I have kept this plant alive for 2 years, the older plant has turned woody but I also plant new shoots, generally not seeds into the soil, you will need, potting compost, hormone powder, and some sand or any other inorganic matter that might suffice to stop mould build up.This plant is 35 times sweeter than sugar, it does have some planty after taste and to combat this you could distil it into vodka. Please research and check and get advice from a doctor before trying new foods.Cuttings are made from where a leaf has been growing, trim off excess leaves and plunge into damp compost, takes 2-3 weeks before roots develop to pot on in summer, if you have multiple plants in one pot pot on in no more than weeks to stop them getting tangled, once they are established they will grow to around 4 foot indoors and possibly 5-6 ft in an ideal conditions in a green house in England. Germination from seed is not easy, self kept seeds you are looking at 5% chance and shop bough no more than 50% chance so cuttings of your own is best, this is my own variety, I an trying to get rid of the plant taste, this could take a while, as in a life time:)