Regrow Veggies from Kitchen Scraps and Save Big! Here’s How

How to Regrow Vegetables from Scraps

Celery

Celery is a hardy vegetable that can be easily regrown from its base. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Cut the base: When using celery, leave about 2-3 inches of the base intact.
2. Prepare water: Place the base in a shallow bowl with enough water to cover the bottom. Ensure the cut side is facing upwards.
3. Sunlight: Position the bowl on a sunny windowsill where it can receive ample light.
4. Wait: Within a week, you’ll notice new leaves sprouting from the center and small roots forming at the base.
5. Transplant: Once the roots are about an inch long, transplant the celery base into a pot filled with potting mix, covering the roots but leaving the new growth exposed.
6. Ongoing care: Water the newly potted celery regularly and ensure it continues to get adequate sunlight.

Lettuce

Regrowing lettuce is a straightforward process, perfect for anyone looking to reduce waste and enjoy fresh greens:

1. Save the stump: After harvesting or using lettuce leaves, retain the bottom 2 inches of the stump.
2. Submerge the base: Place the stump in a shallow dish with about half an inch of water, ensuring it remains upright.
3. Provide light: Keep the dish in a sunny spot, such as a windowsill, to encourage growth.
4. Refresh water: Change the water every couple of days to prevent stagnation and encourage optimal growth.
5. Monitor growth: You’ll observe new leaves sprouting from the center within a few days.
6. Transplant: After 10-14 days, when the roots are well-established, transfer the stump to a pot with soil, ensuring the roots are buried and the new growth is above the soil line.
7. Maintain: Continue to water and provide sunlight as the lettuce grows.

Green Onions

Green onions are perhaps the easiest vegetable to regrow from scraps:

• Save the roots: Retain the white base with roots after using the green tops.
• Submerge in water: Place the root ends in a glass with enough water to cover the roots, leaving the top exposed.
• Light and location: Place the glass on a sunny windowsill.
• Observe: New green shoots will begin to grow from the tops within just a few days.
• Ongoing care: Change the water every couple of days. Once the greens reach around 4-5 inches, you can cut them for use, and they will continue to regrow.

Garlic

Re-growing garlic is both simple and rewarding:

1. Choose a clove: Select a large, firm clove from a bulb of garlic.
2. Plant: Place the clove in a small pot with soil, root side down, ensuring the pointed end is just below the soil surface.
3. Water: Keep the soil slightly moist but not waterlogged.
4. Sunlight: Place the pot in a sunny area, such as a windowsill that receives at least six hours of light daily.
5. Growth: In a few weeks, you’ll see green shoots emerging from the soil, which can be used much like green onions.
6. Full bulbs: For those wishing to grow entire garlic bulbs, allow the new shoots to grow while ensuring the plant receives ample sunlight and nutrients.