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The ice cream bean tree (Inga edulis) grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. The tree has white pulp inside the bean pods, which tastes sweet and is often likened to the flavor of vanilla ice cream. The tasty pulp surrounds the seeds -- which have a 95- to 100-percent germination rate -- making it easy to grow ice cream bean trees from seed. Seeds only remain viable for about two weeks. Start with a nursery grown tree if you can't harvest and sow seeds quickly.

1 Fill a 6-inch plastic pot with a well-draining potting mix. Use a bagged mix or blend your own potting mix, using equal parts sphagnum peat, organic compost and perlite. Water the potting mix so the soil is evenly moist before sowing the seeds.

2 Split open the bean pods and remove the white pulp. Remove the seeds and rinse well to remove the white pulp.

3 Sow seeds about 3/4 inches deep in the center of the container. Because of the high germination rate, there is no need to plant more than one seed in each container. Pack the soil gently to ensure contact between the seed and soil.

4 Place the container in full sun with temperatures of about 70 degrees F for best germination.

5 Water the plant regularly to keep the soil evenly moist, but not soaking wet. Push your finger into the soil about 1 inch deep and water if the top 1 inch of soil is dry. The ice cream bean tree is drought tolerant once established outdoors, but requires regular watering for the first several months to establish strong roots.

6 Transplant the tree outdoors in full sun after two to three months or when the tree outgrows its original pot. Plant in a hole twice as wide and as deep as the container. The ice cream bean tree can adapt to many soil types, including acid soil, but does well in well-drained soil.

7 Keep an area at least 3 feet from the trunk free of weeds. Apply a 3-inch layer of mulch in a circle around the tree, but keep the mulch about 6 inches away from the trunk.

8 Apply a water-soluble fertilizer about once a month, if desired. Trees grow rapidly without fertilizer, but you can add fertilizer to further boost growth. Nitrogen application is not necessary, but trees with dropping leaves especially benefit from potassium fertilizer.

9 Prune the tree as desired to shape the plant and control its size. Ice cream bean trees can withstand heavy pruning, which is best done in late winter or early spring. Always remove dead and diseased branches as they occur. Remove rubbing and crossing branches to maintain an open canopy with even sunlight penetration and air circulation.

10 Harvest the bean pods in summer when fully ripe and plump. Any pods left on the ground should be picked up and used or discarded to prevent the seeds from germinating. Ice cream bean tree can become invasive because the seeds germinate easily and self sow when pods fall to the ground.

Things Needed 6-inch pot

Sphagnum peat

Compost

Perlite

Digging tools

Mulch

Potassium fertilizer

Pruning tools

Tips Ice cream bean tree is considered a nitrogen fixer, so you can plant the tree in soil with high nitrogen to help balance the soil.