The Step You Should Never Skip When Growing Veggies From Scraps

There are very good reasons to stop throwing out your vegetable tops and to use up your vegetable scraps. For one, food waste is a big issue — the US Food & Drug Administration estimates that 30% to 40% of the food supply in the US ends up as food waste. Plus you can save some money, which is always a good thing. And while you may try to use up as much of every vegetable as possible, there are some parts that are largely inedible, such as tops and ends, which often end up in the trash or compost. One way to make use of those inedible veggie scraps is to make a flavorful broth. Another way to make good use of those veggie scraps is to regrow them.

Certain vegetables, including green onions, celery, romaine lettuce, and bok choy can be easily regrown using just scraps and some water. In most cases, you simply cut off a decent size portion of the vegetable's base, root, or top, place it in an appropriately sized container with around a half-inch to an inch of water, and leave it in a spot where it will get enough sunlight. There is one very important step though that shouldn't be skipped though. And that is to regularly change the water.

If you don't change the water, after a few days, it will start to get cloudy and slimy, which will end up stunting the growth of your vegetable scraps. To prevent mold from growing in the water, change out the water every day to every few days, depending on the vegetable. It's best to check the water every day or every other day (use a clear container to make it easier to check), to see if the water needs to be changed, or at least topped up. 

It's also best to use room temperature water, and preferably filtered water if possible. After a few days, you should start seeing some new growth from the scraps. Most vegetables will need to be transplanted eventually to a pot with soil for maximum growth, but in many cases, you can start harvesting the new vegetable growth before having to replant it.