Let Goodness Take Root!

Why Regrow Veggies from Kitchen Scraps?

Aside from not wanting to waste food, there are many reasons to regrow your onions and peppers. Some are pragmatic, whereas others are just plain fun and look lovely on your window sill!

What Part of the Plant to Regrow

Not every piece of produce regrows from the same part of the plant. From vegetables to fruits, there are a number of plant parts capable of regenerating growth that results in more of the same plant. As such, if celery is your thing, you can’t live without potatoes, or you consider the avocado its own food group, you’re in luck. And if you don’t see your favorite fruit or veggie listed, no worries — a quick Internet search will let you know whether it’s recommended for kumquats, carrots, or cucumbers.

Step by Step

Although there may be some exceptions to the rule, or fine print when it comes to re-growing produce, the basics are often the same. Plants grow a particular way, every time — it’s one of the cool things about Mother Nature.

Bottoms/Base: Using celery as an example; cut the base of the bunch (not an individual stalk) and put it in a bowl with water covering the bottom. Place in a bright window, add water as needed, and soon you’ll see new celery stalks emerging at the top.

Tops: Many veggies that have leafy green tops (carrots, turnips, and the like) can be regrown for the leafy parts. Keep the tops, put them in a bowl with water covering the base of the top, add water as needed, and watch the greens grow. Note: this will not grow new carrots or turnips — rather, it will grow carrot greens and turnip greens to snip and eat.

Roots: Produce such as onions that have an obvious “root” end are easily regrown. Cut off the root end with a sharp knife, 1.5” – 2” above the root. Let it sit for a day or two to callous over, then nestle it root side down into soil. Cover with about 2” of soil and water.

Pit/Seed: This is a wider category of produce, so it is recommended doing further research for specific foods that grow from their seeds or pits (tomatoes, peppers, avocado, peach, etc.). For example, take the pumpkin. Extract the pumpkin seeds from your pumpkin, rinse them off, and let them dry on a paper towel. Extract up to three times the amount of seeds you think you might need, as not all will germinate or “sprout.” Plant directly in the soil at the time recommended for your area.

Stem: If you’ve ever rooted a pothos ivy clipping in water, you’ll immediately understand this process. Basil is another one of those plants: Snip a length of the stem (it can have leaves still attached) and pop the stem into a jar of water. Remove any leaves that would be submerged in the water; you only want the stem there. Soon enough, you’ll see roots growing, at which time you can remove the stem from the water and plant in a small pot.

Peel: To be more precise, if you want to grow a potato, you will cut a cube of the potato with the peel on it. Make sure the cube has an “eye” on it — this is the part of the potato that sprouts if you let it sit for too long on your counter top. Let the cubes sit for a day or two, then plant them outside and water as normal.

Here are 5 of the easiest to start with!

SWEET POTATOES
If left uneaten long enough, these tubers will often start to sprout leaves. To get a head start, wash the potatoes and cut them in large sections. Place each section in a container and fill with water until the bottom half of the piece is submerged. Use toothpicks to hold the potato sections in place. Place the container where it will get several hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day or under grow lights. Add more water as needed. The potato pieces will be covered with leafy sprouts on top and roots on the bottom in a few weeks. To grow the potatoes in the ground, separate each sprout by carefully twisting it off the sweet potato. Place each sprout in a shallow bowl with the bottom half of the stem submerged in water and the leaves hanging out over the rim of the bowl. Within a few days roots will emerge from the bottom of each new plant. When the roots are about an inch long the new slips are ready to plant in the garden.

LETTUCE
This regrow method works with romaine or any type of leafy green that comes in a head or bunch. Slice off leaves from the stem, leaving about 2 inches of the base intact. Place the stem base in a container, cut side up. Fill the container with water about halfway up the stem. Place the container where it will get several hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day or under grow lights. Change the water every 1 to 2 days, making sure the lettuce base is always submerged and the water doesn’t dry up. Within a day or two, you should see little green leaf shoots beginning to grow, with leaves ready to harvest within about 12 days. You can continue to grow the lettuce in the container or transfer to a pot or garden

GREEN ONIONS
After using the green tops, keep the white part and any intact roots. Place root end down in a container. Fill with enough water to cover the roots, leaving the top edges above water. Place the container where it will get several hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day, or under grow lights. Keep the roots submerged and change water at least once a week. After a few days, green shoots will emerge from the tops of the bulbs. Harvest directly from the container with a pair of kitchen shears or plant in the ground.

CELERY
Cut about 1 to 2 inches off the bottom of a bunch of celery. Store stalks in refrigerator until ready to use. Place remaining base in a shallow container (such as the common ones above) and add enough water to submerge about 1 inch of the base. Place the container where it will get several hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day or under grow lights. Change the water every 1 to 2 days, making sure the celery root end is always submerged and the water doesn’t dry up. The celery should start to sprout after a few days, with small leaves emerging from the very center of the top. After about a week you will see tiny roots around the base. When the roots are about an inch long, plant the celery in potting soil or your garden.

BASIL
Fresh herbs such as basil, mint and oregano are easily grown from cuttings. Simply snip a stem about 4 to 6 inches long from a mature plant, remove any leaves from the stem and place the cutting in a container. Fill with enough water to cover halfway up the stem. Place the container where it will get several hours of bright, indirect sunlight a day or under grow lights. Change the water every few days. Roots will grow usually within a week. You can continue to grow the herb in the container or transfer to a pot or garden.

*Information adapted from Fix.com and Edible Florida