If you’re tossing all your scraps into your compost pile, read this before you toss any more! Here’s some of my favourite things to regrow, though many more plants can be regrown.
Potatoes
If you have organic potatoes (those sprayed with chemicals often are sprayed to resist growth), cut the eyes out but leave a very large chunk of potato attached (1-2″)- a medium size whole potato can yield 4-6 plants. Plant in soil as you would any seed potato.
Romaine Lettuce & Cabbage
The white stem of romaine lettuce and cabbage leaves will grow roots and make a new plant – place your leaf flat in a dish, thick stem side down, with just enough water to allow the stem to stay wet, but not enough to cover the top. Mist with water daily or as needed to keep the top most. Transplant when roots are established.
Celery
Celery is very easy to regrow. Take the base/root end and place in a glass of water for a few days, once roots are established and you see the tops start to grow, transplant to soil. Leeks and green onions too!
Onions
Onions are one of the easiest things in the world to replant ~ take the root end cut after you’ve cut if off your onion, and stick it room side down in soil. Cover with about 1/2″ of soil and water.
I’d love to hear your thoughts – what veggies have you successfully regrown?
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13 comments
Wow! I need to start using this technique. So wasteful!
Regrown a few potatoes in my time, but that is it unfortunately, I’ll have to give the rest a try!
Michelle
I have done the potatoes, but the other items are easy from seed so I don’t bother, although celery takes a minimum of 180 days from seed so it has to be started really early in the season.
With that said, I have done the regrow potatoes project with my 2 sons. They are young and enjoy really projects like this.
love using compost heaps, do not like the spiders tho hehehehe
I never knew that celery can actually be regrown. I mean potatoes and onions are pretty common but celery? No. I will tell my wife to stop throwing away her celery craps now. Thanks for sharing!
I knew about potatoes but romain lettuce and celery… wow!
Hahaha! I toss stuff in the compost heap and it takes off. Last year I harvested nearly thirty beautiful butternut squash, all volunteer, and I’m forever reproducing potatoes, tomatoes, and once celery. I need to try the romaine though.
Wow, I really learned something. I didn’t know about the Romain Lettuce, I have to try that. This is my favorite lettuce. Thanks for sharing.
I knew this trick with potatoes, but never knew romaine lettuce can also be regrown. Thanks for sharing with us.
Romaine lettuce has been a great ‘regower’ for me, as well as Butter Leaf lettuce. I simply use scissors to harvest the leaves, then fresh leaves spring up right where I make the cut.
I’ve tried celery by sticking my store-bought remains in a small dish with a little water and it works up to a couple of inches, but it didn’t like my soil when they were planted! Oops :)
http://pagesofallison.blogspot.com/
Romaine lettuce will regrow multiple times until the heat does it in. It is by far our favorite kind to grow in the garden.
When I harvested the last of the Spring kale in my garden recently I simply pulled them up gently roots and all. After I used the leaves I replanted the roots in a shady spot (I’m i central Gulf coast Florida and it is getting hot!!!) and within days I had new leaves growing ;-)
I had the same experience with kale as well. when I replanted I had lots of issues, but I read some articles and I concluded I Was not using enough water:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/watering/watering-garden.htm
https://www.gardenproducts.us/single-post/2016/05/25/Water-Water-Water