Growing new food from old scraps

[ChanellG]

In another thread I mentioned recently that I'd just come across some information on recycling food scraps into new plants. I happened to salvage the bottoms of a couple scallions and a celery this past Sunday and already the scallion is shooting up new chives. In just four days they've grown two inches.

I now have some rosemary and sage cuttings sitting in water as well hoping they'll root. I already have a good sized shoot from a piece of ginger and now there's another tiny bit of green poking up from the soil. I've had my garlic in the refrigerator for a few weeks and now it's time to take it out and start planting. I want to go out and get a pineapple now just so I can start a new plant!

15 foods you can grow from scraps

 

[claudine]

This is a lovely idea, I must try to re-grow some scarps . It's so economical and it's nice to think that plants in some ways are everlasting: you can eat them and still have them . Nothing is wasted.

 

[maddie]

Hmm.. I have these shoots coming up but the wither away as fast as they came up..
@ Chanel could you share the link to that article.. maybe I will understand where I go wrong..
I had celery growing nicely but it rained non stop and those shoots slowly wilted away... so did my garlic... Grr... there wasn't much I could do.

 

[claudine]

Hmm.. I have these shoots coming up but the wither away as fast as they came up..
@ Chanel could you share the link to that article.. maybe I will understand where I go wrong..
I had celery growing nicely but it rained non stop and those shoots slowly wilted away... so did my garlic... Grr... there wasn't much I could do.

ChanellG shared the link, look at the bottom of her post, under the pictures. It took me a while to notice it too . It's a very interesting article, very inspiring I want to grow these little carrot leaves even if they're not really edible They look so pretty

 

[ChanellG]

Hmm.. I have these shoots coming up but the wither away as fast as they came up..
@ Chanel could you share the link to that article.. maybe I will understand where I go wrong..
I had celery growing nicely but it rained non stop and those shoots slowly wilted away... so did my garlic... Grr... there wasn't much I could do.

It's right underneath the photo above where it says 15 foods you can regrow from scraps, but I am going to try and hyperlink it again here before I post this response, so hopefully it will work.

There are a lot of articles though, and there is even a book that claims over 60 foods you can regrow this way. Here's one specifically on growing onions, another for sweet potatoes, and here's another general article. Some of them have the same info, some are more informative, like this one that has an interesting technique for mushrooms.

one more link:
http://gregsgardens.blogspot.com/2012/07/free-food-from-kitchen-scraps.html

 

[maddie]

OOps sorry.. I didn't notice that... Thanks Claudine and Chanell for pointing that out.. I will check this out later.

 

[ChanellG]

No problem Maddie! Hopefully you'll be able to figure out what is happening with your shoots.

Claudine I think I read somewhere that if you plant the whole carrot it may send up seeds. Leave one in the fridge until the roots start coming out again and then put it in dirt and see what happens.

I check my little scraps daily, lol. I am anxiously awaiting the first leaves on my celery. I have even made a list of foods I want to get just so I can use them to regrow other food.

 

[Jed]

I had never tried some of those other vegies except the spring onion/scallion which we have been doing for some years. I'll give the celery a go. We often shove a bunch in a jar to keep the stalks fresh but I'll keep the bottom from now on to watch it resprout.

 

[maddie]

Celery is one plant that grows easily from scraps. I have had a nice bunch of celery in my container for sometime. The link doesn't say much... and the bunch of other links too don't say much.. maybe the light was a little too strong is what I can guess from this...
I only hope that my future experiments go well.

 

[ChanellG]

@Maddie, you never said what kind of sprouts you were trying to grow. Were they in the ground or in a pot?

@Zigs, I am itching to try that same technique with cabbage and romaine lettuce.

 

[thenextGeek]

Thanks for this, I'm actually looking for plants that I would start planting for my rooftop garden and its a good idea to start planting something that comes from scraps since I can save money on buying seeds which I'm not even sure if I can make them grow.

 

[ChanellG]

Hi Geek, starting seeds is sometimes hit or miss, but someone pointed out to me recently that there has to be enough heat for them to germinate. Depending on the time of year and whether you are sowing indoors or out, you might try using a container with a lid or a cloche.

Once seeds to sprout you also have to be careful about watering. I lost my baby cilantro recently because I didn't keep it moist enough. I'm trying to germinate the seeds that didn't sprout, but so far nothing's happening.

I have done very well with regrowing the tops of scallions and next I'm going to try a yellow onion. I hope it takes because I didn't put it in soil immediately; it's sitting in a shallow dish with a little water on the roots.

My celery has finally started sending up leaves! I suppose it's time to put it in some soil as well. My little carrot top is finally getting some baby greens also. It's all very exciting.

 

[dhrynio]

Wow, what a great idea!! I have seen the pineapple one but never thought of the others! I hope to see more pics of the progression of your others!!

I think I will try this too! Which are you finding to be the most successful?

 

[ChanellG]

So far I would say the scallions. They send up new chives almost immediately and they grow very quickly. You can start them in water in a glass or a vase. I have three growing and I just put another in water today. I am going to put the first three in soil this week.

The celery finally started making new leaves and the carrot top is coming along nicely. Some of the outer stalk sections have withered and it looks like it's trying to send out roots.

 

[maddie]

@Maddie, you never said what kind of sprouts you were trying to grow. Were they in the ground or in a pot?

@Zigs, I am itching to try that same technique with cabbage and romaine lettuce.

Sorry chanell, I was trying to grow carrots. New leaves came up quickly but wilted away as quickly. Now I have put the head of a beet in a container, I have put some carrots too.. let us see what I will learn from this..