You will be AMAZED at how many Fruits, Vegetables and Herbs can be grown from the scraps left behind. Don't toss them out, instead use the left overs and create your own garden with them costing you NOTHING!
There are many Scraps and Leftovers that can be used to grow many of your Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs we often use on our dinner tables. Naturally the grocery stores would prefer you don't know this because you won't b coming back anytime soon to fill up that grocery cart with any of these items, but for you to live a sustainable lifestyle and one that allows you to live OFF GRID you need to innovative and learn what works and what doesn't when it comes to growing your own garden and saving money in the process.
We'll be covering a GREAT LIST of SCRAPS and SEEDS you can grow from in a considerably quick amount of time that will produce full Fruits, Veggies and Herbs from the leftovers you don't use. This is something you can continue to do once you master growing these items.
Herbs are one of the best to take from SCRAPS...below we'll cover some of the best!
BASIL:Basil is relatively easy to regrow. You just have to have a stem about four inches high. Place this stem in a glass of water with the leaves well above the water line. Leave the glass sitting in a bright area but not in direct sunlight. Roots will begin to form in a few days and when those roots reach a couple of inches long, you can transplant them in soil and have a new Basil Plant...IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
CILANTRO:
Cilantro can be grown from scraps as well. Just place the bottom of the stem in a glass of water and leave in a bright area, near a window. When the roots grow a couple of inches long, you can transplant the cilantro into a pot and watch your Cilantro grow!
ROSEMARY:
You can regrow rosemary from 6 inch cuttings. Place them in water and within a few weeks, there should start to root. In a 4″ pot filled with damp potting soil, make holes with a pen or pencil and place the rosemary cutting into it. ONLY water the Rosemary when the soil starts feeling dry. Keep it direct sunlight for 6 hours per day because it needs light to flourish.
MINT:
To grow mint, get a clipping and plant it 3″ deep in a 8″ pot of damp soil. Make sure your mint plant is in a slightly humid, sun-exposed room. Every few days, rotate the pot. Within a few weeks, your mint plant should begin to flourish and be ready to be plucked.
CELERY:
Celery is an easy food to grow from leftover scraps. Just cut off the bottom or base of your celery and lay it in a bowl with just a bit of warm water in the bottom. Keep the bowl in direct sunlight as long as possible each day and after about a week, you will begin to see the leaves thickening and growing along the base. When this happens, you can transplant your celery in soil and wait for it to grow to full length.
LETTUCE:
Lettuce are relatively easy to grow from scraps. Instead of throwing out those leftover leaves, simply place them in a bowl with just a bit of water in the bottom. Keep the bowl somewhere that gets good sunlight and mist the leaves with water a couple of times each week. After 3 or 4 days, you will notice roots beginning to appear along with new leaves. When this happens you can transplant your lettuce into soil.
LEMONGRASS:
Regrowing lemongrass is pretty easy. Lemongrass will grow just like regular grass. You just place the root that is leftover in a glass bowl or jar with enough water to cover it and leave it in the sunlight. After about a week, you will notice new growth and when this happens you can transplant your lemongrass into a pot.
AVOCADO:
Avocado seeds can be used to grow a steady supply of this super food. You just have to wash the seed and use toothpicks to suspend it over water in a bowl or jar. The water should come up enough to cover the bottom inch of the seed. Keep the container in a warm place but not in direct sunlight and remember to check the water every day and add more as needed. It can take up to six weeks to eight weeks for the stem and roots to appear and once the stem reaches about 6 inches you will need to cut it down to 3 inches. When leaves begin appearing, you can plant the seed in soil, remembering to leave about half of it above ground. Avocado Trees take 10 YEARS to produce...HOWEVER...if you planted a tree TRIMMING from a nursery or garden center, the tree should begin to produce a crop after three years. BEST TO GROW SEVERAL at a time for pollination!
CARROTS:
Place chopped off carrot tops in a container filled with a bit of water. Pretty soon, they will begin to sprout delicious greens from the top that are a nice addition to meals. Using a deeper container and more water, use toothpicks to keep carrots halfway in the water and wait for them to root. Once they root, you can plant them in your garden!
GINGER:
With ginger you already have, look for pieces that already have little things growing out of them. With that piece, cut off the parts that look like they’re about to start what’s called a “rhizome” because they’re the key to growing new ginger plants. Growing this food takes minimal effort but does require the right conditions. Warm, slightly humid places are perfect. Plant the piece of ginger about 3-5 inches in the soil with its rhizome pointing upwards. Water it regularly. It’s a labor of love and can take up to ten months before you get a sufficient amount of ginger, but its health benefits are more than worth it.
PINEAPPLE:
NOTE: As most know...PINEAPPLES are not a fast process. It will take several years, but it will be worth it! Take a pineapple and cut the flowery “crown” off about an inch below the leaves. Trim around the bottom until you see little brownish bumps (these are the root buds). Before planting, dehydrate the pineapple crown to prevent rotting too soon. Now, with your prepped pineapple cutting, place it in a shallow container of warm water. When the cutting begins to root, replant it into a container with soil and be sure to water once a week. If possible, keep it in a bright, warm place with as much direct sunlight as possible.
MOUNTAIN APPLE:
You can plant seeds from those delicious apples and grow your own apple trees. These are a little difficult but they will grow although you should note that you can plant several of the seeds from a single apple and end up with different types of apple trees. Just allow the seeds to dry out and then plant them. You will need at least two apple trees in order for them to grow well so save more than one seed the next time you enjoy an mountain apple.
LILIKOI:
Lilikoi Fruit Vines, well known as PASSION FRUIT can be grown from seeds. The only concern is that Lilikoi is NOT A TREE...it is a free roaming VINE and can quickly grow out of control so if you plan on growing Lilikoi from seeds make sure you either have some good size trellises or make sure you have some fences along your property for them to grown on. These are wild vines so if you don't have fences, railings or trellises they will grow wild all over your other fruit tress or even all over your house. from beginning to Fruit it will take about 8 months to a year to grow. Just be sure to clean and dry your seeds before planting and choose a soil that is rich in nutrients for the best results.
ONIONS:
Onions are very easy to grow indoors or out. You just have to cut the root of the onion off and make sure that you leave about a half an inch of onion when you do. Cover lightly with potting soil and keep in a sunny area. For green onions, simply put the white base with the roots intact in a container of water and place in direct sunlight. Change the water out every few days and the green will continue to grow. Just snip what you need and allow it to grow as long as you like.
GARLIC:
Garlic is really easy to grow and can be done from just one clove. When you buy garlic, you get several cloves so just pull one off and plant it with the roots facing down in potting soil. Garlic likes plenty of direct sunlight so in warmer weather, keep it outdoors in the sun during the day. Once you notice that new shoots have established, cut the shoots back and your plant will produce a bulb. You can take part of this new bulb and plant again.
TURNIPS:
Turnips grow well from clippings or leftover scraps. You just need to salvage the tops of the turnip and place in a container of water. You should notice new green tops growing in just a few days after you begin. Just allow the root to continue growing until it’s ready to be transplanted in the ground.
PEPPERS:
You can grow a number of hot peppers from the seeds that are leftover. Just collect the seeds from your habaneros, jalapenos or any other peppers that you have on hand. Plant them in potting soil and keep in direct sunlight unless it is warm outside and then you can just plant them in your garden area. Peppers grow relatively fast and don’t require a lot of care. Once you get a new crop, just save some of the seeds for replanting again.
MUSHROOMS:
You can grow mushrooms from cuttings, although they are a bit more difficult than many other vegetables. You will need a warm area with a lot of humidity and soil that is rich in nutrients. It is much better to grow your mushrooms in a pot as opposed to in the ground because you have a better shot at controlling the temperature and the humidity. You just have to cut away the head of the mushroom and plant the stalk or stem in the soil. Leave the very top exposed and this base will begin to grow a new head.
TOMATOES:
Tomatoes can be grown just by saving those seeds that you probably throw out anyway. You just have to rinse the seeds and allow them to dry. Plant in a good, rich potting soil until you notice growth coming in. Allow the seeds to get a few inches high before transplanting them outdoors. Just remember to keep them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight and water a few times each week. Once vines grow make sure they have a wood trellis to grown off of.