What if you could have an unlimited supply of your favorite produce?
Turns out, you can! There are a lot of different herbs and vegetables that you can regrow yourself – over and over, ensuring that you always have that particular item on hand when need be and that you aren’t spending too much on fresh produce. If you’ve ever wanted to grow your own food, here are a few starter plants that you can grow yourself just from leftover scraps and seeds that usually go to waste.
1. Lettuce
Lettuce is one among the simplest plants to grow!
Instead of throwing out the leftover stems you don’t eat, just put them in a bowl with a small amount of water. Make sure the bowl is somewhere that gets good sunlight and be sure to change the water in the dish every day or so. You should begin to notice roots appear and some new leaves after a few days, and this is when you’re ready to transfer the lettuce to soil.
2- Celery
Celery is another food that you can grow from leftover scraps.
Simply cut away the base of the celery and lay it in a bowl with some water and keep it in direct sunlight. After about a week, you should see some leaves growing along the base. At this point, you can transplant the celery to soil and just wait until it grows to full length.
3- Potatoes
You could just leave a potato in some dark corner and forget about it until it sprouts. Many of us do this purely by accident. But there is a quicker and healthier way to go about this. Just cut the potato in half and plant it with the dented “eyes” on the skin facing upwards. It’ll begin to sprout in a matter of weeks.
4- Ginger
Ginger root is another easily grown plant, and once you start, you can have a never-ending supply of fresh ginger. Simply plant a piece of ginger root in some potting soil and make sure that the buds are upright. You should notice a few new shoots in about a week, and this is when you can pull it and use it again. Always remember to save a piece of the rhizome so you can grow more ginger for next time.
5- Garlic
Did you know that garlic can be grown from a single clove?
Just pull a clove from the bunch and plant it in potting soil. Lots of direct sunlight is essential when growing garlic, so keep it outdoors during warm weather. When you notice new shoots, cut them back, and the plant will produce a bulb. Then, you can take a part of the new bulb and plant it again.
6- Onions
Onions can be grown indoors or outdoors.
Cut the root of the onion away, leaving about half an inch of onion, and cover it lightly with potting soil and keep it in an area with lots of sunlight. For replanting green onions, put the white base with roots intact in a bowl of water and keep it in direct sunlight. Be sure to swap out the water every few days. Snip off however much you need and keep it growing as long as you want.
7- Pumpkins
If you practice the tradition of pumpkin carving on Halloween, you can save the leftover seeds to plant them. Even if you like to toast the seeds, you can always save a couple to grow more pumpkins. Simply spread out the seeds in a sunlit area outside and cover them slightly with soil. Heck, you can even plant the entire pumpkin. Once you finish with your Jack-O-Lantern, add some seeds back in, fill it up with some soil, and plant the whole thing.
8- Peppers
You can grow all kinds of peppers from the leftover seeds. Just collect the seeds from any peppers you have and plant them in potting soil. Again, you want to keep these bad boys in direct sunlight. Or, if the weather is warm, you can just plant them outside somewhere in your garden. Easy breezy. Plus, peppers tend to grow at a relatively fast rate and don’t need a lot of care. Once you get a fully grown new crop, pick them and save some seeds for regrowing again later.
9- Tomatoes
You can grow tomatoes simply by saving some seeds. All you have to do is rinse the seeds off and let them dry. Then, plant them in some fertile potting soil and wait until you notice new growth. It’s best to allow the shoots to grow a few inches tall before transplanting to a well-lit area outside. What’s super cool is that you can totally grow tomatoes inside, during colder weather. Just make sure to still keep them in an area that gets as much light as possible and water them a few times a week.
10- Basil
To regrow basil, all you need is a stem that is about four inches in height. Place it in a glass of water and make sure the leaves are well above the water-line. Place the glass in a bright area, but don’t keep it in direct sunlight. You should notice roots forming after a few days, and when they grow to a couple of inches long, then you can transfer the plant to soil.
11- Cilantro
Cilantro is another plant that you can grow from scraps.
Again, all you need is a stem. Put the bottom of the stem in a glass of water and leave it in a bright area. When you notice the roots have gotten a few inches long, transplant the cilantro into a pot and watch it sprout after just a few weeks! Regrowing your own fresh produce from just a few scraps can be fun, and it can save you money.
Before you leave, do not forget to share this article with all your friends so that our family continues to grow, Thanks for reading.
