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IPFS News Link • Agriculture

How to Get Started With Kitchen Scrap Gardening

• Organic Prepper - Amy Allen

Kitchen scrap gardening is another way to recycle rather than buy. The basic premise is that some vegetables, though not all, will regrow from their parts. By recycling kitchen scraps, we save money on the grocery bill.

It's environmentally friendly, can be done in small spaces, and can even serve as a science experiment for the kids. Best of all: home-grown vegetables aren't treated with pesticides or anything else, and the nutrient density is higher since it wasn't picked for travel before ripening. In fact, many things from our Cut-and-Come-Again gardens can be regrown in this way. What's not to love? 

There are a couple of things to be aware of.

Not every vegetable can be grown in this way, and it may be better to start with organic produce since many store-bought vegetables have been treated with non-sprouting agents. Also, not everything will sprout. Keep an eye on things and if you haven't seen sprouts developing in about one week, toss it and try again. 

There are many techniques, each one applicable to certain vegetables. Let's start with the obvious. 

Saving seeds!

Whether it's a tomato, cucumber, or even an avocado, vegetables come with seeds. Why buy what Nature gives us freely? Yes, there are some caveats. There's no way to know what variety the plant comes from or if that variety is an heirloom, open-pollinated, or a hybrid. You'll still get a perfectly edible vegetable.

It simply may not look like the parent plant. Keep what works and toss what doesn't, and add up what that would cost you from the grocery store. I think you'll count yourself as better off. 

(You need to know how to preserve what you grow! Check out our free QUICKSTART Guide to home canning.)


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