While most people are used to traditional planting overall and know that seeds grow veggies and things of that sort but some of them can be grown in pretty unique ways. For instance, if you cook a lot you may end up throwing away a lot of scraps which perhaps you should be repurposing if you want to grow some veggies of your own.
You can grow tons of different veggies and greens overall from kitchen scraps. Things like celery, potatoes, carrots, and so much more are actually relatively simple to bring back to life once you’ve cut them up. While some of these require different things overall they’re quite similar for the most part in how you treat them.
Below I am going to break down some of the more popular vegetables that can be regrown and how to do exactly that. I know, some people will not be into this and will consider it a waste of time but honestly, nothing is more satisfying than growing your own food and being able to see it from start to finish. Personally, it really keeps me going in a lot of ways.
13 Plants You Can ‘Regrow’ From Scraps In Your Kitchen:
1. Potatoes
Parts of potatoes that are growing sprouts are able to be planted, did you know that? While most people just cut these small eyes or sprouts off of the few potatoes they find with them and toss them in the trash, you could keep them and put them in soil. Just cut the section off with the eye and plant it the next morning as if you would a seed. This all having been said, you can plant the whole potato itself as well.
2. Onions
When it comes to regrowing onions just cut your onion so that the root end is still able to have about half an inch of onion present on it. Suspend them on water root side down and wait for them to grow. They should as time passes begin to sprout so long as you take care of them. Once they sprout decently plant them just covering the root and leftover onion itself.
3. Radish
Now, when it comes to regrowing radishes, things are pretty simple overall. Cut the top of the radish off with the greens still attached and then snip off the longer bits of greens still leaving some present. Plant this in moist fertile soil and from there you should see plants grow.
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes can be done the same way you would regular potatoes but there is another method lots of people seem to prefer when it comes to this kind of potato. Cut the sweet potato in half and use toothpicks to hold it up place it in some water but just above not completely submerged. From here you should see roots in a few days and as time passes sprouts will come forth. Once they do and are established, you can plant them in soil.
5. Carrots
Regrowing carrots is pretty quick and doesn’t take much effort. Cut the carrot in the same way you would the radish as noted above but do leave a bit more present on the top itself. Place this in water with the water just covering the bottom edge of the carrot not drenching it. give it sunlight and allow it to do its thing. From here once you notice established growth you can plant the carrot in soil.
6. Beets
You grow beets in the exact same way you would carrots. While they are a different plant/veggie overall they have a lot in common with the carrot when it comes to this kind of thing. A little water and some patience goes a long way with these two.
7. Lettuce
After you’ve eaten your lettuce and you’re left with the stem itself, put that stem in a shallow dish of water or a cup that’s not quite full. Roughly a half of an inch will do wonders. Be sure to change the water every couple of days and give your plant time, it will grow.
8. Garlic
When using garlic overall sometimes we have a few cloves leftover and in those cases, you could plant them. Place the clove in some soil and keep it in a warm place full of sunlight, as time passes you may end up with a plant. While sometimes this is a bit more complex than it might sound, if you have some sprouting garlic, you’re already set for something great.
9. Celery
Now, regrowing celery is quite interesting and ends up looking quite unique. In order to do this, you’ll need to save the root and using a shallow container of water and toothpicks suspend the root part just allowing it to get a bit submerged with most of the section still outside of the water. Wait for this to grow and once you have a decent-sized plant coming out of the top area, put it in soil and proceed as you would normally.
10. Scallions/Spring Onions
Now, this one you do basically the same exact way you would garlic. It is that simple. Cut the top of the plant off which is what you would eat and leave the root and base to do with what you need for growing more.
11. Basil
You can regrow a lot of different things from scraps but basil is one of the easiest, I feel. Take a stem from your basil and put it in a glass of water, make sure the leaves are outside of the water, and allow them to do their thing until you see roots coming forth. When you see roots get some soil ready and plant these bad boys. I know, it might sound a bit odd but it works quite well.
12. Mint
Basically any herb, for the most part, can be regrown in the manner that we broke down above for basil. Mint is one of those herbs and is one that I find is quite easy to root out in that sense. A lot of people overlook mint but I find that it’s a great herb to have around.
13. Leeks
With leeks place your root end in a glass of water though not entirely full. Allow it to have a good bit of sunlight and give it time to grow. Sure, it might take a little while but you’ll end up seeing more leaves come forth as time passes. That having been said, you can also plant these in soil and go from there.