Stop buying avocados. Here’s how you can grow an avocado tree in a small pot at home!

Avocados have become one of the newest staples of healthy eating. Seriously, that delicious bowl of guacamole can become your next guilt-free snack thanks to this fantastic super-fruit (and yes, it is a fruit).

If you didn’t already know, avocados have an impressive amount of health benefits and have been taking the health-conscious community by storm. Avocados are packed with essential vitamins, such as potassium, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin E – the list literally goes on. They are also a great source of fiber and have even been linked to share a similar fatty acid found in olive oil known to be “heart healthy”.

This superfood has continued to rise in popularity thanks to its versatility in the kitchen. Avocados can be easily incorporated into any dish for a splash of color or as a substitute for less-healthy choices without losing any of its flavor.

Peaked your interest? You can also enjoy your own home-grown avocados, without needing an entire backyard, in just a few easy steps.

1. Sprout Your Avocado Seed

After cleaning off an avocado seed, carefully stick 4 toothpicks into the seed, each at equal distance and about halfway down from the top. The toothpicks will be helping suspend your seed, so you’ll want to make sure they’re nice and even. Once you have your toothpicks in place, set your seed into a cup of water, using the toothpicks to keep your seed soaking in an inch of water, with the dimpled end facing down.

Keep the your seed somewhere warm and away from direct sunlight. Let it soak for about 2 to 6 weeks, or until you begin to see roots and a stem sprout.

Once the stem has reached 6 inches long from your seed, cut it back to about 3 inches. Wait for more leaves to grow and the roots to thicken.

2. Time to Plant!Locate a large pot, about 10 inches in udiameter, and fill it with a nutrient-rich soil. Make a small hole in the center of the soil and plant the seed with its the roots at the bottom and half of the seed still exposed.

Pro tip: Get a terra-cotta pot with a hole in the bottom to ensure plenty of drainage.

You should water your avocado seed regularly and generously, taking care to keep your soil moist without over-saturation. If you notice that the leaves have begun to turn yellow or droop, give your avocado seed some time to dry out and resume watering with a smaller amount. If you notice that that the leaves have begun to turn brown and dry, you might not be watering your plant enough. Set the pot in your sink and gently run water through it for a few moments, taking care to fully drain your plant.

3. Enjoy the Fruits of Your Labor!

You did it!

Keep on water and tending to your perfect indoor avocado tree and you’ll start to see some avocado fruits forming.

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Stop buying garlic. Here’s how to grow an endless supply of garlic right at home

Stop buying garlic. Here’s how to grow an endless supply of garlic right at home

Emma Smizer on September 19th, 2016

Garlic is arguably one of the world’s most versatile and healthiest foods.

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While you can use garlic to add some serious flavor to any dish, garlic also has quite the long list of health benefits as well. That’s why we’re here to break down how you can benefit from these major remedies and how you can grow your own supply of this amazing super-food in your very own backyard!

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Source: davidwolfe.com

Up Your Nutritional Game

Like we mentioned, garlic has some potent medicinal properties, such as being packed with vitamins while also being very low in calories. Garlic is rich in manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and substantial amount of selenium, calcium, potassium, just to name a few – all while only having 42 calories per serving!

Strengthen Your Immune System

Garlic is also known to boost the immune system and can help combat sickness like the common cold. Research has also shown that incorporating garlic into your daily diet can reduce your risk of getting sick by up to 63%! This can be especially useful if you’re someone prone to getting colds.

Keeping Your Heart Healthy

Add cardiovascular health to this list while you’re at it. If ingested regularly, garlic can also help reduce your risk for heart disease and help your body process cholesterol more efficiently.

Also, garlic can be really beneficial if you’re someone who struggles with high blood pressure!

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Source: harvesttotable.com

In additional to being a super-food, garlic is also super easy to grow.

All you need to do is follow these simply 5 steps:

Break up the garlic bulb into cloves and bury them a couple inches deep in loose, damp soil.Make sure you keep the pointed side of the clove facing upwards.When your garlic sprouts, make sure to give them water when the topsoil feels dry but be sure to not overwater – garlic tends to not need too much water.Cut off any flowers that bloom to preserve the flavor of your garlic.Once your garlic plant has 5 or 6 leaves, it’s ready to be pulled up!

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