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Scrap Gardening

Do you ever finish eating one of your favorite foods and think, "Man, I wish I could just have that at home all the time."? How cool would it be if you could take a pepperoni off of your pizza, cover it with some dirt, and a few weeks later have a whole new pizza ready to throw into the oven?!  We sadly don't live in the Wonderful World of Willy Wonka with gummy bear trees and lollipop weeds, but we can grow some foods at home from the scraps we usually throw away. 

Growing from scraps is beneficial for multiples reasons.  It provides a great way to recycle and reduce waste.  You will be spending less money in the grocery store and know the quality of what you're growing at home.  Scrap growing can be turned into a fun hobby and is a great hands-on growing experience for children.

Cabbage
I am personally very fond of cabbage and started my own scrap growing process with this leafy vegetable.  I was amazed at how quickly my scraps rooted and began to grow new leaves.  The process was very simple to get started.  First, I cut off the bottom part of the cabbage head.  I then took a bowl, filled the bottom with water, and placed the bottom of the cabbage in the bowl of water.  The bowl was placed near my kitchen window and every few days I added more water as needed.  In less than a week I had roots growing and tiny new leaves on the top!  The next step will be to transplant the cabbage bottom into a pot of soil and then watch it grow.  Once it has fully grown, you may harvest the vegetable and start the process over again.
Celery
Celery is going to be my next attempt at growing from scraps.  This veggie is full of vitamins, aids in digestions, and can be used as a snack or in cooking.  The process is very similar to the cabbage.  Cut the base of the celery and place in a small bowl of water, stalks facing up.  Set the bowl near a window and add more water as needed.  The yellow leaves around the center will begin to thicken and turn dark green.  After about a week, move the celery to the garden or a pot of soil, covering everything but the leaf tips.  Keep the plant watered regularly.  You will soon see leaves and celery stalks start to grow.  Harvest the plant when ready and repeat the process. 
Green Onions
This may be one of the easiest scrap growing plants.  After you are done using the green tops of the onion, simply place the leftover white bulb (with roots in tact) in a container of water.  Place the container in direct sunlight and change the water out every few days.  The green tops will grow back continuously.  Just snip off the greens as you need.
Potatoes
Am I the only one that has accidentally started growing a potato plant because I forgot about them?  That being said, it is pretty well known you can plant potatoes from potatoes or potato peelings.  Cut a potato into pieces or peels that have at least 2 eyes on them.  Set the on the counter and allow them to dry out overnight.  Plant them directly in soil, about 4 inches deep, with the eyes facing up.  It ill take several weeks before you see a potato plant begin to grow.  When all of the foliage of the plant has withered and died, it is time to harvest your potatoes. 
There are so many more foods you can grow from scraps and it's not just vegetables.  Did you know you can grow a pineapple bush from the top pineapple scraps?!  The Food Revolution Network provides a list of different foods along with instructions on how to grow from food scraps.  So next time you're getting ready to toss that peel, seed, or core in the trash, ask yourself: "Can I use this to grow my own?"

-Ms. Jennifer




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