Cope
Droopy leaves? Probably too much water.
Brown edges? Could be dry air or over-fertilizing.
Nothing’s happening? Welcome to avocado parenthood.
Growing your own avocado tree is not for the faint of heart. But it’s weirdly addicting and deeply satisfying—especially for those of us in the indoor plants club who want something a little unexpected on the windowsill.
Final Thoughts from Flora + TIMBER
Growing an avocado tree from a pit is kind of like adopting a pet rock and hoping it becomes a dog. It’s slow. It tests your patience. And no, you may never actually harvest avocados from it unless you move to Florida, buy a greenhouse, or live past 100. But as a conversation-starting, air-purifying, slightly absurd houseplant? It’s a winner.
Whether you’re an experienced NC gardener or just dipping your toes into the soil-stained world of growing things indoors, this little project is a joyful (and slightly ridiculous) experiment worth trying. At worst, you’ll have a mildly interesting centerpiece. At best? You’ll get leaves, a tree, and a great story to tell.
From one plant nerd to another—happy growing!
