9 vegetables you can grow from kitchen scraps
Give it a try!
In a time when it might be harder to get to the shops, and if you do get there, you might find your favourite vegetable is out so stock, why not have a go at growing your own vegetables from your kitchen scraps?!
From growing your carrot tops, to drying out tomato seeds and growing a whole new tomato plant, your fingers might be greener than you first thought...
Here are 9 vegetables you can grow from kitchen scraps:
Potatoes
In the past you might have cut off the eyes that have been growing on a potato, but now is the time for them to come into their own!
Using a knife, rather than a peeler, cut off a potato eye with a bit of potato underneath. Pop the scraps into some soil, about 10 cm deep and wait a few weeks.
Each eye will produce a number of potatoes so you're best off planting these in a bucket, or directly into your garden.
Avocados
This popular superfood can be grown from its large seed, however don't be under any illusion, it will take a long time!
If you want to give it a go, take out the stone and suspend it in a glass of water with toothpicks.
Make sure you keep the glass in a warm place out of direct sunlight, and as mentioned be patient. It can take around six weeks to see a stem and roots! When the leaves appear it's time to transfer to soil.
Lettuce
Although it might be tempting to throw away the bottom of a lettuce or cabbage, when you cut the leaves off, DON'T throw away the base!
You can grow more leaves, just put the base in water for a few days, once it starts to grow its own roots and extra leaves pop it in some soil and continue to water it regularly - but don't overwater it.
Celery
Similar to lettuce and cabbage you can grow celery from its base.
After you've cut off the top of the celery, put the base into a bowl of warm water in daylight. After about a week, roots and new shoots should start of appear, this is the time you should replant into soil.
Onions
Similar to lettuce and celery, you can grown onions if you leave around 1cm from the base and place in soil.
Spring onions and leeks
As above, save the base of spring onions or leeks and pop them into a glass of water. After a few days you'll get to see some roots appear along with new growth from above.
Then, after a couple of weeks of growth, replant in soil.
Tomatoes
Save the seeds from a tomato, rinse and then dry them out on a kitchen roll.
Once they're dry you can plant them out into rich compost and after a short time seedlings should start to grow.
Keep your seedings inside or in a greenhouse until the weather gets warmer.
Carrots
You can grow carrots from their tops! Cut around 1cm from the top and place in water.
After a week or so they should start to develop more leaves, once a few leaves have grown plant into soil covering the top of the carrot completely.
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