Fresh produce is necessary for optimal health, but it gets expensive to purchase this from the store or market each week. Growing your own fruits and vegetables is the best way to ensure a regular supply and when you grow your produce from kitchen scraps, there is no cost to you.
Over the course of just one month, you can save at least $100 and maybe more if you eat a lot of fresh produce. Many fruits and vegetables can be grown without seeds and you just need to know which ones.
Lettuce
A great lettuce salad is a perfect complement to your dinner and you can grow fresh lettuce from those leaves you would normally throw away. Take those leftover leaves and put them in a bowl with about an inch of water. Over the course of about four days, mist these with water and once the roots start to grow, take these and plant them in the ground.
Celery
Celery is very easy to grow from kitchen scraps and all you need is the base of the celery bunch. Place a bit of warm water in a bowl and put the base in this. Make sure the bowl gets direct sunlight and after about a week once leaves start at the base, plant this in soil and wait for full growth.
Lemongrass
Lemongrass is a great herb and it is not easy to find fresh at regular grocery stores. Grow it in your garden next to your deck and it will keep wasps away. This herb resembles regular grass and to grow it, just take the root, place it in a bowl in an area with full sunlight and cover the root with water. In about a week, this can be planted outside once you notice new growth.
Bean Sprouts
Cooking with bean sprouts gives your dishes a bit of extra flavor and a burst of nutrients. Take about one tablespoon of beans and put them in a bowl. Add a little water and allow these to sit overnight and then rinse them. Keep doing this until new growth occurs and then just allow them to grow as big as you want them.
Avocado
The seed that is right in the middle of an avocado is all you need to grow new ones. Take a container and put it in an area that is warm and has partial sunlight. Suspend the seed over the container and add enough water to cover the lower part of the seed. It generally takes about a month and a half, but once you get stems of about six inches in length, cut them down by half and wait for leaves. Once leaves appear, plant this with only half of the seed in the ground.
Potatoes
Take the eyes on potatoes and dry them out for about 12 hours. Dig a four-inch oil in healthy soil and then just put the eyes in and cover the hole. It can take about a month for new growth.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are not much different than a regular potato in terms of growing them. Take half of sweet potato and suspend it like you did the avocado seed. After a few days, you will start to see roots and once these get to about four inches, break them off and put them in water. Once roots grow to about an inch, just plant them in the ground.
Ginger
Ginger is one the best fresh herbs to have on hand and it is easy to grow. Take a spare piece of the root and plant it in potting soil. Add some coffee grounds to the soil this will guarantee a garden soil type base. After about a week, there is generally enough growth to use the ginger. Just keep repeating this to ensure a plentiful ginger supply.
Pineapples
Pineapples are not limited to tropical areas. Take the top and suspend it over a water-filled container in direct sunlight. You want to keep this as warm as possible and change the water daily so that it remains fresh and full. Once the roots take place after about a week, just plant this in soil.
Garlic
Garlic is an excellent food for your health and you can grow it easily. Take one clove of garlic and plant it in the soil. Add some diatomaceous earth to your soil, garlic loves it. Make sure the weather is warm throughout the day and make sure that the area has adequate sunlight. Cut the shoots back and allow your garlic to grow.
Onions
Onions are simple to grow and you can grow any type both outdoors and indoors. Make sure you have a sunny area and take the root and plant it in potting soil. For green onions, just take the base with the roots on it and place it in some water and let it grow.
Pumpkins
Pumpkin seeds are a great snack, but you can grow your own pumpkins by putting some of those seeds in the ground. All you have to do is place the seeds in the soil and make sure the area gets plenty of sun. You can also recycle your old Jack-O-Lantern and just plant the entire thing.
Peppers
Peppers are easy to grow because all you have to do is take the seeds and put them in potting soil. Unless the weather is very warm you want to make sure your peppers get plenty of sunlight. Peppers do not require much care and they grow quickly.
Fennel
You need a fennel base with the roots intact so that it regrows easily. Take about a cup of water and place it in a bowl in full sunlight. Place the base in this and once the roots get strong and new shoots start to grow, place this into the soil.
Tomatoes
The seeds in tomatoes are all you need to grow new ones. The next time you slice open a tomato, pull some of the seeds out, place them on a paper towel and allow them to dry. Put the seeds into potting soil and allow these to grow indoors until you notice a few inches of growth. Then, just put them outside in a sunny area.
Basil
Basil is pretty simple and you need a four-inch stem and put it in clear glass. Put enough water in the glass to cover the stem, but leave the leaves above the water. Avoid direct sunlight, but make sure the area is bright. Transplant the roots into the soil once they get to be about two inches long.
Cilantro
To regrow cilantro just take the scraps and put the stems into a clear glass and add water. Place this in an area that gets lots of sunlight and wait for the roots to get a few inches long. Once this happens, transfer it to potting soil.
Cherries
You can have a cherry tree in your backyard if you just keep a cherry pit. To allow the pit to germinate, store it for a few weeks in a cold area. Just clean the pit, put it in a container with a lid and pack it well with rich soil.
Turnips, Carrots
Turnips are very easy to grow because you just put the tops in some water and after the green tops are visible and roots start, plant this outside. Any root vegetable can be grown this way, such as carrots, turnips, beets, and parsnips.
Chestnuts
The key to growing chestnuts is to choose a type that matches the planting zone you live in. Before planting, dry the nuts out well and be prepared to be patient. It can take a few years before you get a really plentiful crop.