Sep 3, 2023

Don't Waste! Grow These 10 Vegetables from Kitchen Scraps

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Green Onions

Green onions are a perfect start to your kitchen scrap garden. Take the end with roots, plant it root-down in quality potting soil, keep it watered, and place it in sunlight. In under two weeks, you'll have fresh green onions to enjoy.

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Celery

Save the base of celery, place it in a shallow bowl of water, ensuring it's not submerged. Roots and leaves will sprout within days. After about a week, transfer it to soil with only the leaves above ground, and soon, you'll have a new celery head, best planted in early spring.

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Romaine Lettuce

Growing romaine lettuce from scraps mirrors the process for green onions and celery. Leave a couple of inches at the base, put it in water, and watch new leaves emerge. Transfer to soil when appropriate.

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Garlic

Plant garlic cloves in the fall, root side down and pointed end up. By the next spring or summer, you'll harvest a full bulb. Alternatively, grow garlic cloves in pots near a sunny window for a constant supply of fresh bulbs.

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Ginger

Plant ginger root with buds facing up in moist soil. As green shoots emerge, roots will spread. Harvest ginger pieces when needed, covering the remaining root with soil for continuous growth indoors.

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Potato

Small potatoes can be planted whole. For larger ones, cut into pieces with a couple of eyes each, allow them to dry, and plant. In a few months, you'll have a bountiful potato harvest.

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Sweet Potato

Plant a whole sweet potato or cut one in half and suspend it in water using toothpicks. Roots and sprouts will grow. When sprouts are about four inches long, twist them off and place them in water until the roots reach about an inch. Then, plant in soil.

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Basil, Cilantro, and Other Herbs

Cut a four-inch stem, place it in a glass of water without submerging leaves, and put it in a bright, indirect sunlight area. When roots grow to about an inch, transplant into soil for your own herb garden.

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Mushrooms

Grow mushrooms indoors in a warm, humid environment. Cut the cap off a mushroom and insert the stem into nutrient-rich soil, leaving the top exposed. Watch for new growth and harvest when fully mature.

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Carrots, Beets, and Root Crops

Grow nutrient-rich greens from tops by placing them in shallow water. After a few days, you'll see new green growth. Harvest when ready, or transplant them into the ground when roots form for a continuous supply of greens. This works for beets, turnips, carrots, and parsnips.

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Things to Keep in Mind

Not all scraps will sprout. After a week of no growth, compost them and try again.

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Thanks For Reading!

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