Regrow your veggies It’s simple to grow veg from roots, cuttings and kitchen scraps – here’s how
It’s easy to grow veg from roots, cuttings and kitchen scraps. Melissa Raupach explains how to do it
You don’t need a massive garden to grow vegetables. A small flower pot and a bit of sunshine and rain is enough to regrow veg from kitchen left overs – in the main by vegetative propagation, but also from the seeds they produce.
This approach reduces household waste as well as simultaneously providing fresh home-grown food.
You probably won’t be able to replace your entire produce consumption with regrown vegetables, but that’s not the goal. Rather, it’s about returning to simplicity, and reducing waste. Aside from the ethical motivations – reusing, reducing waste and recycling – it’s a lot of fun and allows you to hone a whole new set of gardening skills.
Beetroot belongs to the Amaranthaceae family, with sugar beet and chard. It’s not very picky when it comes to growing conditions and tolerates cooler climates without a problem. This classic winter vegetable owes its intense red colour to glycoside betanin, and is rich in vitamin B, iron, potassium and folic acid, so it’s high up on the healthiness scale. Here I’m regrowing beetroot leaves to add to salads and as garnish.
How to do it:
1. Using a raw beet (not a cooked one from the supermarket) cut off the top of the beetroot that the leaves grow out of. The piece you cut off should be at least 3cm (1in) thick, but no more than a third of the entire beet (see right).
2. Place the beet stem in water. Make sure the head of the beet is facing upwards so leaves can grow. Place the glass near a window and change the water once every couple of days to keep it fresh.
3. Plant the beet in soil/compost for five to seven days, taking care not to bury the head. Keep the soil/compost just moist (but not too wet). In two to three weeks, the first new leaves should be visible.
4. Carefully cut a few leaves but don’t harvest them all at once, or the plant may not recover. Although an entire beet isn’t likely to grow back in most cases, the leaves have lots of culinary uses: steamed like spinach, shred raw into coleslaw or blended into soup.
Avocado’s buttery texture and taste pairs well with so many dishes – and they’re healthy too! However, these plants like it warm so you’ll need to keep them on a sunny windowsill or in the greenhouse to get their enormous seeds to germinate. In the tropics it takes up to 10 years before a tree begins to bear fruit; here in the UK you’ll end up with a beautiful houseplant.
How to do it: 1.
Gently remove the avocado seed, wash it thoroughly under cold water and dry it off. Using four toothpicks, poke holes into the seed at even distances apart. Poke the holes slightly below the middle half of the seed. It’s a good idea to regrow two or three seeds at once to increase your chances of success.
2. Place your toothpick-avocado seed structure on a small glass of water as shown. The toothpicks ensure that only the lower part of the seed is submerged. Position the glass in a warm, bright location and make sure you regularly change the water to keep it fresh.
3. After a few weeks, you’ll start to see roots growing from the bottom of the seed. Eventually, the tip of the seed will break open and a small shoot will emerge. Continue to change the water regularly. After a few weeks, you’ll begin to see the first leaves.
4. Once the plant is 15-20cm (6-8in) tall, you can plant it in soil/compost. Make sure that everything but the top of the seed is covered. A bright area and regular watering will help your avocado continue to grow.