8 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps

Growing food at home has never seemed like a better idea.

The problem: Seed companies have seen an overwhelming surge in demand and delivery has been delayed or halted altogether. This means you might not get your seeds until the growing season has passed. 

The solution: Regrow your food scraps.

If you’re in a hurry to get a garden going before spring flies by, regrowing scraps is a great way to do it quickly and cheaply. The good news is that nurseries and garden centers have been designated as essential businesses in most places, so you should have access to the necessary supplies.

Here are 8 vegetables you can regrow from scraps:

1. Carrots

Place a carrot top or tops in a bowl, cut side down. Fill the bowl with about an inch of water so the top is halfway covered. Place the dish in a sunny windowsill and change the water every day. The tops will eventually sprout shoots. When they do, plant the tops in soil, careful not to cover the shoots.

2. Lettuce

When you chop up hearts of romaine, set aside a few inches from the bottom of the heart. Place in a bowl with about an inch of water. Keep the bowl in a sunny area and change the water every day. In a few days, you’ll start to notice sprouts. Plant the sprouted hearts directly in the garden.

3. Celery

Rinse off the base of a bunch of celery and place it in a small bowl. Fill the container with warm water, cut stalks facing upright. Place the bowl in a sunny area. Leave the base as-is for about one week and change the water every other day. Use a spray bottle to gently mist the plant every other day. The tiny yellow leaves around the center of the base will grow thicker and turn dark green. After five to seven days, move the celery base to a planter or garden and cover it with soil, leaving the leaf tips uncovered. 

4. Scallions

Instead of tossing the green part, use them to grow more scallions. Place the greens in a cup filled with water. Put the cup or jar on a windowsill and change the water every other day. In about a week, you should have a new scallion to add to your supper. 

5. Onions

This is as simple as it gets. Just place an onion bottom in the ground and it will regenerate its roots. Once roots appear, remove the old onion bottom and allow the roots to grow. Harvest when onions are fully grown.

6. Peppers

Harvest the seeds from your favorite spicy peppers and plant them in soil in a sunny area. Peppers tend to grow fast, so get your pickling materials ready. Once you have a new crop, save the seeds so you can repeat the process.

7. Tomatoes

Instead of composting the messy insides of tomatoes, save the seeds and plant them. Rinse the seeds off and allow them to dry thoroughly. Next, plant them in rich potting soil in an indoor planter. Once the sprouts are a few inches tall, transplant them outdoors. Be sure to plant the tomatoes in a sunny area and water a few times a week.

8. Potatoes

The next time you open up the pantry you discover your potatoes have started sprouting alien-like appendages, it’s time to make like Matt Damon on Mars and grow a hearty potato crop at home. See the full directions here.

With care, patience, and H-G Plant Food you can turn your otherwise discarded scraps into a modern-day victory garden!

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