The simple joy of growing food from scraps
Severed celery ends, leftover basil stems, and stray garlic cloves can all be the start of an inexpensive vegetable and herb garden. (Photo source: Aiyana Fraas)
Almost every vegetable is fair game when it comes to rerooting a garden from scraps. (Photo source: Simple Bites)
That leftover vegetable or herb might look like garbage, but it actually has a lot left to give. Vegetables like carrots and celery will flourish from mere nubs, almost any herb can regrow from a stem cutting, and garlic can propagate completely new plants from a single clove. Regrowing from bits and pieces is an easy way to start a small vegetable or herb garden without spending any money.
The process is simple, and generally the same for most plants. Simply place the bulb, nub, or sprig into a few inches of water, move it to a sunny place like a kitchen windowsill, and—the only hard part—wait. If the water gets murky, you might need to refresh it. Other than that, there’s not much more to it.
And it’s kind of fun. No matter how many times I’ve regrown scraps, I continue to be amazed when I see they’ve started pushing out tiny roots. For that reason, I suggest using a clear glass container so you can see the progress. A shot glass is a great option for smaller plants like garlic and basil.
Once the roots have grown to an inch or so, plant them in soil. If you’re moving them outside, mix in some compost before planting your seedling. If you plan to relocate your seedling to a pot, use potting soil, which is lighter and fluffier than garden soil.
After planting, give your tender seedlings a good drink of water because the move can be hard on them.
Cuttings
Basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, dill, parsley, and most other herbs
Trim leaves from an herb cutting before planting it in a glass of water so they don’t rot. (Photo source: Aiyana Fraas)
Have you ever fallen in love with a potted basil and brought it home, only to watch it wither within a week?
That’s been my experience with grocery store basil plants. I’d probably still be buying them—and hoping for a better outcome—if I hadn’t just discovered I can keep it growing by cutting off a stem, and putting it in water. Now I have an endless supply of baby basil plants.
How-to regrow: Cut a sprig of the herb just below a leaf node. Carefully remove any leaves attached to the part of the stem that will be submerged in water. Place the cutting in a glass filled with water the way you would a flower. Leave it in a sunny spot. Roots should appear in a few days. You can choose to leave the cutting in its glass, or replant it in soil. (See earlier instructions on planting in a garden bed.)
Hold garlic up with toothpick.
Bulb Plants
Garlic
Garlic is an ingredient much beloved in my household, so I decided to give it a shot. Garlic takes time because it needs a period of cold (like hibernation) before it will produce an edible bulb. If you don’t want to wait you can always eat the garlic scapes, which is the green bit growing out the top. (For a quick pesto, saute them before blending.)
How to regrow: Stick three or four toothpicks into the sides of each garlic clove to keep them upright. Place them in a glass with the hard root side down. Fill with water to cover the roots and place your garlic on a sunny windowsill. When the garlic roots are about an inch long but no longer than three inches, plant it in soil, using the same requirements as for cuttings.
Replace the water if it gets murky. (Photo source: Aiyana Fraas)
Tops
Celery, carrots, bok choy, lemon grass, scallions
These scraps are among the most exciting to regrow because they show impressive results in a short time. Celery will shoot out little stalks in a matter of a days!
It’s important you keep an eye on these plants and don’t leave them in water for more than 10 days; the outer stalks can rot and affect the rest of the plant. Use toothpicks to hold them off the bottom of the glass, and give roots room to grow.
How to regrow: Cut the vegetable about one to two inches from the base. Place it with the leafy top facing up and fill your container so the water reaches about halfway. Leave in a sunny place for a few days until the new growth is one to two inches in height. Plant in soil, per earlier instructions.
Aiyana Fraas is a Stone Pier Press News Fellow, based in Monterey, CA.