Sasha CampbellThink twice before tossing vegetable scraps—many of them can grow into new plants right on your kitchen counter.
My kitchen has become an experimental garden. My husband and I have tried to regrow everything from lettuce to celery, and we have had great success. It’s easy, saves money, and makes for a fun project.
Before you throw out those leftover kitchen scraps, such as carrots, cabbage, and onions, give regrowing a shot. You can grow fresh veggies from your countertop scraps with patience and the right conditions.
Discover which fruits, vegetables, and herbs you can regrow from scraps or saved seeds.
Tip: Fresh scraps regrow much better than old or dried-out ones. Change the water every few days to help prevent mold and keep the plants healthy.
Vegetables You Can Regrow from Scraps
We all hate food waste, so why not give common veggie scraps a second life by regrowing them?
Below is a list of vegetables you can grow from scraps:
- Carrots
- Parsnips
- Celery
- Garlic
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Bok choy
- Radishes
- Ginger
- Sweet potatoes
- Rutabagas
- Turmeric
- Peppers (saved seeds)
- Potatoes
- Green onions (spring onions)
- Bulb onions
- Shallots
- Tomatoes (saved seeds)
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Turnips
Growing Carrots from Scraps
Look for carrots with the green tops still attached.
Avoid carrots that appear dry or limp. The fresher the tops are, the better your chances of regrowing.
Next, place the tops in a shallow dish with some water. Make sure the cut part that was attached to the carrot is submerged.
Put the dish in a spot with filtered light and moderate temperatures. After a few days, you should notice new green shoots sprouting from the tops and roots forming.
Once roots form, plant the carrot top in soil. It will continue growing fresh green leaves, which are edible, and may even produce flowers if allowed to mature. However, it usually will not grow a new carrot root.
Regrowing Celery from Scraps
You can easily regrow celery from scraps. First, cut the base off a bunch of celery.
Leave about two inches of the root end. Next, place the base in a shallow bowl of water.
Make sure the cut side faces up. Place the bowl in a sunny spot, such as a windowsill, and change the water every other day.
After about a week, you will see new leaves growing. Once roots appear, plant the celery in the soil.
Water it often and ensure it gets at least six hours of direct sunlight daily. Soon, you will have fresh celery to harvest.
Regrowing Beets
Beets are easy to regrow from scraps. These scraps usually grow fresh beet greens rather than a new beet root. All you need is the root end with some greens still attached.
We cut off the beet greens, leaving about an inch of the stems attached to the root end.
Next, we placed the root ends in a jar filled with water, with the greens facing up. Soon, new greens started to sprout from the top.
Regrowing Potatoes
We start by cutting an Irish potato (also known as a white potato) into chunks.
Ensure that each chunk has an “eye”—the bud from which the plant sprouts. Next, let the chunks sit out for a day until the cut sides dry.
Finally, plant the chunks in garden soil, burying them about an inch deep with the “eye” facing up. Also, keep the soil moderately moist.
You should start seeing shoots appear within one to three weeks, depending on the weather and soil temperature.
Growing Sweet Potatoes from Scraps
We’ve all tossed sweet potato scraps in the compost without a second thought. However, did you know you can regrow an entire sweet potato plant from them?
Many gardeners grow sweet potatoes from slips (young shoots), which is one of the easiest and most reliable methods.
Place a healthy sweet potato in a jar of water so the top half stays above the water. After a few weeks, young shoots called slips will begin to grow.
When the slips are about 4 to 6 inches long and have roots, gently remove them and plant them in soil.
Regrowing Lettuce
Lettuce is one of the easiest veggies to regrow. All you need is the base of a romaine or any lettuce with its stem intact.
Place it in a shallow dish with some water and wait. In a few days, you will notice new leaves sprouting.
Once new roots have formed or the center begins to grow well, plant it in soil. Bury the roots, but keep the top few leaves above the soil.
Plant it in a spot with indirect sunlight, and keep the soil moist.
Fruits You Can Grow from Scraps
Many common fruits can be regrown from the scraps and seeds you usually throw away.
Below is a list of some of them. Most of these will regrow from seeds you would discard or otherwise eat.
- Citrus (saved seeds)
- Pineapple (top)
- Pumpkin (saved seeds)
- Strawberries (saved seeds)
- Avocado (seed)
- Melon (saved seeds)
- Mango (seed)
- Winter squash (saved seeds)
Regrowing Pineapple
We’ve tried growing pineapples from scraps and have had great success. All you need is the leftover crown from a pineapple.
Once you’ve cut the crown off about an inch below the leaves, let it sit for a few days so the end can dry out and callus over. This helps prevent it from rotting when you plant it.
You can root the crown in water or plant it directly into well-drained soil after it has dried for a few days.
Wait until the crown develops roots. After that, you can plant it in the soil and keep the soil moist.
Now, the key is patience. It can take up to three years for your pineapple plant to produce fruit [1].
Herbs You Can Regrow from Scraps
Here are some of our favorite herbs that will thrive with a second chance at life:
- Mint
- Marjoram
- Basil
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Oregano
- Sage
- Lemongrass
- Cilantro
- Lemon balm
- Parsley
Growing Cilantro From Scraps
To regrow cilantro, place a few fresh stems in a glass of water. Next, place the glass in a bright spot with a few hours of sunlight each day.
Add water as needed over time. In a few days, you will notice roots appearing.
Once the roots are an inch or two long, plant the stems in soil.
Regrowing Mint
Mint is one of the easiest herbs to regrow from scraps.
We took a fresh stem and removed the lower leaves. Next, we placed the stem in a jar of water in a spot that received some indirect light.
We also changed the water every few days, and within nine days, roots started to form. Once the roots were an inch or two long, we planted the new plant in a pot and set it in the soil.
Takeaway
These are some of our favorite fruits, vegetables, and herbs that you can regrow from scraps or saved seeds at home.
Give them a try. You’ll be amazed at how much food you can produce from scraps that would otherwise end up in the compost or trash.
And, of course, growing your food is rewarding in many ways. Not only do you get to enjoy the fruits (and veggies!) of your labor, but you also get the satisfaction of doing something good for the environment.
Happy growing, and enjoy your harvest!
We’d love to hear about your experiences regrowing plants from scraps. In the comments, let us know which crops you’ve succeeded with and any tips you can share.
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