05/06/2026
From Grow it right: A great way to stretch our food and reduce food waste.
The green onion roots you trim off and throw away can be back on your cutting board in five days. Same with the celery base, the lettuce stump, and the basil stem sitting in a glass on your counter. 🌱
Ten kitchen scraps worth keeping, and what each one actually regrows:
- Green onions: fastest return on this list. Trim to 1 inch above the roots, place in a glass with just enough water to cover the roots, and harvest again in 5–7 days. Repeats indefinitely
- Celery: cut the base 2 inches up, place cut-side up in shallow water. New stalks emerge from the center in about a week. Transfer to soil for a full plant
- Lettuce: place the stump in a shallow bowl with a half-inch of water. New leaves appear in 1–2 weeks — enough for garnish and salads, not a full head
- Carrot tops: stand the top inch of a carrot in shallow water. Grows edible carrot greens, not a new carrot. Good for salads and garnish
- Basil: place a 4-inch stem cutting in a glass of water in indirect light. Roots develop in 7–10 days, then plant in soil for a full productive plant
- Garlic: a single clove in shallow water produces garlic greens in a week — milder than garlic, used like chives
- Onion: place the root end in shallow water. Produces onion greens quickly, similar to scallions
- Mint: the fastest-rooting herb on this list. Any stem with a node placed in water roots in days and produces a full plant within weeks
- Potato: suspend a sprouted potato half in water with toothpicks, sprout-side up. Once shoots and roots develop, transfer to soil — water alone won't produce tubers
- Bok choy: place the base in shallow water, change every 2–3 days. New leaves grow from the center; full regrowth is possible with a transfer to soil 🌿
One rule across all of them: never fully submerge. Keep just the cut base or roots in water. Change the water every 2–3 days to prevent rot. Bright indirect light works better than direct sun for most of these.
The green onion roots you trim off and throw away can be back on your cutting board in five days. Same with the celery base, the lettuce stump, and the basil stem sitting in a glass on your counter. 🌱
Ten kitchen scraps worth keeping, and what each one actually regrows:
- Green onions: fastest return on this list. Trim to 1 inch above the roots, place in a glass with just enough water to cover the roots, and harvest again in 5–7 days. Repeats indefinitely
- Celery: cut the base 2 inches up, place cut-side up in shallow water. New stalks emerge from the center in about a week. Transfer to soil for a full plant
- Lettuce: place the stump in a shallow bowl with a half-inch of water. New leaves appear in 1–2 weeks — enough for garnish and salads, not a full head
- Carrot tops: stand the top inch of a carrot in shallow water. Grows edible carrot greens, not a new carrot. Good for salads and garnish
- Basil: place a 4-inch stem cutting in a glass of water in indirect light. Roots develop in 7–10 days, then plant in soil for a full productive plant
- Garlic: a single clove in shallow water produces garlic greens in a week — milder than garlic, used like chives
- Onion: place the root end in shallow water. Produces onion greens quickly, similar to scallions
- Mint: the fastest-rooting herb on this list. Any stem with a node placed in water roots in days and produces a full plant within weeks
- Potato: suspend a sprouted potato half in water with toothpicks, sprout-side up. Once shoots and roots develop, transfer to soil — water alone won't produce tubers
- Bok choy: place the base in shallow water, change every 2–3 days. New leaves grow from the center; full regrowth is possible with a transfer to soil 🌿
One rule across all of them: never fully submerge. Keep just the cut base or roots in water. Change the water every 2–3 days to prevent rot. Bright indirect light works better than direct sun for most of these.
