Ever wondered what beetroot, carrots, and celery have in common? They can all be grown indoors, for free, from pips that would otherwise end up in the bin! This is a great experiment to do at home over the weekend.
Grow new plants from leftover scraps!
This Climate Action Countdown challenge is not only rewarding but also budget-friendly and suitable for indoor spaces.
Let’s take celery, for example. To regrow it, simply cut the base about 5cm from the stalks and place it in a deep saucer or jam jar of water. After a few days, leaves will sprout from the top, and roots will emerge from the bottom. You can then plant the stump in a pot of soil, ensuring it’s buried up to the new leaves. Keep the plant well-watered, and as new stalks grow, create a mini greenhouse by cutting the top and bottom off a 2-liter drink bottle and placing it around the plant.
Top tips!
- Carrot tops are easy to grow; simply place them in a saucer of water and watch the fern-like foliage appear.
- Experiment with different vegetables, such as parsnips, beetroot tops, or the bottoms of celery and leeks.
- Don’t throw away scraps from peppers, squash, pumpkins, apples, or lemons; save the seeds, dry them, and sow them in pots or trays come springtime.
Did you know?
A staggering 45% of root crops, fruits, and vegetables produced globally are lost or wasted every year? This waste significantly adds to our carbon footprint, as food production demands vast resources like land, energy, and water.
But fear not, because there are simple steps we can take at home to cut food waste. It can be as easy as saving your carrot tops after making a salad. Many fruit and vegetable scraps that typically end up as waste can actually continue growing.
Want to do more? Spotlight on RHS
The RHS aims to enrich everyone’s lives through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. For more ideas on sprouting scraps, read the RHS guide here.
Useful resources:
- Re-grow celery from kitchen scraps
- Study where our food comes from and start to understand the concept of seasonal growing
- Make a fruit calendar to show the season when fruit is grown and harvested in the UK
- Five pips and peelings to grow plants from
- RHS Plants from Pips: Pots of plants for the whole family to enjoy