Foods You Can Regrow From Kitchen Scraps
Many people don’t realize the potential that kitchen scraps hold beyond their initial use. Certain leftovers from your kitchen can actually be turned into a new source of food, effectively helping you reduce waste and potentially even saving money on groceries. This method of regrowing food from scraps is not only sustainable but also a fun, educational activity that can involve the entire family. All it takes is a few simple tools, some water or soil, and a bit of patience to see your kitchen scraps transform into fresh, ready-to-eat plants.
Regrowing food from scraps involves various methods, depending on the type of food. Some scraps can regenerate in water alone, while others may need soil to facilitate growth. This guide will explore 13 different types of food scraps that you can easily regrow at home. Each section will provide detailed instructions on how to nurture these scraps back to life, so you can enjoy fresh herbs, vegetables, and even fruits with minimal effort and expense.
Potatoes
Potatoes are one of the easiest foods to regrow from scraps. To start, you need potato peelings that have eyes on them. Each piece should have at least two or three eyes. Plant the peelings in a sunny spot in your garden in soil that is loose and well-drained. Cover them with just enough soil to hide the peeling but not so much that they can’t breathe.
After you’ve planted the peelings, water them regularly to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. In a few weeks, you should see sprouts emerging from the soil. As the plants grow, continue to add more soil to cover the roots and lower stems to encourage more robust growth.
Once the potato plants flower and then die back, it’s time to dig up your new potatoes. This usually takes about three to four months from planting. Be gentle when digging, and you’ll find a bunch of new potatoes growing from the original scraps.
Green Onions
Green onions can be regrown from just the leftover root ends. Take the last inch of the stalk, which includes the roots, and place it in a glass of water. Make sure that the roots are facing down and the cut end is above the surface of the water.
Change the water every few days to keep it fresh. Place the glass on a sunny windowsill and within a few days, you should see new green shoots starting to grow from the top. The roots will also grow longer and more robust in the water.
After a week or so, the green onions can be harvested as needed. Just cut what you need above the root end, and leave the roots in the water to continue growing. You can do this multiple times, or you may choose to transplant the roots into soil to continue growing indefinitely.
Lettuce
Regrowing lettuce from scraps is a great way to get more life out of your salad greens. Start with the base of a lettuce head—typically about an inch from the bottom. Place this stub in a shallow dish with a little water, roughly half an inch deep.
Keep the dish on a windowsill where it will receive plenty of sunlight. Refresh the water in the dish every one to two days to keep it clean and ensure that the lettuce doesn’t dry out or rot. Within a week, you should see new leaves starting to sprout from the center of the base.
As the lettuce continues to grow, keep an eye on the roots. If they begin to crowd the dish, it might be time to transplant the lettuce into soil. This will give it more space to grow and access to nutrients needed for larger leaves. Keep the soil moist and continue to provide plenty of light.
Celery
Celery is another vegetable that’s surprisingly simple to regrow from scraps. Cut off the base of the celery and place it in a shallow bowl of warm water, exposing the base to sunlight. The bowl should be placed in a sunny area to encourage growth.
After a few days in the water, you will notice new leaves beginning to grow from the center of the base. These leaves will be yellow at first but will turn dark green as they grow. Change the water every couple of days to prevent any slimy buildup.
Once the new celery stalks are several inches tall, you can transplant them into a pot with soil. Bury the base so that only the new leaves are exposed. Water the celery regularly, and it will continue to grow. You can harvest the stalks as needed once they are fully mature.
Garlic
Garlic is incredibly easy to regrow from just a single clove. Plant a spare clove with the pointy end facing up in a pot of soil. The pot should be placed in an area that receives plenty of sunlight. Water it lightly but consistently to keep the soil slightly moist.
In a few weeks, you should see new shoots emerging from the soil. These shoots indicate that the garlic clove is successfully developing roots and starting to form a new bulb. As the plant grows, you can trim the shoots to use in cooking, which will encourage the garlic to put more energy into growing the bulb.
After a few months, when the shoots naturally begin to die back, you can harvest your garlic. Carefully dig around the base to loosen the soil and lift out the new garlic bulb. If given enough time and good conditions, each clove can produce a full bulb that consists of multiple cloves.
Basil
Basil can be propagated easily from cuttings. Take a stem that’s about four inches long and has several leaves. Strip off the lower leaves and place the stem in a glass of water, making sure not to submerge the remaining leaves.
Place the glass in a spot that receives indirect sunlight. Change the water every few days to keep it clean. Roots should begin to appear within a week. Once the roots are about an inch long, the basil is ready to be transplanted into soil.
Plant the rooted stem in potting soil and water it regularly. Keep the basil in a sunny spot and prune the top leaves as needed to encourage bushier growth. With regular care, your basil will thrive and continue to provide fresh herbs for your kitchen.
Mint
Mint is one of the most vigorous herbs and can also be regrown from just a few cuttings. Like basil, take a healthy stem about four to five inches long and remove the lower leaves. Place the stem in a glass of water, ensuring no leaves are below the water line to avoid rotting.
Change the water every two or three days and keep the glass in a place with indirect sunlight. Mint roots grow quickly and are quite hardy. After about two weeks, you should see a robust root system.
Once the roots are well-developed, plant the mint in a pot with potting soil. Mint can be invasive, so keeping it in a pot can help manage its growth. Water it regularly, and soon you’ll have a lush mint plant that can be harvested as needed.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes can be regrown from a section of the tuber itself. Cut a sweet potato in half and suspend it using toothpicks over a container of water. The cut side should be facing down into the water.
Place the setup in a warm, well-lit area, but not in direct sunlight. Change the water every few days to keep it clean. Roots should start to form in the water, and shoots will grow from the top of the sweet potato.
Once the shoots are about four to six inches long, twist them off and place them in water. When these shoots develop their own roots, plant them in soil. Sweet potatoes prefer warm climates and sandy soil. With proper care, they will grow into full plants and produce new sweet potatoes.
Onions
Onions can be regrown from the bottom end of the bulb that includes the roots. Cut off the bottom 0.5 inches of an onion, ensuring it still has roots attached. Place this in a shallow dish of water, root side down.
Keep the dish in a sunny location and change the water every few days to ensure cleanliness. New shoots should begin to appear within a few days. As the shoots grow, they can be clipped and used in cooking.
When the roots are robust and the shoots are growing well, you can transplant the onion into soil. Bury the onion just enough so that the shoots are above the soil. Water regularly, and the onion will continue to grow. Eventually, it will develop into a full-sized onion ready for harvest.
Ginger
Ginger can be regrown from a piece of the fresh root. Choose a piece of ginger rhizome that has some well-developed ‘eyes’ or buds. Plant the ginger in potting soil with the eyes facing up. Ginger prefers less direct sunlight, so a spot that receives partial shade is ideal.
Water the planted ginger lightly but consistently to keep the soil moist. Ginger grows slowly, so patience is key. After a few weeks, new shoots should emerge from the soil. As the plant grows, it will develop more of the spicy rhizome below the surface.
After several months, you can begin to harvest small pieces of ginger from the outer edges of the plant. Carefully dig around the plant to remove what you need and cover the remainder back with soil. The ginger will continue to grow and can be harvested as needed.
Pineapple
Regrowing a pineapple from scraps involves the crown of the fruit. Remove the leafy top part of a pineapple, and peel back a few of the lower leaves to expose the stem. This will help to encourage roots to form.
Place the pineapple top in a container of water, ensuring that the base is submerged, and the leaves are not touching the water. Change the water every few days to keep it fresh. Place the container in a sunny, warm area to encourage rooting.
After a few weeks, roots should begin to form. Once a good root system has
developed, plant the pineapple top in soil in a large pot. Pineapples need a warm climate and plenty of sun, so consider keeping it in a sunny indoor spot if you live in a cooler area. It can take several years for a pineapple plant to mature and produce fruit, but the unique plant is an interesting addition to any garden.
Carrots
Carrot tops can’t regrow into new carrots, but they can produce some lovely greenery and even small flowers. Cut the top inch of a carrot off, and place it in a dish with water. Make sure only the very bottom of the cut piece is submerged.
Place the dish on a windowsill that receives plenty of sunlight. Change the water every few days to keep it clean. Soon, green shoots should begin to emerge from the top of the carrot. These can be used as a garnish or simply as a decorative plant.
After a week or so, transplant the carrot tops into soil. They will continue to grow and produce greens. While you won’t get new carrots, the greens are edible and can be used in salads or as a garnish for dishes.
Beets
Beets can be regrown from the tops of the beetroot. Cut off the top portion of the beet, leaving about two inches of the root attached. Place this in a shallow dish of water, making sure the water only covers the bottom of the beet top.
Like with carrots, place the dish in a sunny spot and change the water regularly. New shoots should start to grow from the top of the cut beet. These shoots can be harvested and used in cooking, similar to beet greens.
If you desire, you can transplant the beet top into soil after a significant amount of roots and shoots have developed. Continue to water regularly, and the beet will produce more edible greens. This method won’t regrow a full beetroot, but it will provide you with fresh beet greens to enjoy.
