How To Regrow Veggies From Scraps

It does not matter whether you grow your own or buy local produce. You can make it go further by learning how to regrow veggies from scraps. Making use of the scraps that would otherwise be thrown away is a great way to improve your sustainability.

Saving scraps to grow more food will save money, time and effort. But it will also help you move towards a zero waste lifestyle. Avoid food waste and you can reduce your carbon footprint. Regrow veggies from scraps and you can do your part to eliminate food waste.

You might be surprised by how many vegetable scraps can be used in this way. Here are some examples:

Regrow Potatoes From Scraps

Any pieces of potato peel or pieces of potato that include an 'eye' on them (those small indentations from which the shoots grow) can be replanted to grow new potato plants. Simply take your potato scraps, leave them to dry out slightly overnight and plant them in the soil with the eyes facing up in exactly the same way that you would plant seed potatoes.

Photo via Home Joys.

Regrow Celery and Bulb Fennel from Scraps

Celery is one of the simplest plants to re-grow from scraps. Cut off the bottom (rooting part) of the celery and place it in a shallow container with a little warm water in the bottom. Soon, new leafy growth will appear. You can use this as required, or place it back into your garden for a new full-sized plant. Bulb fennel can be regrown from the base in exactly the same way. 

Photo via 17 Apart.

Regrow Root Vegetables From Scraps

With root vegetables it is not the base of the vegetable that is used to regrow, but the tops. Save the parts where the leaves and stems join the root, and place the tops in a container of water. New green growth will shortly appear. Harvest these to use, or allow the roots to continue growing until the plants are ready to be transplanted back into the ground. Use this method for carrots, parsnips, turnips, radishes, beets and other root crops.

Photo via We are not Foodies.

 Green onions propagated after 10 days. Photo via We are not Foodies.

Regrow Alliums from Scraps

All members of the allium family can be regrown from the rooting base of the bulb or stem. Simply take a small section of the base of a bulb or stem, with the roots attached, and place it in a shallow dish of water. Fairly quickly, new, green material will begin to grow from this base section. These re-sprouting sections can then simply be harvested again. Alternatively, you can plant them out in your garden. Onions and garlic will form new single bulbs. Shallots, on the other hand, will divide to form clumps and expand your harvest each year.

Photo via Nancy Enge Design.

Regrow Leafy Vegetables from Scraps

Many lettuces are cut-and-come again. You can often continue to harvest the plants as leaves continue to re-grow. You can also re-grow head-forming lettuces and other leafy crops simply by retaining the rooting section, placing it in water, and waiting for a second flush of leaves to grow. Finally, lettuce and other leafy crops can also often be regrown from individual leaves. Place the leaves in a bowl with a little water in the bottom and wait for new roots to form.

Photo via Fast, Cheap, and Good. 

These are just some examples of the ways in which you can regrow veggies from scraps. Bear in mind that you should also save seeds and plant these to grow more food from bits and pieces that might otherwise be added to a compost heap or thrown away. Go greener by eliminating food waste and growing your own wherever you live.