Foods you can (and should) grow from kitchen scraps
Don’t throw out those kitchen scraps! Here’s a list of cooking staples you can re-grow straight from scraps – which means less waste, more food and a cheaper grocery bill.
Celery, lettuce, cabbage, bok choy
Cut off root end and place in a shallow bowl of warm water with cut end up. Keep in direct sunlight and mist leaves with water a few times a week. After a week or two, leaves will begin sprouting. Transplant to soil with leaves above ground.
Potato and sweet potatoes
If you find some potatoes in the pantry starting to sprout, use them to grow more. Cut into pieces no smaller than a golf ball, ensuring there’s at least one eye on each piece. Plant 10 centimetres deep into soil with eyes facing up. Growth should begin appearing within a few weeks.
Garlic
All you need is one clove to grow more garlic! Plant clove with roots facing down in potting soil. Keep in direct sunlight. Once shoots have established, cut shoots back and your plant will soon produce a bulb.
Onion
Cut root off onion leaving about a centimetre of onion with the root. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in sunny area.
Herbs
Basil, rosemary, coriander, mint and many others can be regrown from store-bought bunches of herbs. Pick a long stem from the bundle and trim off bottom and top leaves where they meet the stem. Place stem in water and leave for a week until you see roots forming. Once plant is big enough, transplant to soil.
Related links:
Top tips for growing cucumbers
Your guide to vertical gardens