7 Magical Foods You Can Regrow in Your Garden ...

Regrowing vegetables in your garden, who would've thought, right? If you told the 2010 version of myself that in 2024, I'd be excitedly regrowing vegetables in my tiny backyard, I would have laughed so hard I’d spill my overly sugary Starbucks caramel macchiato. Indeed, times have changed and so have our hobbies (goodbye binge-watching, hello urban gardening!). Growing your own food isn't just for those blessed with a green thumb - even if your thumb is closer to, say, beige - you can still easily regrow some magical foods right in your own garden. And who doesn't love a bit of magic? Now, before you spiral into panic, don’t worry, you don't need to be a horticultural wizard; just a little patience and a sunny windowsill will suffice.

The concept of regrowing vegetables can sound intimidating, but it's actually more about clever reuse than back-breaking farm labor. And here’s the juicy bit: not only do you get to enjoy fresh produce, but you also bank some serious money saving on your grocery bills (Cherry tomatoes are practically worth their weight in gold these days, am I right?). In this article, we'll meander through the enchanted world of regrowing veggies like green onions, lettuce, and even pineapples. Yes, you read that right, pineapples!

For those of us who’ve ever enjoyed the satisfaction of watching a sprouting garlic clove on the kitchen counter (guilty as charged!), taking it outside and planting it can be strangely therapeutic. And it gets better: the leafy tops of a carrot or the butt end of a celery stalk that would otherwise end up in the compost (or lingering in the crisper drawer) can be regrown into actual usable produce. Plus, you get to sprinkle that magic dust of “Look what I grew!” on your salads and soups.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a total newbie, the secret to successfully regrowing these foods often boils down to a few basic tips and tricks. For instance, who knew that putting the bottom of a lettuce stalk in water could result in an endless supply of fresh greens? Or that you could plant the top of a store-bought pineapple and transform it into your very own tropical garden centerpiece? We’ll dive into the nitty-gritty and show you step-by-step how you can achieve this with ease.

So, join me on this whimsical journey. Dust off those gardening gloves, grab a spade, and let’s turn some kitchen scraps into a bounty of fresh, home-grown produce. Your future self (and wallet) will thank you.

1 Ginger

Do you have a piece of ginger lying around in the fridge? Try turning it into a brand new plant. It'll take about a year, so you could try having several plants on the go. All you need to do is soak the ginger in water overnight, then plant in a pot of damp soil. Keep watering the soil until you see the shoots appear. When the plant is ready, pull it out, use the ginger, then repeat the process for more ginger next year!

Frequently asked questions

2 Onion

If you throw out your onion ends, you're wasting an opportunity! Turn them into more onions instead. Plant them in moist soil and make sure it doesn't dry out. You should get several shoots. Separate the shoots, making sure each has some roots, and replant. To help the onions grow faster, cut down the shoots so that all the energy will go into the onions.

3 Mushrooms

Do you toss mushroom stalks in the compost, or worse still in the garbage? Why throw them away when you can get more mushrooms! All you need to do is plant them in a mixture of soil and compost, with the top of the stalk sticking out. The bonus is that not only do you get new mushrooms from something you'd discard, but if the stalks grow they'll do so very quickly.

4 Pineapple

Pineapple, on the other hand, will take years to grow, but if you've got the patience give it a try! Take all the fruit and bottom layers out of the pineapple top until root buds appear. Soak the end in water until roots grow, then plant. However, you will have to wait a couple of years to get any fruit, and not live in a cold climate!

5 Lemongrass

Instead of buying lemongrass every time you want some, use the ends to grow your own! Put the root ends in some water, without covering them. Wait a few days, changing the water daily. Once it has roots an inch long, plant in soil. When the stalks grow to 12 inches, chop them and use, leaving the bulb to regrow.

6 Celery

What can you do with the ends of a stick of celery? Throw it away? Don't waste your celery ends - use them to grow more celery! As with some of the other vegetable scraps, you start by leaving the roots in water until it starts to grow leaves. Change the water every few days, as well as spraying with water. Once leaves appear, plant in soil, covering the ends of the sticks and leaving the leaves uncovered.

7 Garlic

You won't need to buy garlic if you grow your own! Just select a nice plump clove (remember that's just one segment - not the entire bulb!). Plant straight into a pot, keep it on a sunny windowsill, and water often. You'll know it's ready when the bottom leaves turn yellow.

It's amazing just how much you can grow from the leftover bits of vegetables that you normally throw away, so give it a go!