8 Of The Best Fruits and Vegetables You Can Regrow from Scraps
If you are looking for a fun way to keep the kids busy and learning at home while also reducing your food waste and trips to the grocery store, look no further than these ideas on regrowing your fruits and vegetables.
Our recent podcast host, Tanya Acosta, who talked to us all about mastering distance learning in Episode 51 of The Healthy Family Project Podcast even provided us with a fun free downloadable you can use to turn this into a true science experiment.
We are trying a few of these in our house like green onions (which I think is the easiest) and even celery. Join us in the Healthy Family Project Facebook Group to show us what you are growing or leave us a comment here.
How To Regrow Green Onions
- Chop off root ends (about 2 inches) and place in small glass with an inch of water.
- Refresh water every few days and watch your green onions regrow within days.
- Cut off as needed from the top. The green onions will continue to grow if left in water.
How To Regrow Celery
- Chop off the base of the stalk, rinse it and put it in a shallow cup of warm water in a well lit area.
- Change the water every few days.
- You should see significant signs of growth within five days or less, depending on how much sunlight you have available.
How To Regrow Pineapple
Pineapples are hardy plants that like warm weather and good soil that is well composted. There are three ways to plant pineapples: from seed, from suckers and from the crown of the pineapple. The crown and suckers are planted in almost the same manner, but the seeds will require more attention.
Planting a Pineapple crown
A Pineapple crown is the leafy top of a pineapple like the ones that can be purchased in the local grocery stores. To remove the crown, twist the top and the crown will separate from the pineapple, leaving a cone shape at the base. Be careful not to get cut when twisting the top off, it is pointed and sharp.
A good pair of gloves will help in this step of removing the top. At this point, take time to cut away any fruit that is attached to the bottom of the crown. Any excess fruit will damage the crown roots and they will rot. causing the plant to die.
Next, pull off the bottom one or two inches of leaves, but be careful not to tear the plant base while doing this. When done, the pineapple will have a root base with a couple of inches above it for a stem. The roots should already be forming and look like little pimples in between the leaves that were removed.
The pineapple is now ready to plant.
- Set the top of your pineapple aside and allow to dry for a day or two.
- Once dry, plant in soil. Depending on your soil and daily temperature, you can choose to plant in the ground or in a pot. If you are somewhere that doesn’t allow for warm weather year-round, you can grow your pineapple in a pot indoors, but they do need about six hours of sunlight a day.
Planting pineapple slips or suckers
Pineapple suckers are also called slips, and they grow from the pineapple after the fruit has been picked. Pineapples only grow one fruit per plant, then their life has served its purpose and they die off. After the plants die they are left in the ground for a month or two and the suckers will grow from them.
The suckers can either grow from the base of the pineapple or they can grow in between the leaves near the base. When suckers are about one foot tall, they can be cut from the mother plant and rooted in the same manner as the crowns. Just remove some of the leaves to make a stem and they can be planted directly in compost in the ground.
Pineapple seeds
Pineapple seeds take patience because they take a long time to germinate, as well as they need a moist environment. The seeds of the pineapple are very small and black. They can be found in the base of the pineapple fruit when it is cut open.
The best way to try to get them to germinate is to place them in a small pot with potting soil, then place the pot inside a small, plastic freezer bag. This will create a small greenhouse for the seeds to live and grow in. They need to be kept in a warm location with plenty of moisture until they germinate. This process can take several weeks, or even months, before germination takes place.
Pineapples are a very hardy plant, but in most locations, it is too cold for them to grow. In these locations, they make a very good house plant in the winter and can be placed back outside in the spring and summer months. Growing a pineapple can take from 1 1/2 to 3 years to grow just one pineapple fruit, so patience is a necessity with them.
How To Regrow Tomatoes
- Remove the seeds from your tomato, soak for about an hour.
- Allow to fully dry and plant in soil within seven days. If it’s not quite spring yet in your home, you can start your seeds indoors in an old egg carton or other small container and plant outdoors when you are ready. Your kids will be astonished to see you grew a tomato from your tomato!
How To Regrow Potatoes
- Cut potatoes so that each piece has at least two “eyes.”
- Let them sit out at room temperature overnight until they’re dry.
- Plant them in soil 8 inches deep and spaced 1 foot apart.
How To Regrow Avocado
- Clean pit and remove any avocado remains. Towel dry.
- Push 4 toothpicks into the pit to create an X (you’ll want to place the pit pointy side up in the next step).
- Place avocado pit over small bowl or glass jar (pointy side up) using the toothpicks to hold it up. Add enough water to the bowl so that half of the pit is submerged. Place in sunlight and change water every 1-2 days.
- After about 3-6 weeks, the pit will begin to split open. In a few additional weeks, a stem, leaves and root will begin to grow.
- After about 3 months, when the “tree” is about 7-8 inches, plant in a pot.
How To Regrow Romaine Lettuce
- Chop off bottom of the Romaine heart, leaving a few inches.
- Place in bowl with ½-inch of water. Keep in a sunny place and change water daily.
- Once it starts to sprout (after a few days), plant those sprouts directly in your garden. Harvest when about 6-8 inches tall.
How To Regrow Carrots
- Cut tops off of your carrots. You’ll need about an inch of the root.
- Stick toothpicks into carrot tops and place on top of a small glass. Fill with enough water to barely touch the bottom of the carrot top.
- Place in a sunny spot and add water daily to keep the water touching the bottom of the carrot top.
- The carrot tops will start to grow roots in about a week.
Show us what you’re regrowing!
Are you regrowing fruits and veggies from scraps in your kitchen? We want to see! Tag us on social media using #healthyfamilyproject or tagging @healthy.family.project
Do you plant celery in the ground once it sprouts?
Yes, once it grows roots you can plant in your garden or in a pot.
What do we do after the carrots start to sprout roots? Do we plant them? And how long til harvest?
Once they start to sprout roots, plant the tops in soil, careful not to cover the shoots on the top. Harvest the greens to taste. (Some people prefer the baby greens; others prefer them fully grown.)