10 VEGETABLES YOU CAN REGROW FROM SCRAPS

You need vegetables you can regrow. I made a big salad for dinner the other day which included romaine, carrots, green onions, mushrooms, broccoli and chicken breast.  The salad was delish. I had a lot of scraps (cut off ends and wilted pieces) from the veggies that I was going to put in my compost..  However, I realized that it would be easy to regrow vegetables from scraps. I could reuse vegetable bought at the grocery store or grown in my garden, plus I could regrow tasty vegetables every year even after harvest.  Here is the easy vegetable hack that I wanted to share with you! If you need vegetables you can regrow.

 

1. Green Onions

Green onions are definitely the easiest and most popular vegetable to regrow. All you have to do is cut about an inch from the roots, and stick them in a good mix of soil and compost.  If you feel there are not enough roots, peel off the outer layer of skin and put them in a glass of water for a few days. Make sure to change the water every day and use a filtered water, not tap water that has chemicals in it.  In fact, that goes for all of these veggies.

2. Celery

Once you cut off the celery, leave about an inch or two from the root base, then place the roots in a bowl of water and leave it where it can get adequate sunlight. Nnew leaves should begin to sprout from the middle, allow for it to gain thickness for about a week before transferring it into a pot of soil mixed with compost.  Click here to try out my grow bags at kaymartco.com.

3. Romaine Lettuce, Bok Choy, Cabbage

Three great salad greens!  These veggies are as easy to regrow as celery! Remove any wilted leaves or browned areas then leave the stump of the lettuce or cabbage in a bowl and fill the water halfway.Oonce the leaves have regrown for a few days, transfer your the stumps into soil.

4. Carrots

Carrot tops are good in soups and saute’d, not to mention, your rabbits will love you if you keep bunnies.  Cut the top inch off the carrot and snip the greens short, then place the carrot in a bowl or plate of water, and place them where they can receive adequate sunlight.

5. Leeks

Leeks are delicious in soups and can be regrown the same way as green onions. Leave about two inches of leek from the bottom, and place them in a bowl of water.  They will take more time than your green onions because of their size.

7. Basil, Mint, and Cilantro

A lot of your favorite herbs can easily be regrown. Cut about 2-3 inches of the stem. Place the stems upright in a glass of water. When the new roots begin to sprout, transfer the herbs into a pot of soil mixed with compost.

8. Pineapple

And fruit can be regrown too!  Okay, not a vegetable, but imagine regrowing a pineapple in your home. How amazing and exciting would that be? And not to mention it’s also easier than you think. It just takes a bit of patience, as pineapple can take up to two years to bear their first fruit.

The trick is to grab a hold of the pineapple crown by the leaves and twist and pull it off so the stalk is still attached. Remove some of the lower leaves to expose the stalk. Make sure there is no fruit flesh as that will rot the stalk.

Place the pineapple crown in a glass of water and allow new roots to sprout–this usually takes about three weeks. Then transfer to a pot or into the garden if you live where it stays warm year round.  This plant likes sandy soil mixed with a little compost. The plant should begin to resist gentle tugs at about two months. At this point, it means that your replanting worked, now you need lots of sunshine. 

9. Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are super easy, but you will need some serious real estate–it’s probably not suitable for an apartment. Stick toothpicks around a sweet potato to prop it up in at the rim of a glass, only half-emerging it in water. When the roots reach about three to four inches, plant it in soil.  Sweet potato leaves make a good stir fry vegetable. 

10. Potatoes

Just leave your potatoes in a dark corner, forget about it, and it will sprout. For a quicker and healthier way to do it, cut a potato in half and where you see the dented “eyes” on the skin, plant the potatoes in soil with the “eyes” facing up. The plant will begin to sprout in a couple weeks.

Regrowing vegetables that you’ve half-consumed can be really fun and save you money. Have you tried regrowing your own vegetable scraps? Share with us your experiences!

@Suzanne Goodfellow 2020