Veggies to Grow from Seeds in Store Bought Produce
Do you ever buy a vegetable from the grocery store and wonder if you can keep its seeds to grow them later? We love this idea! Here are 6 tips for next time you’re at the grocery store.
No Hybrids
If you’re going to try to grow seeds from a vegetable you bought at the store, you will need to steer clear of hybrid vegetables. Why? The seeds won’t produce plants that grow produce. The hybridized produce that you buy is grown from seeds that have been genetically tailored so that the first generation of seeds will grow and create produce, but the next generation of seeds will grow and not create produce. In other words, the vegetable you buy in the store is from the first generation plant; and the plant you’d grow from those seeds is the second generation and won’t produce a vegetable.
2. Yes to “Heirloom”
Heirloom Tomatoes
Not just beautiful, their seeds can also be planted!
Avoiding hybrids may not always be straightforward but there are certain clearcut indicators we can rely on. First, any produce with the label “heirloom” on it is not a hybrid. This means that “heirloom” produce will have seeds that you can save and grow to produce vegetables. This is good news! Next time you’re in the market, take a look at the produce labeled “heirloom”. Try it out - you can grow your own from “heirloom” peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons and squash.
3. No “Sprouted”
Also, seeds that are usually eager growers are pulses, grains, and legumes. Grab a dried bean or a pinch of quinoa….start planting!
In addition to “hybrid” seeds, any sprouted nuts, grains and seeds probably won’t grow given the process of how the sprouting process works. Usually, these sprouted products are, actually, labeled “sprouted”, especially because these products are popular for their health benefits and, therefore, are clearly labeled for marketing purposes. You may want to grow sprouted products and enjoy the health benefits but you won’t be able to grow them from already sprouted seeds.
4. No Pasteurized
Yet, another category of produce that won’t grow are seeds and nuts that have been pasteurized. The pasteurization process kills the seeds and nuts – the result is that you can’t use them to grow.
5. Yes to Whole Seed Spices
Coriander Seeds
You can grow cilantro from coriander seeds!
You may be able to grow your own seasonings. Take a mustard seed, for example. When you buy the spice, make sure you get the whole seeds. Not all seeds in the container, may grow. Put the seeds in a shallow bowl of water, any seeds that float are dead and won’t grow. The seeds that sink will probably grow.
6. Yes to Tubers: Garlic, Onions, Potatoes, and more!
And, last on our list, but not least – the tubers! Almost all tubers in the market are contenders for your own garden using the produce you’ve bought. Next time you are in the tuber aisle, onions, ginger, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radish, garlic – all fair game for your planting game. The good news here, too, is that if you find a tuber in the back of your fridge or pantry that has shriveled up and started sprouting a stem or roots – plant it! Yes, this is a gift.
A garlic bulb has many cloves in it. Each clove can be planted and potentially grow a plant.
Next time your garlic, ginger or potato starts to sprout, plant it and see what happens!
Once you figure out which produce you want to grow your own plants from store bought produce, research how best to grow that type of vegetable. They all have their preferences.