8 Kitchen Scraps You Can Regrow Into Fresh Produce

Spring gardening season is the perfect time to start regrowing vegetables from kitchen scraps—a money-saving, waste-reducing practice that yields fresh produce right from your windowsill or garden.

1. Celery, Cabbage & Romaine Lettuce

Place the root base in a shallow dish with water, keeping tops above the waterline. Mist regularly and change water every few days. New leaves emerge within a week. Transplant to soil once established, leaving only leaves above ground. Harvest in approximately 5 months.

2. Onions

Plant the root end in a pot, lightly covered with soil. Keep moist. As new onions form, separate carefully, preserving roots, and replant. Trim tops occasionally to encourage bulb development. Maturity takes up to 5 months.

3. Mushrooms

Plant the stalk in a compost-soil mix with only the surface exposed. If successful, new growth appears quickly. Harvest and repeat the cycle.

4. Potatoes & Sweet Potatoes

Cut into pieces with 1-2 "eyes" each. Dry at room temperature for several days. Plant 8 inches deep, 12 inches apart, with 4 inches of soil above. Add soil as plants grow until mounded 6 inches high.

5. Pineapple

Remove the leafy crown, stripping all fruit flesh. Peel bottom leaves to reveal root buds. Root in water for 2 weeks, then plant. Patience required: 2-3 years to fruit.

6. Garlic

Plant individual cloves in pots, pointed end up, in a sunny window. Keep soil moist. Larger cloves produce larger bulbs. Harvest in early summer when lower third of leaves yellow.

7. Ginger

Plant a fresh rhizome section with visible buds in shallow, wide pots. Keep warm and moist. Harvest portions as needed while the plant continues growing.

8. Green Onions & Leeks

Place root ends in a glass with water covering roots. Change water daily. Snip greens as they regrow continuously. Transplant to soil for longer production.

Regrowing from scraps connects you to your food cycle, reduces grocery trips, and turns waste into harvest. Start with one or two varieties and expand as you gain confidence.