How to Regrow Your Produce Scraps
Whether you are trying to avoid waste, or you are wanting to sustain your family with nutrient-rich vegetables, regrowing your produce scraps simply makes sense. Even better, most regrowth processes are easy to do and bring about a fairly quick return.
Here are some great foods you can regenerate after you've finished using them:
Green Onions
Green onions are probably the easiest food scraps to regrow. Simply use the green
stem in your favorite recipes, saving the bulb and roots.
-Put the bulb in a glass/jar of water, roots down.
-Change water every 2 days
- You should have a fully grown onion in 1-2 weeks. No need to transfer to soil.
Note- This also works with leeks and scallions.
Celery
To restart celery, you simply need about 2-3 inches of the celery stalk base.
-Put the stalk in a shallow bowl of water. The water should cover 2/3 of the base, leaving about 1/2-1 inch of the cut portion in open air.
-Place your celery in a sunny area.
-Change the water every other day.
-Watch regrowth occur in the center of the stalk. After 5-7 days, transfer the stalk to soil. Cover the stalk, but leave the tips of the new growth exposed.
-Water generously and watch grow.
Note- You can grow celery in a planter indoors, as long as there is good drainage, room for growth, and adequate sunlight.
Carrots
To regrow your carrots you'll need to save about an inch of your carrots' base.
- Place your carrot(s) in a shallow bowl, stalk side up (cut side down) with water covering to the edge of the stalk.
-Place dish in the sun
-Change water every day.
-After 1-2 weeks of growth either (1) Use the new growth as carrot medallions in salads or (2) plant tops in soil with stalk/leaves outside of soil to regrow fully. Water regularly.
Romain Lettuce
Romain lettuce is easy to regrow. Simply save about 3 inches of the heart of your lettuce.
-Put the base in a bowl with about 1/2-1 inch of water with the cut part exposed to the air.
-Keep the bowl in a sunny area.
-Change the water every day.
-When the base sprouts, transfer it to to your garden or planter box, leaving the new sprouts exposed, but covering the original base.
-Water and let grow until the romain leaves are 6-8 inches tall.
-Harvest the leaves by (1) pulling the whole plant up to use or (2) cutting the leaves with a sharp knife to let the plant keep growing.
Potatoes
Potatoes sprout in the pantry. It just makes sense that they would be easy to regenerate. To regrow potatoes you simply need a piece of the potato with at least 2 eyes.
-Leave potato piece in open air to dry out overnight.
-Replant the potatoes about 8 inches apart in soil.
- Harvest after 70-120 days.
Note- Some store-bought potatoes are treated to prevent sprouting. Make sure your potatoes can sprout. Also, if it is rotting or diseased, discard.
Onions
To regrow onions you simply need a small spot of earth and an onion.
-Cut the onion end off, leaving about 1/2 inch of onion/root.
-Place the onion root down in a shallow hole. (Use rich soil for best results.)
-Water well, especially in the early stages of growth.
-Harvest when leaves have started to yellow and are drooping.
Cabbage
Cabbage can be regrown similarly to romain lettuce. You need a couple inches of the base and some leftover leaves from your cabbage.
-Place cabbage base in a bowl of water, covering about half way.
-Place in full sun.
-Replace water every 2-3 days.
-When new roots and leaves appear, transplant to nutrient-rich soil. Leave new growth exposed as you plant.
- To harvest either pull the full plant out or cut leaves and leave the base in the soil.
Have you tried to regrow produce? What has worked for you?