Instead of throwing out your fruit and vegetable kitchen scraps, or tossing them into the compost heap, keep them in the kitchen and place them into jars of water to regrow your favorite produce right on your windowsill. For most plants, all you need to do is replace the water regularly and don’t let the water level get too low while they grow.
Propagating these common garden plants is so simple, most people can do it without needing to acquire any additional materials other than what they already have in their kitchen cabinets. All you need for each plant is a container, fresh running water, and a few cuttings, and you are on a fast track to stocking your crisper drawers with loads of fresh homegrown produce.
The best containers for the task are those with narrow mouths, as they need to hold the cuttings upright instead of allowing them to fall into the water. If you only have wide-mouthed jars available, just use a nylon netting to cover up the tops of the containers so that you can slip the cuttings through the holes in the nylon, which will hold them in place and keep them from sliding down and becoming submerged in the water.
Opaque-colored jars or glasses are better than clear containers, as they lower the risk of algae formation occurring in the water source. However, as long as you are changing the water every two to three days, you won’t have to worry about any algae issues.
There are many different plants that can be regrown using this method. Some can remain in the water source indefinitely and can even be harvested right from your windowsill, while others will need to be moved into a container with potting soil or transplanted into your garden beds in order to grow tall and develop to their full potential. The following vegetables can all be regrown from cuttings using only a container of water and a sunny space on your windowsill. Special care instructions for those that require additional attention are listed here as well.
Bok Choy
Simply cut off leaves at the bottom of the stalks and within a few days, new growth will appear.
Cabbage
Cut the bottom of the head off, & place it in a shallow bowl with a small amount of water. Don’t let the leaves get too big, they’ll taste better when small.
Carrot Greens
When you’ve finished eating the root of the carrot plant, save the tops! Cut them down to just a few inches and watch them produce new green leaves. Excellent for tossing into salads, make pesto or add to your green juices.
Celery
Cut the stalks down to about 2-3 inches tall. Place base of plant and small roots into a shallow bowl with a small amount of water and watch a new small stalk begin to grow from the center.
Fennel
Cut the stalk down to about 1-2 inches tall, leaving the roots intact. Place in shallow bowl with water.
Garlic Chives
Place a small garlic bulb that has started to grow a green shoot into a shallow bowl of water. Within a few days, you’ll be enjoying fresh garlic chives.
Green Onions
Cut the green part off of your green onion, and place the white stalk with the roots intact into a bowl of water. The stalk will regrow the green section that you cut off.
Lettuce
Remove the bottom of the head, leaving it about 1-3 inches long. Place that into a shallow bowl with water. It will regrow small lettuce leaves in the center.
Leeks
Place the bottom section of the stalk, about 2-3 inches long, into a bowl with water. It will re-grow the center portion of the leek.
Lemon Grass
Plant the same as you would a leek. Remove all but 2-3 inches of the stalk, place in about 1/2 inch of water and watch it regrow from the center.