How to Grow An Apple Tree From Seed (Tutorial)

Use this simple tutorial to grow an apple tree using the seeds found in fruit from the grocery store. It’s an excellent beginner project for anyone wanting to try simple plant propagation. This same method works for pears as well.

Want to turn other food into plants? See How to Grow Avocado From Seed.

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Grow Your Own Apple Tree

Of all the ways we can encourage a love of plants, nature, and gardening, it seems that starting something quite prolific from seed—like an oak tree from an acorn or an apple tree from seed—are sure ways to create a lifelong interest in growing. And how cool is it that you take the seeds from fruit you’re eating and grow them into fruit-bearing trees?

Before we dive into the step-by-step instructions there are a few things to know.

• For seeds to be viable (able to grow), they need to be mature. An apple you buy at the grocery store is very likely mature but an apple picked from a tree part way through the growing season will not have fully-formed seeds. So start with mature, ripe fruit.

• Apple seeds, along with other fruit seeds including pear, peach, and cherry, require stratification (cold, damp conditions) to prepare for germination. The amount of time required to stratify varies depending on the variety. It’s generally between 60 and 90 days. The instructions (below) show you how to mimic stratification.

• Not all apple seeds will sprout. Even if you do everything right, some types never sprout, and for those that do, only half may germinate. It varies a lot. So, increase your odds by starting a bunch, preferably from several different types of apples.

• You won’t get McIntosh apples from McIntosh seeds. Or any other variety (with a few exceptions*). If your apple seeds do grow to become fruit-bearing trees (yay!), the apples produced will not be same as the ones you started with. Most apple trees require cross-pollination from another apple tree so any apples produced will have genes from both (the tree you grew and the pollinator tree) and, similarly, no two seeds will produce genetically-identical trees. In other words: every seed has a different combination of genes. That’s why plant breeders who want specific varieties do not grow their trees from seed but instead propagate vegetatively, taking stems and grafting them onto other established rootstock, to grow genetically identical apples. *Antonovka seeds are one example of apple seeds that reproduce true to parent.

Personally, I love experimenting with seed starting, watching things grow, and propagating plants from food scraps is a favorite rabbit hole to explore.  

And, what a wonderful thing for a child (or anyone) to grow something from a simple seed and nurture it for years to come.

Related: Do Plants Have Sexes?

How to Sprout Apple Seeds

Here’s an overview of how it works. Use can use these same steps to propagate pear seeds as well.

Get Seeds Ready

Some apples have many seeds, some have few, others have none or just little white cases where you’d expect to find seeds. Pay attention to store bought apples like McIntosh, Delicious, Granny Smith, Sparta, Fuji, Gala, and so on, and, as you eat them, look for fully formed (dark brown) seeds.

It’s best to start quite a few (10-20) from different types of apples to increase your odds. If you do, be sure to keep each type separate and labelled so you know what worked.

Start with a ripe apple (one you would eat) to ensure the seeds inside are mature. Cut around the core to avoid damaging any of the seeds with your knife.

I like to take clear, close up pictures at this point so I have something to compare with later on.

Gently Sand Seed Coats

Next, to help the process along, you can very gently soften the seed coat. I do this by folding a small piece of sandpaper with the right (rough) sides together. Insert one seed at a time and gently sand off a little bit of the coat by rolling everything between your fingers. Easy does it: you don’t want to expose the embryo inside.

Related: How to Grow Citrus From Seed (Lemon, Orange, and More)

Soak in Moist Paper Towel

Once sanded, spread your seeds out on a moist (not dry, not soaking wet) paper towel (or a dish cloth), fold it up, and place everything in a food storage container or plastic food bag.

You may see other methods where the seeds are placed in moist potting mix instead of paper towel. I prefer paper towel because it makes it easy to check on the seeds and see any sign of sprouting without having to dig them out and rinse them off.

Related: How to Grow Mango From Seed

Label Container & Store in Fridge

Add a tag or write on tape or with waterproof marker noting the seed name (McIntosh, Delicious, Granny Smith…) and the date.

Place in refrigerator and set a reminder on your phone to check on the seeds weekly.

Most fridges run around 35 to 38°F (1.7 to 3.3°C) and apple seeds do best around 40°F (4.4°C). With the insulation provided by the container and paper towel, our seeds in the fridge will do fine.

Depending on the variety, they may need 60 to 90 days of moist and cold conditions to germinate. Never allow the paper towel to dry out or become waterlogged: just add moisture as needed.

When they have sprouted, they are ready for sowing.

If they haven’t sprouted after 90 days in the fridge, try setting the container on your countertop at room temperature and give them another few weeks. I’ve had some sprout this late, right when I was going to give up.

Planting Sprouted Apple Seeds

I’ve sprouted my apple seeds, now what?

While you could plant your apple tree seedling right in the garden (in spring or summer), it will be much easier to protect and care for it if you grow it in a container for as long as possible.

Start with a 4 to 6-inch wide (and deep) plastic flower pot with drainage holes and use organic potting mix.

This larger pot (in the photo, below) has seven apple tree seedlings. Once they get a bit bigger (about 6 to 8-inches tall), they should be transplanted into their own containers to avoid getting the roots tangled.

When Will My Apple Tree Produce Fruit?

With optimum growing conditions, it may take 7 to 10 years for the tree to flower and fruit—if it will do this at all. Some apple trees grown from seed will never fruit.

We grow from seed for fun but buy grafted apple trees if we want a tree that will provide a specific type of apple.

The whole topic of pollination is worth researching if you do get this far. If you want a chance of pollination (leading to fruit), there will need to be other apple trees nearby for cross-pollination.

Also, some types of apple tree including Jonagold and Gravenstein have sterile pollen and require pollen from two other trees for fertilization to take place. These are called ‘triploids’. So much to know!

Related: How to Know Which Fruits & Vegetables Need Pollinators

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Are Apple Seeds Toxic?

Apple seeds do contain cyanogenic glycoside, a cyanide-based compound. But it would take an extremely large dose to harm someone. That’s why it’s not an issue when we accidentally swallow seeds when eating apples. There are no cases of apple seed poisoning on record.

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Can I Grow An Apple Tree Indoors?

It would be fun but no, not under normal household conditions. These are cold-hardy trees needing four seasons to flourish.

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I hope you’ll give this a try and be sure to sign up for the free Empress of Dirt Newsletter for new growing tips and creative garden ideas.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛