Growing anything from a seed is impressive, but also difficult, unless you’ve been blessed with a green thumb. Sure it saves on money, but there has to be an easier way – and there is! You can actually grow food from your very own kitchen scraps. There is something very MacGyver about it. It’s true you can upcycle everything from celery scraps to onion butts with a great chance of success. Use organic fruits and vegetables for the best results.
Green onions, lemongrass, leeks, fennel, coriander, basil, mint and spring onions
Place the root ends in water but don’t full submerge. Change the water daily. In 2-5 days, growth begins. Harvest the greens when full, then repeat the process. Simply cut off what you need without uprooting the plant.
Celery, cabbage, romaine lettuce, and bok choy
Submerge the roots leaving the tops above the water line. Spray with water a couple times a week, replacing the water every few days. Leaves will sprout in about a week. Plant the cutting with only the leaves above the soil. Harvest when fully grown after around 5 months.
Ginger
Soak the chunk of ginger overnight in water. Submerge in moist soil. Keep watering until shoots appear. Ready to harvest in a year. Simply remove the entire plant, use what you need and repeat.
Onion
Place the root end and lightly cover it in soil. Keep the soil moist. Carefully separate the new onions, leaving the roots attached, and plant them. Occasionally, cut the leaves down to promote full growth. It can take up to 5 months for plants to mature enough for harvest.
Garlic
The larger the clove, the larger the resulting bulb. Sit the plant in a sunny window, keeping the soil moist and lightly covered. The bulbs will be ready for harvest in early summer when the bottom 1/3 of the leaves have yellowed.
Mushroom
Use a mixture of compost and soil in a pot. Plant the mushroom stalk in the soil with only the surface of it exposed. If the cutting takes, new growth happens quickly. Harvest and repeat.
Pineapple
Don’t live in the tropics? That’s definitely okay, you can bring it to you. You just cut the top off of the pineapple and insert a few toothpicks to hold it above a container filled with water. Keep the container in direct sunlight. If it is warm outside, sit it on the porch or deck during the day and bring it in at night. Note to self: change the water every other day or so and keep the container filled so that it reaches just above the base. You will then notice roots in about a week or two and once they are formed you can transfer into potting soil. If you live in a cooler area, (aka not the tropics) it is best to grow your pineapple indoors.