Indulge me!

My 5 y/o and I read Johnny Appleseed yesterday and are going to plant our pear and apple seeds from our fruit this week. Is this insane? How long will it take to grow into a sapling that can be planted outside?

Thanks all!

No, not insane at all, but it won't work. Apples don't reproduce true from seed, so the seeds you plant either won't germinate (most likely), or will grow up to be a genetic throwback to crabapples.

The whole Johnny Appleseed myth is nothing more than that. The only way to reproduce an apple tree is through cuttings.

Still, why not try it? Why disappoint a child?Dry the seeds thoroughly, then leave them in the freezer for a few weeks to simulate winter, and plant those babies.

You might still get some apples from the seeds, but you need to plant more than one variety to get any kind of decent fruit from them. Same with the pears as they need more than one type to germinate well.

You can read about "wildling" plantings in "The Contrary Farmer" by Gene Logsdon. Check you local library to see if they have a copy.

BTW, welcome to the forumns.

Myth? his name was John Chapman and I met his grand nephew years ago, according to him the story was true.........

I'm not saying Johnny Appleseed (Chapman) didn't exist. I'm only saying that apples won't reproduce true from seed, so the seeds he sowed either didn't germinate or were genetic throw-backs to the crabapple. The odds of getting an edible apple from seed are in the neighborhood of one in a million.

Peter,

Nice save, and nice smile.

Don't you think folks?

Peterfoss congrats for still being and off the mark if you want more info on jonny apple seed and apples i suggest you read the article in horticulture appeared a few years back.

I'll get even with you Mary.

In fact many apple seeds will germinate and produce trees that will produce edible apples. I have grown several that way myself. If you want crabapples, you have to plant crabapple seeds. They are not the same thing.
If you want an apple just like the one you took the seeds from, you will have to graft from that tree, because apples(like people)take some genetic material from each parent and produce an endless variety of offspring.
Plant your seeds, apples or pears, and don't listen to someone who hasn't done a thing tell you it won't work.
Growing things with your kids is great. Apples can make a "whip" in one year, 4-5 ft tall. If you start them now, you can plant them out any time after frost. Treat them like tomatoes while they're inside tho (no water from the top).

*Warning minor science content*

If you expect to end up with true to type apples; ie just exactly like what the parent was, you can expect to be disapointed.

That said, yes you can grow apples from seed and yes you may in time end up with very edible fruit. Been there, done that. The glitch isn't crab appley looking product. It IS a 7 to 15 year wait for tiny saplings to bulk up into adolescence.

One reason why orchardists graft a known top wood to rootstock is the maturity of the scion (top), t'other is a known yummy apple is the predictable result. Which also keeps the time line down to four or five years before first fruit.

ALL THAT SAID, there is nothing in the world to stop you from starting some standard sized trees from seed and grafting something you like to it.

Learning how to graft and be a nursery-person is IMO a dandy hobby.

Be well
Tom C

Thanks all! I appreciate all of the input and will move forward being warned. I figured it would take a while to produce fruit...but figure it can just be a long term science project....since we are homeschooling Pre-K this year, maybe we'll make a yearly chart on how our apple/pear trees grow!

PeterFoss, come to think of it I even have a photo of his grave stone some where around here......

Regards!

Paul

it works great with peach seeds, I got great peaches.

this stuff on identical is baloney. of course they are not going to be identical twins but you might not be able to tell the difference.

the peaches sure taste good. I never tried apples.

I am sure you can find information on almost everything on the internet.

It was too long ago for me to properly credit the source, but Persian peaches are several orders bigger than indiginous plums. South eastern & southwestern tribes were said to have planted every pit they could lay their hands on.

Oh phoey this goes with a Wojapie story which I can't think of who told it.

Keep in mind that most all apples, adn other fruits, are picked while still too green to have viable seed and they finish ripening in a warehouse, although that too is controlled. Also keep in mind that many cultivars of apples need a different cultivar to get properly pollinated, to produce a good crop, although there are some that do not need that. So the chance of your getting a "winesap" from the seed of that apple is slim. You may get a really good fruit or a really bad fruit and you won't know for 8 or so years.
If all you want is a tree plant away. If you want a specific apple buy a whip of that species.