Crafts & DIY
15 Fruits And Vegetables You Can Grow From Food Scraps
And save the top of that pineapple! No tropical weather needed to grow this delicious fruit!
D.G. Sciortino
06.13.18

Many of us toss our kitchen scraps right into the trash, compost bin, or outside for the animals to snack on. But there are some scraps that you might want to hold on to. That’s because you can grow brand new fruits and vegetables from them.

Here Are 15 Fruits And Vegetables You Can Grow From Food Scraps

1) Save Your Cilantro

You can grow a cilantro plant from just a sprig of a stalk. Take a 4″ stem of cilantro and put in a container with some water in a sunny spot. Once the new roots grow to be about 2″ in length you can place it into your garden or in a pot with soil.

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Pinterest

2) Green Onions

Green onions are super easy to grow from a kitchen scrap. Cut off the bulb of an onion at its end, about 1″ long. Place it in a shallow container of water and watch it grow within a few days. You can keep it in this container or place it into the soil when it’s a few inches long.

The Adventures & Creations of Dream State
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The Adventures & Creations of Dream State

3) Grow Some Garlic

Take a few large cloves from your garlic head and place them in some soil with the root facing down. Don’t let the soil get too hot in the sun. When the green garlic scapes start shooting up make sure you remove them. Your garlic will eventually grow.

The Bald Gourmet
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The Bald Gourmet

4) Celery Stalks in Water

Cut off the end of your celery at its base and place in a bowl of water. But make sure some of it is sticking out. Put in the sun and wait for shoots to start coming out. Once the shoots start to grow you can put in soil and cover everything put the leaves. When it grows tall enough cut what you need to eat and leave the roots so they can grow again.

1000 Bulbs
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1000 Bulbs

5) Grow Tomatoes with Tomatoes

Cut a slice of ripe or overripened tomato, about 1/4″ thick, and place it into some soil with the cut side down. Cover it with soil and wait for seeds to sprout. When they grow large enough you can transplant into a bigger container.

UpiTine Screenshot
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UpiTine Screenshot

6) Romaine Lettuce Hearts

Romaine lettuce is also really easy to grow. Chop off the bottom and place in water but don’t submerge. You can eat the leave as soon as they start to grow.

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7) Save Your Potatoes Pieces

Cut a potato into 2 to 3″ pieces once they start to sprout in your pantry. These pieces should have a few eyes on each piece. Let them dry out for a few days then plant them into containers or in your garden.

montanahomesteader.com
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montanahomesteader.com

8) Grow Lemongrass Like Grass

Lemongrass can be a pain to find so you might as well grow it yourself. Place the leftover root in a bowl or jar and cover it with water. Place it in sunlight. You can transplant it once you see new growth.

Cuisinvity
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Cuisinvity

9) Grow Ginger Root

Place a piece of ginger root in some soil with the bugs face up. New growth will start in about a week. You can pull it up and use it at this point. Just save a piece of the rhizome so you can replant it.

YouTube Screenshot
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YouTube Screenshot

10) You Don’t Need Tropical Weather For Pineapples

Cut off the top of a pineapple and place toothpicks it in. Suspend it over a container filled with water so that the water just reaches the base. Place it in direct sunlight. Just change the water every other day. When roots from you can place it in soil but keep it inside if you live in a cooler area.

Maui Jungalo
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Maui Jungalo

11) Pumpkin From a Pumpkin

When your Jack-O-Lantern had its last day, just fill it with soil and plant it in the ground. You can also spread your pumpkin seeds out in a sunny area and cover with soil. You can also grow a pumpkin in a pumpkin.

Mudpie Mamas
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Mudpie Mamas

12) Keep Fennel Roots In Tact

Use the base of your fennel with at least an inch intact. Put in a container with about a cup of water and leave it in sunlight. You’ll know the roots have grown strange once you see green shoots come out. After that, it will be safe to plant into the soil.

Green Mom
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Green Mom

13) Grow Your Own Basil

Take a stem that’s about 4 inches high and put in a glass of water. Make sure the leaves are above the water line. Put the glass in a bright area that isn’t in direct sunlight. Plant it in soil once the roots get a few inches long.

Inside Plants
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Inside Plants

14) Turnips and Root Plants

Place the top of your root plant in a container of water. You should see a new green top growing in a few days. Once the root grows strong enough you can transplant it into the soil.

Dianne Sutherland
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Dianne Sutherland

15) Grow An Avocado From The Pit

Amateur Gardening
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Amateur Gardening

Suspend an avocado pit over some water with toothpicks. Just cover the bottom of the seed with about an inch of water. Keep in a warm place but not in direct sunlight and check the water every day and add more when needed. Once the stem grows six inches cut it back down to three. You can plant the seed once the leaves appear. Just leave half above ground.

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