You don't have to toss those vegetable scraps. Instead, consider turning them into interesting houseplants or more vegetables!
Growing new plants from vegetable scraps is not going to replace your weekly trip to the grocery store or farmer's market, but it can be a fun project to do at home, especially with kids. Not only will it help you connect with your food in a new way, you can also get a little snack in the process.
Some vegetables not discussed below are frequently touted as vegetables that can be grown from scraps, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, and garlic. These produce items are frequently treated before arriving at the grocery store with a hormone to prevent sprouting. This is a positive thing for storage, but a big detriment when trying to grow a new plant. If you try growing plants from these vegetable scraps and are not successful, don't be discouraged. It is more likely due to sprouting inhibitors than your green (or not-so-green) thumb!
Avocado | Pineapple | Green Onions | Romaine Lettuce, Celery, & Bok Choi | Beets & Turnips | Ginger | Herbs | More Information
Avocado
Remove the seed from the center of the fruit and wash it in water. For propagation purposes, the broad end of the seed is the bottom. The pointed end is the top. Insert 3 or 4 toothpicks into the sides of the seed. They should be placed about halfway up the seed. Then suspend the seed in a glass of water. The bottom one-fourth of the seed should rest in water. The seed should sprout within a few weeks. During this time, periodically add water to maintain the initial water level. If the seed doesn’t sprout within 2 months, discard it and begin another. Roots are usually the first to emerge from the seed. The stem appears later. Pot the seedling when the root system has become well developed; the roots should be at least 2 to 3 inches long.
Remove the toothpicks and plant the avocado in a 6- to 8-inch-diameter pot using a commercial potting mix. Position the seed in the center of the pot. The top of the seed should be level with the soil surface. After potting, water thoroughly, then place the plant in a brightly lit location. A location near an east or west window is ideal. Water the plant regularly. Keep the soil moist, but not wet. To encourage branching, pinch out the growing point when the avocado seedling is 12 to 15 inches tall. Fertilize once or twice a month in spring and summer with a dilute fertilizer solution.
You shouldn't expect to harvest any avocados from your new plant, but it can be an attractive and interesting houseplant.
Pineapple
Cut off the top of the pineapple about 1 inch below the cluster of leaves. Trim away the outer portion of the pineapple top leaving the tough, stringy core attached to the leaves. Also, remove a few of the lowest leaves. The pineapple top should then be allowed to dry for several days. The drying period allows the moist core tissue to dry and discourages rotting. After drying, insert the pineapple top into perlite, vermiculite, or coarse sand up to the base of its leaves. Water the rooting medium. Keep the rooting medium moist, but not wet, during the rooting period. Finally, place the pineapple top in bright, indirect light. Rooting should occur in 6 to 8 weeks.
When the pineapple has developed a good root system, carefully remove it from the rooting medium. Plant the rooted pineapple in a light, well-drained potting mix. Water well. Then place the plant in bright, indirect light for 2 to 3 weeks.
After 2 to 3 weeks, the plant can be placed in a sunny window. Keep the potting soil moist by watering regularly. Using a dilute fertilizer solution, fertilize the pineapple once or twice a month in spring and summer. Fertilization is usually not necessary in the fall and winter. The plant can be taken outside in late May but must be brought back indoors before the first fall frost.
Pineapples are slow-growing plants. Most plants mature in 2 to 3 years. At maturity, pineapples are capable of blooming. To encourage flowering, place a mature pineapple plant and an apple in a plastic bag for 3 or 4 days. The apple gives off ethylene gas, which stimulates the flowering of the pineapple. Flowering (hopefully) should occur within 2 to 3 months of the treatment. The plant may or may not develop a new fruit, and even if it does, it will be quite small. However, it is a fun and interesting project, and an interesting plant in flower and fruit!
Green Onions
Purchase scallions or green onions from the grocery store or farmers' market, or harvest them from your garden, if available. Cut the green tops of the onions and use them in cooking. Afterward, take the white parts of the bulbs with the roots still attached and place them in a container such as a mason jar, cup, mug, or similar vessel. Fill it with just enough water to ensure that the roots are submerged. Place the container in a warm, sunny spot and keep the roots submerged in shallow water. In a week or two, green shoots should begin to emerge from the bulb. Change the water once a week.
Clip the new shoots off as needed for cooking, garnish, or other culinary applications. The bulbs will produce shoots for a few months before ultimately depleting all reserves. Alternatively, after the shoots grow to about 4-5 inches, plant the bulb in a container or transplant them into the garden. If you want to do this for spring planting, begin the process around February and transplant them after the last frost of the year.
Romaine Lettuce, Celery, & Bok Choi
Some leafy vegetables are typically sold with the plant crown/roots still attached. This includes romaine lettuce, celery, bok choi, and Chinese (Napa) cabbage. The roots/basal plate can be used to grow more leaves. Cut off the edible portions and preserve the bottom two inches of the root end. Place the rosette of cut leaves, all attached to the basal root plate, in a shallow dish or jar, and fill the container with water to cover the bottom inch or so. Place the plant in a warm, sunny spot. Change the water every 2 to 3 days to prevent any fungal or mold growth in the water. After several days to weeks, new leaves will emerge from the center of the rosette that can be trimmed off and eaten.
Once some roots appear in the water, you can continue to harvest and maintain clean water about an inch deep in the container, or you can transfer it to a container with potting soil. In soil, the plant will be more productive. Alternatively, the plant can be planted out in your garden in spring.
Beets & Turnips
Root vegetables, such as beets, turnips, and carrots, can be used to grow greens or garnishes by cutting off the upper two inches and placing the root top in a shallow jar or dish of water. Place the plant in a warm, sunny spot. Change the water every 2 to 3 days. Placing pebbles or marbles at the bottom of the container and setting the root top on top allows more water to be added to the container without submerging too much of the root top.
As new leaves grow, they can be trimmed off and used. Using the root tops in this manner will only give you leaves. You will not get a new beet or turnip root from this project.
Ginger
Ginger from a grocery store can be grown with a little patience. Select healthy rhizomes that have not been treated to prevent sprouting (which can be difficult to determine). Often, organic-grown rhizomes have not been treated. Separate roots into sections that contain 2-3 eyes or buds, allow them to dry for a few days, so the cut ends can callus over a bit and prevent rotting. Place them horizontally in a container, covering with about two inches of soil. Water sparingly until shoots appear. Ginger is notoriously slow to emerge, often taking 1 to 2 months to sprout. Be patient!
Once the stems with narrow green leaves begin to emerge, grow in a warm sunny location. Water and fertilize regularly. When foliage begins to yellow and die back, reduce watering. Once fully dormant, rhizomes can be harvested for use in the kitchen by digging and cutting off the stalk.
Herbs
Many common herbs, including basil, oregano, thyme, sage, and mint, can be rooted in a glass of water and potted up to grow and harvest all season. Take cuttings that are 2 to 4 inches long and strip the leaves from the bottom half of the stem. Place stems in a glass with water filled to a depth that will not put any of the leaves on the upper portion of the stem underwater. Change the water frequently (one to two times a week) and never allow the water level to drop and expose the developing roots to air.
When the roots are about 1 inch long, transplant the cuttings into individual containers filled with potting soil. After transplanting, move rooted cuttings into well-lit locations for optimal growing. Cuttings rooted in water have roots that are coarser in texture than those rooted in soil. This means they are not well-adapted to potting soil and, once potted, may exhibit signs of stress, such as wilting, leaf drop, leaf browning, or tip dieback. Providing good, consistent care will help the small propagules recover after they are planted.
Learn more in this article: Growing Herbs Indoors.
More Information
- Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening
- Container Vegetable Gardening (PDF)
- Propagating Houseplants
- Moving Indoor Plants Outside for the Summer
- How to Care for Houseplants
- Growing Indoor Plants Under Supplemental Lights
- Growing Herbs Indoors
Photo credits: 1: JulianJD AdobeStock; 2: i-am-helen AdobeStock; 3: Mehriban AdobeStock; 4: CrispyMedia AdobeStock; 5: pundapanda AdobeStock; 6: Jacquelin AdobeStock