Don’t toss the vegie bits you don’t eat – grow more of the same or something different altogether!
- by
Jenny Dillon
Let’s face it, our kitchen bins fill up way too quickly and while we could be composting, more often than not, we don’t.
WATCH: Melissa King grows vegetables from scraps
There’s still life left in some of those vegie scraps you toss in the bin or compost, from the tops of carrots and beetroots to the roots of spring onions and leeks and even the stubs of celery. These scraps have the ability to reproduce more vegies – over and over again!
Here’s how
Grow carrot and beetroot salads
You’ve already eaten the roots of these root vegies, meaning they won’t grow more of the same. So look up, not down – they’ll still grow foliage. Toss beet leaves through salads or blend carrot leaves (yes, the leaves!) into pesto. Once you’ve chopped off the tops, sit them in a tray or dish of water. Place in bright light, but away from direct sunlight, and then change the water every 1-2 days to avoid slime build-up. You can leave in the dish or plant out, and harvest in a week or so.
It doesn’t take long for the ferny foliage of carrots to grow.
Brent Wilson
There’s enough energy in the root remnants to produce beet leaves.
Brent Wilson
Regrow spring onions and leeks
Spring onions and leeks come from the shops with their roots still in place. So once you’ve chopped the rest of the veg up to cook, place the root ends in a glass or container of water and put in a bright place that’s out of direct sunlight. Change the water every 1-2 days to avoid a build-up of slime, then, once you see them growing taller, replant them into your garden bed or a pot for an ongoing supply.
Lucky you – the roots are still intact when you buy your spring onions and leeks.
Brent Wilson
They’re so fresh they keep growing when you put them in water.
Brent Wilson
Regrow celery
The roots have already been chopped off when you buy your celery, but you can still create more as the base of the celery still contains the tissue essential for root production. As well, new stalks will emerge from the centre of the scrap. To start, push skewers or toothpicks through the fat, fleshy part, set it on top of a glass, then fill the glass with water until it touches the celery base. Change water every 1-2 days and place in bright light, but away from direct sunlight. It will take 2-3 week for roots to emerge and then you can plant them out.
Leafy growth starts soon after you water the celery base.
Brent Wilson
Get the family involved
As well as being a budget buster, these projects are also a great way to help kids fall in love with gardening. It lets them get their hands dirty while developing a hands-on appreciation of where plants – and food – come from.
Jenny DillonJenny Dillon is the garden editor of Better Homes and Gardens. Her passion for gardening began in her mother’s huge vegetable patch and orchard in the country and now extends to the challenge of city plots, where the constraints are countered by the delights.
