Germinating Seeds From Republic Of Texas Orange Tree

Gardening in Winter is a non-event for many people, but for me, it means it’s the time of year when I get to harvest many of the fruits from my fruit trees.  One of the fruit trees I have is a Republic of Texas Orange tree.  I started picking some oranges in early January, and right now, there are just perfect!  I can almost guarantee you will not taste a sweeter orange than these.

Because these oranges have seeds, I decided to try a little experiment.  I thought why not try and plant these seeds and see if they will grow?  I first did a few searches on Google to see if I could find some basic information (there was, but nothing substantial).  Then I headed over to my favorite place, Amazon, and did a little shopping.

First I picked up the Hydrofarm Hot House with Heat Mat (actually I ordered two).  Then I decided I would need some lighting, so I picked up the Hydrofarm Grow Light System.

Like any good gardener, I did what would naturally come next.  I ate some oranges:-).  I then took the seeds from the oranges and soaked them in water for 24 hours (I read to do that somewhere online).

Next, I took those seeds and poked them into some ordinary potting soil.  I’ll be honest.  I wasn’t expecting much, if anything, but you can see the results from the pictures below.  Granted, it may take 10 years before I ever have any harvestable oranges from this endeavor, but it does make for a fun winter gardening activity.

Hydrofarm Hot House And Grow Light System

Germinating Seeds From Hydrofarm System

Of course none of this would have been possible without the oranges, and here’s a few that I picked today.

Freshly Harvested Republic Of Texas Oranges