Growing Plants From Scraps

Who doesn’t like the thought of spending less on groceries by growing fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs at home? With time and a little bit of patience, you can use scraps to regrow everything from spring onions and basil to pineapples and ginger! Gardening is also a fun and stimulating family activity to try with the kids - it's great for teaching them to explore homegrown foods, natural ingredients, and to choose a balanced diet.

Spring Onions

Spring onions are incredibly easy to regrow and take as little as a week to start producing noticeable new stalks. All you have to do is plant the bulbs root side down (the white end) either in a container with drainage holes or directly in your garden soil. Water regularly and place near sunlight. As long as you leave your bulbs planted, you should be able to get three to four harvests from your bulbs!

Ginger

Ginger is great when enjoyed in a cuppa tea with some honey and lemon when feeling fluey. To grow your own ginger, select bulbs of ginger with a couple of growth buds on each piece. Soak in water overnight. Plant the ginger bulbs about 5 cm deep in a pot or directly in garden soil. The soil should be rich and loose (add fertiliser and compost if necessary). Make sure you select a spot where the ginger will get plenty of light but no direct sun, and where it is protected from the wind.

Pineapple

When shopping for a fresh pineapple to plant, choose one that’s evenly ripe, with a healthy set of green leaves at the top. Avoid overripe ones with limp leaves. Cut off the pineapple crown using a sharp knife, making sure to slice away any rind or remaining fruit flesh. Remove the lower leaves on the pineapple stalk, leaving a bare stalk. Trim off the outer portion of the pineapple top at the bottom of the crown or stem, until you see root buds. Allow the stalk to dry for a few days before planting.

To plant, fill a clay pot using a light soil mix with perlite and sand. Place the pineapple top in the soil up to the base of its leaves. Water thoroughly and place it in bright, indirect light. Roots should start developing in about two months. Once root develops, you can start giving the plant additional light.

Basil

Herbs are easy plants to grow indoors. To plant, start by placing basil stalks in water. After a week or two, you’ll begin to see roots coming along. Once you see that these roots are well established, you can plant the basil. Ensure that the basil plants get sufficient light and are watered often. Once the basil leaves start to come out, make sure you leave enough of the leaves behind to keep your basil growing indefinitely.

Garlic sprouts

A lot of people think that when their garlic bulbs start showing green stems, it’s time to toss them out. But if you let that garlic keep going, you’ll get garlic sprouts, which you can use anywhere you might use chives or herbs. To grow them, simply place garlic bulbs into small glasses with some water, so the roots are just touching the water. Within a few days, you should have some sprouts to start using.