If you’re looking for plants to spice up your garden or home, consider the many fruiting varieties of tropical plants that can be germinated from seeds in fruits sold in your local supermarket.  The main advantage of germinating fruit seeds is that you may grow plants that eventually produce fruit of their own.  However, even if your plants don’t produce fruit, they will provide some variety to your home.

Many of these plants, being tropical, require a lot of heat to thrive.  If you don’t have a greenhouse, you may have to content yourself with a plant that only produces leaves and never flowers.  If you want to try your hand at serious tropical plant gardening, it’s wise to have a dedicated building to retain heat and humidity.

Here are some examples of the plants that can be grown from market fruits.  This is by no means an exhaustive list – you can find more information on the Internet or your local nursery.

• The paw-paw or papaya is a tree that can grow to over 12 feet tall and produce juicy, delicious fruits.  You need several plants, as these trees reproduce using a male-female system.  Scoop seeds from the interior of a fruit, wash them to remove the pulp and place them in well-drained potting soil.  Stick them somewhere warm – these plants need lots of heat to grow happily!



• Mangos can be grown as indoor plants for the first few years.  Once you have enjoyed a mango from the market, scrub away the rest of the pith and soak for a few hours.  Put into loose potting soil and place in a warm space.



• Pomegranates are a hardier variety of plant, being able to survive occasional frosts.  Clean some seeds and pop them into a pot of soil.  Keep them warm and in a few weeks you should have the beginnings of a bush or tree that will eventually produce bright red flowers and the occasional crop of fruit in hot summers.



• Citrus plants can grow on a windowsill.  If they and their container are large enough, they may even produce fruit.  Whether or not this fruit will be suitable for eating or cooking depends on the environment, but the plants are attractive.



• You can plant a pineapple top (pick one with a crown that is healthy and green) once you have trimmed the flesh off so that the brown root buds show.  Let it dry for a few days and then plant it in loose potting soil.  Keep the soil moist and prepare yourself for a rather large plant should the planting take.



• Grow some ginger by planting a piece of fresh gingerroot.  The flowers are attractive and have a pleasing scent.

There are a lot of plants hiding inside popular supermarket fruits – try your hand at planting the seeds and see what germinates for some beautiful and unusual additions to your home and garden.