Six Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps
About once a year I vow to start my own indoor herb garden “for real this time.” No matter how sure I am that this is the year, I don’t do it. For some reason the process of buying seeds, pots, soil, and learning what kind of light each plant needs is just more than I’ve been willing to take on. At least, until this year when everyone started learning to regrow green onions, and I learned that there are actually quite a few plants you can regrow from scraps.
This possibility opened my mind to how easy it can be to grow your own herbs and vegetables with a head start from existing scraps. Here’s how you can regrow six common vegetables using scraps.
Green onions and leeks
In case this somehow hasn’t popped up on your Pinterest feed, green onions are incredibly easy to regrow. Simply chop off and use most of the green part and place the ends in a small jar of water. Be sure to change the water daily and watch them grow to their original size in a matter of days.
If regrowing green onions is old news to you by now, you may not realize that this process works just as well on leeks.
You can continue to use the same scraps for this process indefinitely, so rejoice in never having to spend money on scallions or leeks again.
Onions and garlic
If you’re looking to branch out into the rest of the allium family, try regrowing your onions and garlic next. The green onion and leek method will work to regrow onion and garlic greens which provide an awesome aromatic base to your favorite dishes.
To grow full onion and garlic bulbs, allow them to sprout using the green onion and leek method. Once you have sprouted onions or garlic cloves, you can plant them in soil to grow your own bulbs.
Herbs
If you’re like me and have always wanted an indoor herb garden but have been overwhelmed by the idea of starting from seeds, you’re in luck. Retain a few inches of the stem next time you buy your favorite herbs and place it in water. Change the water daily until you start to see roots, this is a signal that it’s time to move your herbs to soil.
If you’re not sure where to start, basil, chives, mint, cilantro, parsley are among the best herbs for beginners according to Eating Well.
Celery
Another great option for beginners, you can begin the process of regrowing celery just like green onions by placing the base in a shallow jar of water. Within a few days you should see leaves beginning to sprout at the top. At this point, transfer the plant to soil and you’ll be able to grow full stalks of celery.
