Regrowing Green Onions and Lettuce from Scraps

Your Kitchen Counter is Now a Garden

In the quest for a more sustainable kitchen, reducing food waste is paramount. One of the most delightful and surprisingly easy ways to do this is through kitchen scrap gardening. You can take the parts of vegetables you'd normally throw in the compost bin and give them a second life, growing fresh food right on your windowsill.

Two of the easiest and most rewarding vegetables to start with are green onions and romaine lettuce. This guide will show you how to turn your kitchen scraps into a perpetual harvest.

How to Regrow Green Onions in Water

This is the classic beginner's project for regrowing vegetables from scraps. It's almost foolproof and incredibly fast.

• What You Need:

  • A bunch of green onions.
  • A small glass jar or cup.
  • Water.

• The Method:

  1. The next time you use green onions, don't throw away the white part with the roots. Instead, cut the green tops off about 1-2 inches above the roots.
  2. Place the root ends into the glass jar.
  3. Add just enough water to cover the roots, but not the whole stump.
  4. Place the jar on a sunny windowsill.
  5. Change the water every 2-3 days to keep it fresh.

• The Magic: Within just a day or two, you will see new green shoots emerging from the center of the white stumps. They grow incredibly fast. In about a week, you'll have a new harvest of green onions ready to be snipped and used. You can repeat this cycle 2-3 times before the stumps start to lose their vigor.

How to Regrow Lettuce from its Stump

This method works best with head-forming lettuces, especially romaine.

• What You Need:

  • The stump of a head of romaine lettuce.
  • A shallow bowl or dish.
  • Water.

• The Method:

  1. When you're done with a head of romaine, slice the leaves off about 1-2 inches from the bottom. You are saving the solid, stump-like base.
  2. Place the stump cut-side-up in the shallow bowl.
  3. Add about half an inch of water to the bowl. You want to submerge the very bottom of the stump but keep the top dry to prevent rot.
  4. Place the bowl on a sunny windowsill.
  5. Change the water every 1-2 days to keep it clean.

• The Magic: In a few days, you'll see small, pale green leaves starting to sprout from the center of the stump. Over the next 10-14 days, these will grow into a small, new head of romaine lettuce. The leaves will be tender and sweet. While you won't get a full-sized head of lettuce like the one you bought, you'll get enough fresh leaves for a sandwich or a small salad. It's a fantastic way to reduce food waste and enjoy the satisfaction of a homegrown harvest.

These simple projects are a perfect introduction to the world of gardening and a wonderful way to teach kids about where food comes from. They prove that you don't need a big yard to have a windowsill garden and enjoy the taste of something you've grown yourself.