What Is Kitchen Scrap Gardening + How To Get Started?

Regrowing parts of the veggies you would normally throw out is a good way to go green, here is a look at What Is Kitchen Scrap Gardening + How To Get Started?

So much has changed in our world and the big question remains will we ever get back to normal, and what will that ultimately end up looking like? I’ve had to change and make adjustments to my life (like all of us) especially where sustainability is concerned.

Only time will tell! What I do know is being home has really given me the opportunity to rethink some of my habits and one of the areas I (and probably you) can do better is food waste. We waste a lot of food in Canada. $31 billion worth of food is wasted in Canada each year. This is approximately 40% of food produced yearly in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, in 2007 Canadians wasted the equivalent of 183 kilograms of solid food per person. Putting practical tips in place to help reduce food waste is an important move to reduce your overall carbon footprint whilst saving you a ton of money (and food) in the long run.

Putting practical tips in place to help reduce food waste is an important move to reduce your overall carbon footprint whilst saving you a ton of money (and food) in the long run.

If you are active on Instagram, you have probably seen “kitchen Scrap gardening” becoming a real trend.

So what is Kitchen Scrap Gardening?

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Kitchen scrap gardening is when you grow plants from items you’d normally throw in your compost bucket. Vegetable and fruit scraps like oranges, lemons, limes, sweet potatoes, avocados, carrots, beets, onions, celery, and ginger work well (these are just some examples).

Do you need a Green Thumb?

No! and this is what makes this kind of growing so fun. It’s easy and you can get your kids involved too, it’s a great way to reinforce the sustainable living concepts of recycling and reusing. Plus, it’s a kick to grow new plants from old plant parts. How do you actually grow kitchen scraps?

You’ll probably get better results if you start with high-quality organic produce since some non-organic produce is actually treated to prevent sprouting. Also, keep in mind the climate you live in will determine if and when plants started from scraps can be transferred to an outdoor garden.

How to grow Lettuce and Cabbage?

All you need is a shallow dish and the leftover bottom portion where the leaves were attached. Place the lettuce or cabbage bottom in the dish and add water to about halfway up the greens. Place in a part of your home that gets sunlight every day.

You’ll need to add or replace the water every two or three days. It helps to mist the leave with water once a week. In about three days you’ll see roots growing and new leaves will appear. Now you can plant it in your garden, or leave it in the water and pick the leaves as needed.

How to grow Green Onions?

When cutting the green onions, save the bottom one inch of the bulb. Make sure you keep the tiny roots intact. Take the saved green onion bulb, and replant it in the garden, or in a container. Make a small hole with your fingers or hand shovel — just deep enough to hold the bulb. Make sure to plant the root end down, and let about ¼ – ½ of an inch stick out above the soil line.

In a little over two weeks, the green tops will be tall enough to snip off for another great meal. This can be continued three or four times, supplying you with green onions for a few months. The green onion bulbs can also be placed in a small glass of water and set on a window sill. The green tops will re-emerge and can be snipped off as needed. This is great for the summer or winter — you never have to buy green onions again!

How to grow Garlic?

Use a piece of garlic and plant it with the roots facing down in potting soil. Keep the pot in direct sunlight and in a warm place. Once new shoots appear, cut the shoots back and wait for the bulb (which is when it’s ready to use).

How to grow Basil?

Keep a basil stem (~4 inches) and place it in a glass of water with the leaves above the waterline. Leave the glass in a bright area (but avoid direct sunlight). Once roots are a couple of inches in length, transplant in the soil.

I’ve included some of the more common foods people buy, but honestly, the sky is the limit, a simple Google search will give you so many options.

Have you ever regrown your own food?

If you found this post helpful, please help someone by sharing this article – sharing is caring 🙂!

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