Regrowing vegetables and herbs from kitchen scraps is a sustainable and rewarding way to maximize your produce and reduce waste. While not all kitchen scraps will successfully regrow into new plants—due to factors such as growing conditions and the freshness of the scraps—the process itself is an enjoyable activity for both adults and children.
Some vegetables may take longer to regrow than others, but the effort promotes recycling, reusing, and a deeper understanding of plant biology. Overall, it allows you to grow your own food, contributing to a more eco-friendly lifestyle.
In this article, we will explore how to regrow a wide variety of vegetables and herbs from kitchen scraps. We’ll also discuss which ones are less successful for regrowing. You’ll find plenty of valuable information along with step-by-step growing instructions for over a dozen vegetables and nearly as many herbs. Use the links below to jump to any section, or simply scroll through and enjoy!
Contents of this article:
- Vegetables To Regrow from Kitchen Scraps
- Green Onions (Spring Onions, Scallions)
- Lettuce
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Potatoes
- Sweet Potatoes
- Leeks
- Florence Fennel
- Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)
- Bok Choy
- Tomatoes
- Peppers (Capsicums) and Chilies
- Vegetables That Can’t Be Regrown from Kitchen Scraps
- Vegetables That Can’t Be Regrown from Seeds
- Herbs To Regrow from Kitchen Scraps
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Lemongrass
- Basil
- Mint
- Oregano
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Sage
He’s an example of a carrot top kitchen scrap that’s been regrown in a shallow container of water, this was relatively easy to grow. Regular water changes very few days help keep the water clean and the plant healthy.
As the plant grows, so do its roots, to take up water and nutrients. Don’t let the water dry out as that will also cause the roots to dry out too.
In the following section we will look at over a dozen vegetables that can be regrown from kitchen scraps
Vegetables To Regrow from Kitchen Scraps
Here are some common vegetables that can be regrown from scraps and how to do it:
1. Green Onions (Spring Onions, Scallions)
Part used: Shoots with roots
Method:
- Cut the green onions, leaving about 5-7cm (2-3 in) of the white base with roots.
- Place the base in a glass of water, ensuring the roots are submerged.
- Place the glass in a sunny spot.
- Change the water every few days.
- Green onions will start to regrow from the base in a week or so.
2. Lettuce
Part used: Base of lettuce
Method:
- Cut the lettuce leaves, leaving about 2.5-5cm (1-2 in) of the base.
- Place the base in a shallow dish of water.
- Put the dish in a sunny spot.
- Change the water every couple of days.
- New leaves will start to sprout from the center in about a week.
3. Celery
Part used: Base of stalks
Method:
- Cut the celery stalks, leaving about 2.5-5cm (1-2 in) of the base.
- Place the base in a shallow dish of water.
- Put the dish in a sunny location.
- Change the water every few days.
- After about a week, new growth will appear in the center. Transplant to soil after a few weeks.
4. Carrots
Part used: Carrot tops with or without leaves
Method:
- Cut off the top 2.5-5cm (1-2 in) of the carrot.
- Place the tops in a shallow dish with a little water, cut side down.
- Place the dish in a sunny spot.
- Change the water regularly.
- The tops will regrow and produce greens, which are edible.
Other root crops, such as beets, radishes and turnips can be regrown this way to produce edible greens, but neither carrots or any of these will regrow the roots. These regrown root crops may also be planted and allowed to grow, so that seeds can be collected.
5. Garlic
Part used: Bulbs/cloves
Method:
- Plant a garlic clove (pointy end up) in soil with the top just covered.
- Place the pot in a sunny spot.
- Water lightly.
- New shoots will grow from the top. You can harvest the greens or let them mature into full bulbs.
6. Potatoes
Part used: Tuber with eyes
Method:
- Use potato eyes (the small buds that sprout).
- Cut the potato into chunks, ensuring each chunk has at least one eye.
- Allow the pieces to dry for a day or two.
- Plant the chunks in soil, eye side up, about 10cm (4 in) deep.
- Water regularly, and in a few weeks, new potato plants will emerge.
7. Sweet Potatoes
Part used: Tuber with sprouts
Method:
- Cut a sweet potato in half.
- Suspend it in water using toothpicks.
- Place in a sunny spot and change the water every few days.
- Shoots (slips) will grow from the top.
- Once the slips are a few inches long, break them off and plant them in soil.
8. Leeks
Part used: Shoots with roots
Method:
- Similar to green onions, cut the base, leaving about 2 inches.
- Place the base in a shallow dish of water.
- Put it in a sunny spot.
- Change the water every few days.
- New growth will appear from the center.
9. Florence Fennel
Part used: Base of the bulb with root
Method:
- Save the base of the bulb with the root end intact.
- Place the base in a shallow dish of water, ensuring the root end is submerged.
- Place in a sunny spot, such as a windowsill.
- After roots and shoots appear (usually within a few weeks), transplant the fennel base into soil.
- Water regularly and provide plenty of sunlight. The bulb will continue to grow and can be harvested once it reaches a suitable size.
10. Jerusalem Artichokes (Sunchokes)
Part used: Tuber with eyes
Method:
- Use a tuber with eyes.
- Plant in soil with the eyes facing up.
- Ensure they get plenty of sunlight and water regularly.
- New tubers will grow and can be harvested after several months.
11. Bok Choy
Part used: Base
Method:
- Cut off the base of the bok choy, leaving about 2.5-5cm (1-2 in) of the base with roots if possible.
- Place the base in a shallow dish of water, cut side up.
- Put the dish in a sunny spot.
- Change the water every couple of days to keep it fresh.
- New leaves and roots will start to grow from the center of the base within a week.
- Once roots have developed, transplant the bok choy base into soil, ensuring the new growth is above the soil surface.
- Water regularly and ensure it receives plenty of sunlight.
12. Tomatoes
Part used: Seeds
Method:
- Select Seeds: Scoop out seeds from a ripe tomato.
- Clean Seeds: Rinse seeds to remove any pulp.
- Dry Seeds: Spread seeds on a paper towel and let them dry for a few days.
- Plant Seeds: Plant seeds in seed-starting soil, about 0.5cm (1/4 in) deep.
- Water: Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
- Sunlight: Place in a sunny spot or under grow lights.
- Transplant: Once seedlings have 2-3 sets of leaves, transplant them to larger pots or directly into your garden during the warmer seasons.
- Care: Water regularly and ensure they receive plenty of sunlight.
- Harvest: Tomatoes will begin to form and ripen in a few months.
13. Peppers (Capsicums) and Chiilies
Part used: Seeds
Method:
- Select Seeds: Remove seeds from a ripe pepper (capsicum) or chilli. Be careful when handling seeds from hot chillies, wear gloves and do not touch your face or mouth!
- Dry Seeds: Spread seeds on a paper towel and let them dry for a few days.
- Plant Seeds: Sow seeds in seed-starting soil, about 0.5cm (1/4 in) deep.
- Water: Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
- Sunlight: Place in a sunny spot or under grow lights.
- Transplant: Once seedlings have 2-3 sets of leaves, transplant them to larger pots or directly into your garden during the warmer seasons.
- Care: Water regularly and ensure they receive plenty of sunlight.
- Harvest: Peppers will start to form and ripen in a few months.
Vegetables That Can’t Be Regrown from Kitchen Scraps
Broccoli and cauliflower cannot be regrown from kitchen scraps because the parts we consume are immature flower clusters that lack the necessary reproductive structures to regrow into new plants. These vegetables are harvested before they develop viable seeds or tissue capable of propagation. Without the presence of seeds or a portion of the plant that can root and grow, these vegetables cannot regenerate from the scraps left after consumption.
Cabbage cannot be regrown from kitchen scraps because the part we consume is the densely packed head of leaves, which lacks the vital growth points, or meristems, necessary for regeneration. Typically, when the cabbage head is harvested, the remaining base does not have sufficient vitality or intact meristems to develop new growth. This makes it difficult for the cabbage to regrow from the kitchen scraps that are left over.
Kale, which is also from the same Brassica family, can be regrown from kitchen scraps more successfully compared to broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage. Kale is a leafy green that can regenerate from its stems or leaves if a portion of the stem with nodes (growth points) is left intact.
Method for Regrowing Kale:
- Use a stem with a few leaves or nodes.
- Place the cutting in a glass of water, ensuring the nodes are submerged.
- Place in a sunny spot.
- Once roots develop, transplant the kale cutting into soil.
- Water regularly and ensure it gets plenty of sunlight. New leaves will sprout from the nodes.
This method leverages the plant’s natural ability to regenerate from its nodes, making kale a suitable candidate for regrowth from kitchen scraps
Vegetables That Can’t Be Regrown from Seeds
1. Vegetable containing immature seeds:
Cucumbers, yellow squash, and zucchini are unlikely to regrow from kitchen scraps due to the immature state of their seeds at the time of harvest. These vegetables are typically picked for optimal taste and texture before their seeds have fully developed, making the seeds non-viable for regrowth.
Successful regrowth of these plants requires mature seeds, preferably from fruits that have naturally ripened on the plant. For those looking to grow cucumbers, yellow squash, or zucchini, it is advisable to source seeds from fully mature fruits or purchase seeds specifically intended for planting.
2. Vegetables grown from hybrid seeds:
Another issue with growing from seeds is that many store-bought vegetables contain seeds that can’t be used to grow new plants because they are hybrids.
Hybrid fruits and vegetables are developed through conventional pollination methods, where plant breeders cross two different parent plants to produce a new variety with desirable traits. This process, known as hybridization, involves selecting parent plants with specific qualities, such as sweetness, color, or size, and then cross-pollinating them.
When the seeds develop within the fruit or vegetable on the mother plant, they carry the genetic material from both parent plants. While the mother plant exhibits the desirable characteristics selected by breeders, the seeds inside are a genetic mix of both parents. As a result, planting these seeds will not yield plants identical to the mother plant. Instead, the new plants may exhibit a range of traits from both parent plants, which can lead to unpredictable results.
This variability means that while some new plants might possess favorable characteristics, others might display less desirable traits, such as smaller fruit size or lower quality. Because most commercial vegetable varieties are hybrids, the seeds inside store-bought produce are unlikely to produce plants with the same qualities as the original.
In hybrid plant breeding, the goal is to combine the best traits of two different plants to create a superior offspring. This process is different from genetic modification, as it relies on natural pollination techniques. Hybrid seeds are typically used for one growing season, and new seeds must be purchased each year to ensure consistency in the desired traits
Herbs To Regrow from Kitchen Scraps
Many herbs can be regrown from kitchen scraps, namely stems with a few leaves at the top, by placing them in water, and changing the water regularly to keep it clean.
Some herbs, such as mint, which loves moist conditions, will grow roots in a few days if it’s reasonably warm indoors. The Julep mint shown below grew plenty of white, healthy roots after a week or two in water, sitting beside a bright kitchen window.
Herb cutting can grow roots more quickly by using a homemade DIY rooting hormone or by using a commercial root hormone product, but this is optional.
Here is a list of some common herbs that can be regrown from scraps and how to do it:
1. Ginger
Part used: Rhizome
Method:
- Soak a piece of ginger root overnight.
- Plant it in soil with the buds facing up.
- Keep the soil moist and place the pot in indirect sunlight.
- Shoots will appear in a few weeks. You can harvest new ginger roots after a few months.
2. Turmeric
Part used: Rhizome with eye buds
Method:
- Use a piece of turmeric root with eye buds.
- Plant in soil with the buds facing up.
- Keep the soil moist and in indirect sunlight.
- New shoots will appear in a few weeks; harvest the root after several months.
3. Lemongrass
Part used: Stem with roots
Method:
- Select fresh lemongrass stalks with intact bases.
- Cut off the top, leaving about 10-15cm (4-6 in) of the base, including the root end.
- Place the stalks in a glass of water, ensuring the root end is submerged.
- Put the glass in a sunny spot, like a windowsill.
- Change the water every few days to keep it fresh.
- After about 2-3 weeks, roots will start forming and new shoots will emerge from the tops of the stalks.
- Once the roots are a few inches long, transplant the lemongrass into a pot with well-draining soil or directly into your garden.
- Plant the stalks deep enough to cover the roots and base, leaving the new shoots exposed.
- Water regularly to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged.
- Ensure it gets plenty of sunlight.
- You can start harvesting once the stalks are thick and robust, typically after a few months. Cut the stalks close to the ground, and new shoots will continue to grow.
4. Basil
Part used: Stem with leaves at the top
Method:
- Select Cutting: Cut a 10-15cm (4-6 in) stem just below a node from a healthy basil plant.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Remove the leaves from the lower part of the stem to prevent them from rotting in water.
- Place in Water: Place the cutting in a glass of water, ensuring the nodes are submerged.
- Sunlight: Place the glass in a sunny spot but out of direct sunlight.
- Change Water: Change the water every few days to keep it fresh and prevent stagnation.
- Transplant: Once roots develop, usually within a few weeks, transplant the basil cutting into soil.
- Care: Water regularly to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged and ensure the plant gets plenty of sunlight.
Several herbs can be regrown from cuttings similarly to basil. Here are a few of the best options:
5. Mint
Method:
- Select Cutting: Cut a 10-15cm (4-6 in) stem just below a node.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Remove the lower leaves to prevent them from rotting in water.
- Place in Water: Place the cutting in a glass of water, ensuring the nodes are submerged.
- Sunlight: Place in a sunny spot but out of direct sunlight.
- Transplant: Once roots develop, transplant the mint cutting into soil.
- Care: Water regularly and ensure the soil is moist.
6. Oregano
Method:
- Select Cutting: Cut a 10-15cm (4-6 in) stem from a healthy oregano plant.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Strip the lower leaves from the bottom half.
- Place in Water: Place the cutting in water, ensuring the nodes are submerged.
- Sunlight: Place in indirect sunlight.
- Transplant: When roots form, plant the oregano in soil.
- Care: Keep the soil well-drained and water as needed.
7. Rosemary
Method:
- Select Cutting: Take a 15-20cm (6-8 in) inch cutting from a mature rosemary plant.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Strip the lower leaves to expose the nodes.
- Place in Water: Place the cutting in a glass of water.
- Sunlight: Place in a sunny spot but out of direct sunlight.
- Transplant: Transplant the cutting to soil once roots develop.
- Care: Keep the soil dry between waterings as rosemary prefers drier conditions.
8. Thyme
Method:
- Select Cutting: Take a 10-15cm (4-6 in) stem cutting.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Remove the leaves from the lower part of the stem.
- Place in Water: Submerge the stem in water.
- Sunlight: Place in a sunny location.
- Transplant: After roots form, transplant into soil.
- Care: Keep the soil well-drained and water moderately.
9. Sage
Method:
- Select Cutting: Cut a 10-15cm (4-6 in) stem from a healthy sage plant.
- Remove Lower Leaves: Remove the leaves from the bottom half.
- Place in Water: Place the stem in water, ensuring the nodes are submerged.
- Sunlight: Keep in indirect sunlight.
- Transplant: Transplant to soil after roots form.
- Care: Water sparingly as sage prefers drier conditions.
These herbs can be propagated using similar methods to basil, making it easy to expand your herb garden using cuttings from existing plants
In summary, by regrowing vegetables and herbs from kitchen scraps, you can reduce waste, save money, and enjoy fresh produce right from your home.
References
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois Extension – Kitchen Scrap Gardening: Regrow Your Fruits and Vegetables!, by Brittnay Haag, March 27, 2020
- University of North Carolina – No Seeds, No Problem: Growing Vegetables From Scraps, May 28, 2020, Matt Shipman
- Smithsonian Gardens – Don’t Pitch It, Plant It!