You don’t need fancy seed packets or a trip to the garden centre to grow fresh veg.
In fact, some of the best starters are probably already in your kitchen bin. A lot of everyday scraps can bounce back into something edible with just a bit of water, sunlight, and patience. Here are 10 vegetables you can regrow from scraps, no seed-buying required.
1. Spring onions
These are probably the easiest win when it comes to kitchen scrap gardening. Just pop the white root end of a spring onion into a glass of water, root side down, and watch it start growing again within days. As long as you change the water regularly and give it some sun, you’ll get fresh green tops back in no time.
Once the shoots get a few inches tall, you can snip them off and use them like you would normally. Bonus: you can keep reusing the same base for multiple rounds, so one lonely leftover onion can give you weeks of garnish.
2. Celery
The base of a celery stalk—usually the part you chuck away—is actually a great regrower. Place the bottom few inches in a shallow dish of water, and after a few days, you’ll see new leaves pushing up from the centre. Once those leaves start to grow strong and roots appear, you can transplant it into soil and let it really take off. It won’t grow into a massive supermarket-style bunch, but you’ll get plenty of usable stalks over time.
3. Lettuce
Similar to celery, the base of a romaine lettuce head can sprout again if you place it in water. Just make sure the bottom is sitting in about an inch of water and give it access to some light—within a few days, you’ll see leaves regrowing. You won’t get a full head again, but you can harvest the new tender leaves for sandwiches or salads. It’s an easy, low-effort way to stretch one lettuce into multiple meals.
4. Garlic
If you’ve ever forgotten a garlic clove in the back of the cupboard, and it started sprouting, congrats—you’ve already started regrowing it. Plant that sprouting clove, pointy side up, in soil and give it some water and sunlight. It’ll grow into a whole new bulb, though it can take a few months to mature. If you’re impatient, the green garlic shoots are edible too and have a milder flavour—perfect for soups, stir-fries, or garnishing anything savoury.
5. Potatoes
Those little eyes sprouting from your old potatoes? That’s the start of a whole new plant. Cut the potato into chunks with at least one sprouted eye per piece, let them dry out for a day or two to prevent rot, and then plant them in soil. With time and care, they’ll grow into full potato plants, eventually giving you a handful of new spuds for your effort. It’s a great way to make use of those soft, forgotten potatoes instead of binning them.
6. Sweet potatoes
Sweet potatoes grow a little differently, but they’re still easy to restart from scraps. Cut one in half and suspend it over a jar of water using toothpicks so the bottom half sits in the water. After a couple of weeks, it’ll sprout leafy shoots called slips. Snap off the slips once they’re a few inches long and root them in water. Once they’ve got some healthy roots, plant them in soil and let them go. With a bit of space and warmth, you’ll eventually get a brand new harvest.
7. Leeks
Leeks regrow much like spring onions. Take the root end—about two inches from the bottom—and place it in a glass with just enough water to cover the roots. Leave it on a sunny windowsill and refresh the water every few days. New green tops will grow, and you can trim them back as needed. It won’t regrow into a full-sized leek, but you’ll get a steady supply of greens that work beautifully in soups and stews.
8. Carrot tops
No, you can’t regrow a whole carrot from the top—but the leafy greens will come back, and they’re totally edible. Stick the top inch of a carrot in a shallow dish of water and place it somewhere with decent light. Once the greens grow, you can snip them to use in pesto, soups, or salads. It’s not a full crop replacement, but it’s a fun way to reduce waste and get something fresh out of the deal.
9. Onions
You can regrow onions from the base if it still has roots attached. Cut off the bottom inch or two, let it dry for a day, and then plant it root-down in soil. Keep it moist and give it a sunny spot to thrive in. Over time, the bulb will regrow into a new onion—and sometimes even split into multiple bulbs. It’s a slower grow, but if you’re playing the long game, it pays off with proper homegrown flavour.
10. Ginger
Fresh ginger root (technically a rhizome) can be regrown with a bit of patience. Take a chunk with visible bumps or “eyes,” soak it overnight in water, and then plant it in soil with the eyes facing up. Keep it warm and watered, and new shoots will eventually sprout. Ginger takes several months to grow to a harvestable size, but in the meantime, you can snip the shoots and use the leaves for cooking too—they’ve got a light gingery flavour all their own.