In our culture of easy, disposable options, it seems crazy to save food scraps to re-grow them for future meals. But if you knew how easy it is to grow many things we throw away, you might be interested in spending a little time to save money.
There are many ways to take advantage of regrowing plants, but we've whittled our list down to twelve easy ways to get started.
1. Potatoes/Sweet Potatoes
Potatoes and their cousin, the sweet potato, are so easy to cultivate. When you have some potatoes that are getting older and have sprouted "eyes," plant them in some fertile soil, water them, and let them do their thing. You can enjoy the bounty those few potatoes bring at the end of the growing season.
2. Onions/Shallots
Onions and shallots are two more valuable vegetables you can grow from scraps. Using a small dish of water or just planting them straight into your garden are viable options for replanting onions and shallots to gain a whole new harvest.
3. Garlic
If you like any Asian or Italian cuisine, you'll know how vital garlic is for flavoring your dish. Learning how to grow your own can resupply you immediately and offer a summer delicacy as the bulb grows. The long, curvy garlic stalk is a scape and is costly if you purchase them from a farmer's market or grocery store. Why not get them fresh from your garden when they are perfect and ready for picking?
4. Ginger
Fresh ginger is a must for almost any Asian-inspired dish, and having some on hand is as easy as planting the ginger you have left over. If your ginger has started to grow buds, place the ginger in some potting soil with the buds facing up. After about a week, you should notice green sprouts and the root is ready to be planted in the ground.
5. Celery
I love this vegetable with a nice peanut butter filling or dipped in some flavorful ranch dressing. And when I'm out, I'm delighted because I can quickly grow more. A caution with celery: it needs lots and lots of water and sun. Set the bottom in water to reroot, and then when the leaves start to grow, plant it in a well-lit, well-watered garden. Eventually, you'll have a whole new head of celery.
6. Fennel
Like many other plants, you can place the bottom of the fennel bulb in water, ensuring the tops aren't submerged. Make sure you change the water every few days and watch for new leaves to sprout. Once they do, you can plant the bulb in soil for a fresh plant.
7. Carrots and Root Vegetables
Plant the leafy top portion directly into the soil if you want a new carrot or other root vegetable. But if the leaf is the only thing you're after, you can put the top in water to get a new set of leaves.
8. Lettuce
No matter your preference, whether it be romaine, endive, or iceberg, you can use the "root" portion of the head to regrow more lettuce by placing it in water. While it won't grow a new head, you'll get enough for a nice sandwich or small salad.
9. Cabbage
Cabbage grows as a head, much like broccoli and cauliflower. When you harvest it, you can quickly chop off the bottom of the head and place it in water to root. Once it gets a set of roots growing, you can transplant it into the ground to produce a new plant. It's the perfect way to recycle this spicy coleslaw staple.
10. Tomatoes
Too often, we deseed our tomatoes and toss out the seeds. But if you wash them off and let them dry, you can replant them and get new plants with plenty of tomatoes. They can take up a lot of space, so plant somewhere they'll have room to grow.
11. Avocado
The giant seeds that come from avocados will grow a new avocado tree. And while you don't need two trees to produce fruit, you do need other avocado trees within the same vicinity, as avocado trees do not self-pollinate. This tree is a time-intensive grow as the trees have to root, grow and mature before you ever see the result you're looking for, but it's worth the time investment.
12. Peaches and Apricots
Like many other fruits, peaches and apricots have pits; if you'd like to have a few pretty fruit trees in your yard that yield fruit you enjoy eating, clean the pits with fresh water, and once dry, plant them in rich, nutrient-dense soil. Then sit back and wait because it will take 3 to 4 years to bear fruit.
Choose What's Best
Not everyone has excellent soil or their own well to funnel gallons of water toward regrowing crops. If this is the case for you, choose one or two staples from this list and focus on those. Trying to regrow too many base foods can mean you can get any to regrow successfully. The main goal is to recycle some of your produce into new growth and enjoy the process as much as the reward.
Source: Morning Chores.
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