16 Foods you Can Regrow From Scraps

Instead of tossing those vegetable scraps in the trash, you could be growing your next meal from them. Many common foods can regenerate from their leftover parts, turning kitchen waste into a continuous supply of fresh produce right on your windowsill or in your garden.

Regrowing food from scraps is surprisingly easy and requires no special gardening skills or expensive equipment—just water, light, and a little patience. Here is a list of 16 foods you can regrow from scraps, turning your kitchen waste into a thriving mini garden.

Regrow green onions from their white roots

Cut green onions about an inch above the white root end, then place the roots in a glass of water with the white parts submerged. New green shoots will appear within days, and you can harvest them repeatedly by cutting just the green tops.

Change the water every few days to keep it fresh, and you’ll have a constant supply of green onions for months.

Sprout celery from the base

Save the bottom two inches of a celery bunch and place it in a shallow bowl with just enough water to cover the cut end. New leaves will begin growing from the center within a week, and roots will develop from the bottom.

Once roots are established, you can plant it in soil for a complete celery plant or keep harvesting baby leaves from the water.

Root basil cuttings in water

Take 4-inch cuttings from basil stems, just below a leaf node, and remove the bottom leaves before placing them in water. Roots typically develop within a week or two, and you can either keep the plants in water indefinitely or transplant them to soil once roots are strong.

Fresh basil cuttings root so easily that you can maintain a constant supply just by taking cuttings from your existing plants.

Grow lettuce from the stem end

Save the bottom inch of romaine lettuce or other leafy greens and place the cut end in water in a sunny location. New leaves will sprout from the center within days, though the regrown lettuce will be smaller and more tender than store-bought heads.

This method works best with romaine, but you can try it with other lettuce varieties and leafy greens like bok choy.

Propagate potatoes from eyes

Cut seed potatoes into pieces that each contain at least one eye, let the cut surfaces dry for a day, then plant them in soil with the eyes facing up. Each eye can produce a new potato plant that will yield multiple potatoes underground.

Even sprouted potatoes from your pantry can be planted whole or cut into sections for a homegrown potato crop.

Start ginger from fresh rhizomes

Plant fresh ginger root pieces in potting soil with the growth buds facing up, keeping the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. New shoots will emerge in a few weeks, and you can harvest baby ginger in about four months or wait longer for mature rhizomes.

Choose organic ginger since conventional ginger is often treated to prevent sprouting.

Cultivate avocado trees from pits

Clean an avocado pit and suspend it over water using toothpicks, with the pointed end up and the bottom third submerged. Roots and a stem will develop over several weeks, and once the stem reaches about 6 inches, you can plant it in soil.

While homegrown avocado trees take years to produce fruit, they make attractive houseplants with glossy green leaves.

Root sweet potato slips in water

Cut a sweet potato in half and suspend each half in water using toothpicks, with the cut side down. Shoots called slips will grow from the top, and once they’re about 4 inches long, you can twist them off and root them separately in water.

These slips can then be planted in soil to grow new sweet potato plants that will produce tubers underground.

Grow garlic greens from cloves

Plant individual garlic cloves’ pointed end up in soil, or place them in water until they sprout green shoots. The green shoots taste like mild garlic and can be harvested continuously without disturbing the clove.

If planted in soil and left alone, garlic cloves will eventually form new bulbs, though this takes a full growing season to complete.

Sprout onions from bulbs

Place a full onion with some roots still attached in water or plant it directly in soil to encourage new growth. The center will send up green shoots that taste like green onions and can be harvested repeatedly.

Some onions may eventually form new bulbs if left in soil, though this works better with onions that haven’t been treated to prevent sprouting.

Root cilantro stems in water

Take cuttings from cilantro plants just like basil, removing lower leaves and placing stems in water until roots develop. Cilantro can be trickier than basil to root, but fresh cuttings from healthy plants usually succeed with patience.

Once rooted, cilantro plants can continue growing in water or be transplanted to soil for larger harvests.

Regrow leeks from root ends

Save the bottom two inches of leeks including the root system and place in water just like green onions. New green growth will appear from the center, and you can harvest the tender green parts while leaving the white base to continue growing.

Leeks regrow more slowly than green onions but provide a milder, more sophisticated flavor for cooking.

Propagate mint from cuttings

Cut 4-inch pieces of mint stems and place them in water, where they’ll root quickly and can either stay in water or be transplanted to soil. Mint roots so aggressively that it can take over gardens, so many people prefer to keep it in containers or water.

Fresh mint cuttings root faster than most herbs and will provide fresh leaves for teas, cocktails, and cooking.

Start tomatoes from seeds

Save seeds from ripe tomatoes, dry them completely, then plant them in soil when conditions are right for growing. Tomato seeds from hybrid varieties won’t grow true to the parent plant, but heirloom tomato seeds will produce plants identical to the original.

This method requires more patience since you’re starting from seed, but it’s rewarding to grow tomatoes from fruit you’ve eaten.

Grow pineapple tops

Twist off the crown of a fresh pineapple, remove the bottom leaves to expose the stem, and let it dry for a few days before planting it in soil. Pineapple plants are slow-growing and can take years to produce fruit, but they make interesting houseplants with spiky, tropical foliage.

Keep the soil slightly moist and provide bright light for best results.

Root carrots for greens

Place carrot tops in water to grow fresh carrot greens, which are edible and nutritious though they won’t produce new carrots. The feathery green tops have a taste somewhat like parsley and can be used in salads, soups, or as a garnish.

While you won’t get new carrots from the tops, the greens are often discarded at stores, making this a way to use the entire vegetable.

From waste to wonder

Regrowing food from scraps transforms your relationship with kitchen waste, connecting you more directly to your food sources. These simple techniques require minimal investment but can provide ongoing harvests of fresh herbs, vegetables, and greens right from your countertop.

The best part is that success with these easy projects often inspires people to try more ambitious gardening ventures, turning a few kitchen scraps into a lifelong passion for growing food at home.

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