Growing tasty, healthy produce from clean kitchen scraps is easier than you think. Also, it can save money, cut down on food waste and teach our kids lessons about sustainability and how nature works for us. From celery, carrots, avocados and onions, scraps often have plenty of life left.
The above photos are from an avocado that I started growing from seed.
The students in my class LOVED this!
Below are several ways to regrow food from scraps!
Avocado -clean seed and suspend over water in a bowl using toothpicks (only cover about 1/2 of the seed). Keep in a warm place, but not in direct sunlight, a root will regrow in about four to six weeks. Cut it back to 2-3 inches if it gets too long, and plant in soil once leaves begin to grow, leaving 1/2 above the soil when planted. *Avocado trees grow very slowly, but are worth the wait!
Basil– Place 4 inch stem in glass of water with sunlight and they begin to grow in a few days. Can then be replanted in soil.
Celery – Put the base in warm water and sunlight, once leaves begin to grow you can move to soil.
Garlic– Simply plant one clove of garlic in soil with the root facing down. Continue the process by always removing 1 clove and replanting from each new plant.
Green Onions -Put the white ends in water and sunlight, and they regrow fast! Change the water every few days. I have had mine grow to full length again in less than 2 weeks!
Lemons – Dry out seeds and plant in sunny area.
Lettuce – Put leftover leaves in water (just the bottoms, mist the tops every few days) and sunlight, they will begin to grow roots in a few days to a week, then transplant into soil.
Mushrooms– Remove the head and plant the base in soil, it will regrow the head. (Grows better in a pot, needs humid temperatures).
Onion– Cut off the bottom inch with roots and plant in soil with roots facing down.
Peaches – Dry out seeds and plant in a sunny area.
Pineapple – Suspend top over water in a bowl with just the base touching the water, using toothpicks. In direct sunlight they will begin to regrow roots in a week or so, and can then be planted in a pot.
Potatoes – Plant potato peels (with eyes, facing up) in soil, plants will begin to sprout within a month!
Pumpkins – Dry and plant your seeds in soil. OR you can even just toss the old rotten pumpkins in your garden and they will regrow next year!
Sweet Potatoes – Suspend half of sweet potato over water in a bowl or jar using toothpicks. When the roots are an inch in length, plant in soil once they grow to an inch in length themselves.
