6. Ginger

Ginger is easy to grow from a spare piece of ginger from the supermarket, but it takes a while so you have to be patient. The part we eat is a ‘rhizome’, from which new shoots and roots can grow. Ginger grows best in the UK when planted between January and March.

• First, you want to use a piece of ginger that is at least thumb-sized (about 5cm). Look for eyes on the ginger rhizome, these are small bumpy protrusions on the surface of the ginger. This is where the new shoots grow from, so ensure your piece has at least one! If you can spare a larger piece, you will have more growth and faster.

• Prepare a pot with potting soil, it is important that you use a wide, shallow pot. New rhizomes will grow horizontally near the surface of the soil and need this space to spread out.

• Plant the piece of ginger flat into the soil, cover with only 1cm of soil and give the pot a good watering once. It’s best to maintain a humid, warm growing environment with lots of suns so these plants can thrive. Water regularly once shoots develop.

• Move containers outdoors in the summer and remember to bring containers back indoors when temperatures drop below 10°C.

• Harvest ginger when the leaves begin to turn yellow, this can be after 8-10 months.

7. Garlic

Forgotten garlic cloves that are too dry to be eaten are great for growing into new garlic bulbs. You can also use fresh cloves which will actually grow faster! Garlic is best planted between November and April.

• Split a garlic bulb, leaving the skin on each of the cloves.

• Place the garlic cloves upright into a shallow bowl or jar, with only the bottom of the clove submerged in water.

• Place in a sunny position and replace the water every other day.

• Once the shoots have grown you can finish here, by harvesting them. They are great in pesto or as garnishes for a fresh garlic flavor!

• If you’d like to grow full garlic bulbs, you need to plant these sprouted cloves into the soil. Use a deep pot that is at least 1ft wide and plant one clove per pot.

• Full bulbs typically take 9 months to mature; they are ready when around half of the leaves turn yellow.

8. Carrot Tops

Unfortunately, we can’t grow whole new carrots from cuttings but we can grow nutritious carrot tops quite easily. These leafy greens high in vitamin C and K are best blanched or sautéed.

• Cut a 2-3cm section from the top of a carrot. Carrot cuttings have a tendency to rot which can have problems down the line, so dry it out over 3-4 days by leaving it in a cool, dry place.

• Place the dry cutting into potting soil. Submerge most of the cutting in the soil so only the top of the carrot is exposed.

• Place the pot on a sunny windowsill and water when the first 2-3cm of soil is dry.

• Harvest the carrot tops after 2-3 weeks.

9. Plants with seeds

Many fresh food items we eat have seeds, there are some that we often consume (like tomato and chili seeds) and ones we often throw out (like pumpkin or squash seeds). All of which can be used to grow new plants.

• Experiment with growing seeds by separating them from any fleshy plant matter. This is easy with chili peppers but is harder with pulpy foods like a tomato. Removing the pulp reduces the chance of the seed rotting and for seeds like tomatoes allows germination to occur.

• Dry your seeds by placing them onto paper towels for up to a week.

• Plant seeds into soil and water regularly!

10. Herbs (Mint, Coriander, Basil, etc)

Most herbs can be grown from stem cuttings. It is a great way of growing multiple plants from one parent plant, constantly increasing your yields. This can be done all-year-round.

• Take a ~10cm stem cutting from a herb plant below a node. A node is where the leaves grow from. Strip the cutting off all leaves apart from 3-4 on the top.

• Place this cutting into a glass of water and place it in indirect light.

• First, the roots will grow and then the cutting will show early signs of leaf/stem growth, it is then time to plant it into a pot of loose potting soil.

• Repeat the process once your new plant has grown significantly.

Give it a try!

So if you have any of these vegetables, herbs, or tubers at home, why not give one of these methods a try. They don’t take much work and you could be harvesting fresh lettuce leaves in a couple of weeks or sinking your teeth into a longer project like growing garlic or ginger!

 

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