15 Foods You Can Regrow from Scraps

Here are some various plants (in no particular order) that you can regrow from the food you already have – Woot! Great way to reduce, reuse and recycle! You can have green onions and celery growing constantly. (And potatoes/sweet potatoes, but that’s just because they decide to do that in your pantry all by themselves).

There’s nothing like eating a meal you’ve grown! Not only are these veggies and fruits nutritiously delicious, they can be grown over and over again for you to enjoy. Regrowing food scraps is also a great, rewarding activity to do with your kids while teaching them about reusing and growing plants. Click here for some great tips on gardening with kids. Growing your own food teaches kids to eat healthy and your whole family will feel better than ever!

Sweet Potatoes

Plant part to regrow: Root Crop

What to do:
1. Cut the root crop in half.
2. Suspend the crop over a jar of water using toothpicks and allow the bottom half of the crop to reach the water.
3. Place the jar in a warm area
4. Watch for roots and sprouts to appear after a few days until the sprouts reach about 4 inches long and the roots to about an inch.
5. Carefully take the sprouts off the sweet potato and place in a bowl with the bottom part of the sprouts submerged in the water.
6. Roots will appear from the bottom of the sprouts within a few days.
7. Transplant in your garden soil and water daily.

Green Onions

Plant part to regrow: Roots

What to do:
1. Chop off the green onion/scallions with its roots
2. Place in a jar of water and keep the water fresh everyday.
3. New growth appears on top within two days, and they’ll be ready to be chopped for use after a week.

Carrots & Parsnips

Plant part to regrow: Tops

What to do:
1. Save the tops of the parsnips and place in a jar of water.
2. New green tops will appear only after a few days.
3. Allow the roots to grow about a few inches until ready for transplanting.

Pineapple

Plant part to regrow: Crown

What to do:
1. Carefully grab hold of the entire crown and twist hard; or cut the crown from off the fruit.
2. Remove any excess meat and let the small brown bumps below the crown appear.
3. Let the crown dry for a few days.
4. Place the crown in a jar of water, making sure that the water is fresh everyday.
5. Roots will start to emerge after three weeks; plant them in a potting soil.
6. Keep the soil moist.
7. The plant should be well-rooted to the soil after about a couple of months.
8. You may need to repot the pineapple after a year as the fruit continues to grow.

Celery & Bok Choy

Plant part to regrow: Base of stalk

What to do:
1. Place the bottom part of the stalk in a bowl of warm water.
2. Set the bowl in direct sunlight.
3. Watch for new leaves to grow from the base for about a week.
4. Transplant in your garden soil, covering it completely in soil except the tip of the leaves.
5. Let it fully grow.

Lettuce & Cabbage

Plant part to regrow: Base of stalk

What to do:
1. Place the base or bottom part of the stalk in a bowl with water.
2. Keep it under sunlit area.
3. Sprinkle with water twice a day for 4-5 days.
4. When roots and new leaves begin to appear, transplant in your garden bed.

Avocado

Plant part to regrow: Seeds

What to do:
1. Wash the seed with clean water.
2. Suspend the seed over a jar of water using toothpicks.
3. Allow the bottom half of the seed to reach the water.
4. Set the jar in a warm dry place, but not under direct sunlight.
5. Check the water daily and add in as needed.
6. Watch for roots and stems to appear after six weeks.
7. Cut and keep the stems to 3 inches until leaves begin to appear.
8. Transplant it by covering the bottom half of the seed with garden soil.

Lentils or Beans

Plant part to regrow: Beans with its roots

What to do:
1. Soak a few beans in a jar with half cup of water and leave it overnight.
2. Drain the water from off the jar, the following day, and replace with new water.
3. Cover the container with a towel until the next day.
4. Drain and replace water in the jar until sprouts begin to appear.

Pumpkin

Plant part to regrow: Seeds

What to do:
1. Save a few fresh seeds for planting
2. Spread them out in a sunny area and cover with garden soil.
3. Keep the soil moist or water only when needed.
4. The seeds will start to sprout after a few days.

Ginger

Plant part to regrow: Ginger Root/Rhizome

What to do:
1. Spare a small part of the ginger root with a bud on it.
2. Soak the ginger on water overnight.
3. Plant in potting soil, making sure that the buds are faced down.
4. Place the pot in a sunny area and keep it well-watered.
5. New shoots and roots will appear after a couple of weeks.
6. Ginger will be ready for harvest after a year or less.

Garlic

Plant part to regrow: Clove

What to do:
1. Spare a piece of clove including its base for planting.
2. Plant in the clove with the sprouts facing up the potting soil.
3. Keep the pot under direct sunlight and keep the soil moist everyday.
4. New stalks will appear for about a few weeks.
5. Harvest the garlic when the stalks have dried or yellowed.

Beets

Plant part to regrow: Tops

What to do:
1. Cut some top parts of the beet and leave in a jar of water.
2. New green tops and roots will appear after a few days.
3. Allow the roots to grow about a few inches until ready for transplanting.

Find more food to regrow at “A Beginner’s Guide to Regrowing Fruits and Vegetables From Scraps” by Garden Buildings Direct.

Do you regrow any of your food? Share with us in the comments below!