Oh goodness everyone… I am so excited!! Typically, I have a very brown thumb, okay maybe more like a black thumb! I have a hard time growing anything. Even my aloe plant (the only plant I have ever managed to keep alive) suffers quite often. But, no more!!! Growing vegetables from scraps is quite simple even for someone like me. Black thumb be gone!!
Yep! It really works! I just cut off the ends of some celery, romaine lettuce, and chives (sorry, sounds better than green onions) and stuck them in some water. I placed them in my kitchen window so that way every time I cook I would see them and remember to water and tend to them.
Once the plants started to grow at least a few inches, I put them in some pots with potting soil. As you can see from the pictures, some of the veggies haven’t had time to grow a whole lot yet. But, they will get there.
There are a ton of tutorials on how to cut the vegetables and which parts will grow, but I started out super simple. Well, other than the avocado that you see in the pictures. Avocados take a long time to grow from what I have heard, but I eat them so often I thought I would try.
Growing Vegetable Scraps Tutorials:
Here are a couple of links to some information on which vegetables work best and how to grow them.
eHow.com – No Garden? No Problem! Create a Self-Sustaining Decorative and Edible Windowsill Planter
JerryJamesStone.com – Food That Magically Regrows Itself from Kitchen Scraps
iCreativeIdeas.com – 13 Vegetables That You Can Regrow Again And Again
The best part about this new adventure in gardening is that it only costs a few dollars for soil on top of the vegetables I normally buy anyways. And, it may even save me quite a bit in the long run. I used some old planters, bowls, and a small glass that I already had to plant them in once they had grown enough.
I did end up painting the planters with chalkboard and acrylic paint just to make things look pretty but you don’t have to. If nothing else, the dollar tree sells some really nice looking planters this time of year.
Another plus of growing your own food is that you at least know that pesticides haven’t been used! That’s definitely a win! Surprisingly, I believe my black thumb is starting to turn green!! Yay! Now it’s time to start on a herb garden…
Have you tried growing your own veggies or herbs yet? If so I would love to hear tips or tricks that you have learned in the comments below! If you have questions I will certainly do my best to help as well.
Happy Gardening!