Starting a peach tree from a pit?

Is it possible to start a peach tree from a pit? Does anyone know the steps I should take? I'm also interested in starting a lemon tree from a seed. Thanks in advance!

Yes, it is no problem to start a peach tree from a pit or a lemon tree from a seed. Just plant the pit in loose well drained soil and keep it reasonably moist, not wet. Be warned however that these are hybrids and the seedling will probably be quite different from the fruit of the one that you planted.

Peaches usually pollinate themselves so it is not likely that you will have a hybrid, but some generation of selfed cross.
Many old variety peaches grow nearly true from seed since they have already been propagated from seed for several generations and are thus stabilized, and the modern ones are often decent from seed but they are F1 hybrids so you are growing out an F2 (a self-pollination of a hybrid) and so they are somewhat less likely to be good.

Lemons vary, I have heard that Meyer lemon grows reasonably true from seed.

Both lemons and peaches are easy to grow from seed, just plant it. Well, the peach seeds need some cold stratification so if the seeds did not spend the winter outside, put them in the fridge for a month or so. I crack my peach seeds in the vise and germinate them in a baggie with a paper towel, then I know I have good seed. But that work is not really needed.

Scott

Thank you for your help, Scott and Farmerdill! I had already tried one peach pit, but nothing grew from it - I think I'm ready to give it another try :o)

I throw out peach seeds in the summer in cultivated areas and several come up the next spring. I have 3 nice volunteers that are Red Haven type....excellent flavor and good size when not overloaded.

I am growing baby pear trees from seed with the idea of grafting on the tops of them when they are older...

This year I hope to start peaches and try that..

Scott's right. In a batch of peach seedlings, I'd expect probably 75% or more to be so similar to the 'mother', in fruit quality, that you'd have some difficulty telling them apart.
This would be particularly true for some of the 'landrace' types, like the old Belle of GA peach.

Many of the citrus produce nucellular embryos - so those resulting seedlings are exact clones of the 'mother' plant(ortet).
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0002-9122%28197707%2964%3A6%3C607%3AAEICAI%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W&size=LARGE
Biggest problem, that I can see, with seedling citrus, is that they have to grow through that upright, thorny juvenile period before they lose their 'thorniness' and begin producing fruit.

How deep do you start the peach "pitts", ie. 1 inch, 4 inch, etc?

OK 1 started four pitts one was starting to germinate after soaking in water a couple of days they are in 4" pots and we will see what they do.