Save Those Scraps: Foods That Be Grown From "Trash"

There are a number of items that can be regrown from the scraps you throw away. Below are several examples.

Green Onion

Green onions grow fast and all they need is a little water and a lot of light. With very little effort, you can have a steady supply of green onions, grown right in your kitchen! The next time you pick up a bunch or two of green onions at the grocery store, don’t discard the white ends after you've used up all the greens. Instead, stick the white root end into a glass with an inch or two of water then place it in a sunny window. Make sure to trim most of the green end off before you place it in the water, or they’ll just get droopy! Also change the water every few days. Within a day or two, you’ll notice the green shoots starting to regrow, and the roots in the water getting longer. In less than a week, they’ll be back to their original size, and you can just trim off as much as you need, whenever you need it.
**Method also works for lemongrass, leeks, fennel, and spring onions


Romaine Lettuce

The best and most amazing thing about lettuce, besides eating it, is that if the stump is intact it will regenerate and regrow new shoots. To regrow romaine, put each stump in a half inch of water, change the water every couple of days, and wait for tender new growth. The perfect environment for regrowing leafy greens is a cool and bright one.
**Method also works for bok choy, celery, and cabbage.







Garlic

Simply plant garlic cloves individually. If they've started to sprout, even better! Otherwise plant them with the pointy end up. Make sure they are in a sunny location and soil isn't too damp. You can plant multiple cloves four inches apart either in your yard or in a pot. It will fare well even if planted among other flowers or vegetables. Then just sit back and wait for your garlic to grow. If it's potted, water it occasionally but don't drown it. As your garlic grows, it will sprout leaves. Once the leaves turn brown and die, it's time to harvest your garlic. (Don't harvest any earlier or your cloves will be too small!) Once you harvest your garlic, hang the bulbs in a cool, dry location to dry them and prevent rot. Your garlic should dry in about a week, at which time you can simply brush off the dirt and start cooking with the cloves or plant some more!

Pineapple

I've seen many different examples but the best, most detailed one that I know of can be found here.

Note: Pineapples take between 1 and 2 years to bear fruit. 

Ginger

Plant a small chunk off of your piece of ginger in potting soil with the newest buds facing up. Ginger enjoys non-direct sunlight in a warm moist environment. Before long, it will begin to regrow shoots and roots. Once the plant is established and you’re ready to harvest, pull up the whole plant, including the roots. Remove a piece of the ginger, and re-plant it to repeat the growing process.

Onion, Mushroom, Potato & Sweet Potato, Avocado, Carrots, Lemon, and Apple coming soon...

Important Notes:
It pays to spend just a dollar or two more to buy an organic form for reusing. Also, for the items that are shown regrowing in water... Keep in mind that these should be transferred to soil after they root. Soil has nutrients that the plants need to grow and be healthy. And what's the point in growing it if it has no value to your nutrition as well?

Strawberries finally came!

 

My first strawberries came August 12, 2012.  Overall, they are quite small.  They do taste like strawberries. I shouldn't have let my plants fruit this year, but since I'm moving to California and may not see how this plant does in the future I let it go into fruit production.  It's still producing fruit!!

First Strawberry Flower

Here it is, the long awaited flower.  Looks like the one beside it may already be wilting, which would be a sign of pollination.  I attempted to pollinate the one flower tonight.  If it wilts in 48 hours then it should be pollinated.  Fruit isn't too far behind, though I shouldn't let it grow any, since it is only in its first year of growth.  I am anxious though and will be moving away and unable to garden like this for awhile so I think I'm going to see what I can get this year anyways.  My other two surviving plants haven't produced any flowers yet...  The middle one isn't looking too hot.

In recap, I planted the seeds from fresh fruit from the store in November 2011 after freezing them for some time.  And now, a little after 8 months later, I have a flower.

Cali Bound

Looks like I will for sure be Cali bound this fall.  :)

Garden Tasks for Mid- to late Summer (July - August)

Preparations

• Prepare the soil for anew lawn or border.
• Plant early-spring-flowering bulbs - like snowdrops, crocuses, and daffodils - in late summer.
• Take semiripe cuttings off shrubs.

Pruning

• Deadhead flowering plants to promote new blooms.
• Cut back herbaceous plants after flowering for a second burst of foliage and flowers.
• Prune rambling roses as soon as they have flowered.
• Prune established climbers and deciduous shrubs that flower on the previous year's growth.
• Trim evergreen and conifer hedges in late summer.

Other Tasks

• In dry spells, continue to water new plants and those still establishing themselves, as well as new lawns. Water in the early morning and evening rather than in the heat of the day.
• Water and fertilize hanging baskets and containers regularly.
• Fertilize and mulch roses.
• Continue to weed regularly.
• Mow lawns regularly - perhaps as often as once a week or more - but set the blades higher during dry, hot spells.

This list was found in Learn to Garden: A Practical Introduction to Gardening.  I did modify the list a little.   

Moving

Sorry for not keeping this up as well as I should.  I am in the process of getting things situated to move to california.  I also have a new job.  It's been hectic lately.

This must be a calla lily

This is the bloom of my mystery plant.

Garden Tasks for Early Summer (June)

Preparations

• Feed flowering shrubs and roses with a rose fertilizer to promote flowering.
• Weed carefully to avoid damage to nearby plants.
• Buy bedding plants and plant out after the last frost.

Planting

• Plant hanging baskets and summer pots outside when all risk of frost is past.
• Plant out half-hardy and tender bedding plants after the last frost.

Pruning

• Prune late spring-flowering shrubs and climbers after they have bloomed.
• Trim vigorously growing hedges, like privet.

Other Tasks

• Remove suckers from roses.
• Tie in climbers regularly to their supports.
• Divide congested clumps of primulas and irises after they have flowered.
• Continue to take softwood cuttings.
• Mow lawns regularly and lower the blades.
• Water new plants in dry spells.

This list was found in Learn to Garden: A Practical Introduction to Gardening.  I did modify the list a little.   

Am I overwatering/underwatering???

My lilies are yellowing then browning.  Below are pics.  What is the cause??

In Bloom

My lilies have bloomed!  I probably have some other colors too, but the bulbs are too small for flowering this year.

Not sure what variety...

Asiatic Lily "Cancun"

Asiatic Lily "Tango Passion Ladylike" (I believe)

Daylily, Hemerocallis fulva

Cat Damages

So I came home from work today and checked the recent transplants to see how they were doing. I can no longer fit the strawberries and the kiwis and grow house together so the kiwis were to the side but bordered to prevent the cats from getting into them.  They were fine when I got home.  Not 30 minutes after I got home though the cats had chewed the kiwi and at some point got into the strawberries. See how pretty they are now...(Sarcasm) And see how I safe guarded the kiwis after they got ate.

Kiwi Protection

Chewed Strawberries

Chewed Kiwis

Transplant

I transplanted my strawberries, kiwis, maple tree, and the purple hyacinth vine that finally sprouted.  They are all looking fantastic. The maple I brought inside and it seems to be doing well.

Purple Hyacinth Vine

Kiwi

Strawberry

Bonsai Maple Tree 

Bonsai

In a previous posting, I put a picture of a maple tree that sprouted in my lily pot.  I've put it in another little pot for now and am going to try to bonsai it.  From what I've read, bonsai-ing a maple tree may not be too hard.  Basically There is is special soil that can be bought.  The pot used at first should be small, its a training pot.  You trim the roots too, but not the big main one.  Keep it watered of course and give it sunlight.  We'll see how this comes along.  Gotta find a pot for it and pick up some soil.

I think this is a cherry tree...

Any ideas?

Latest Pictures

Kiwi

Strawberry runners I removed

Strawberries 

Maple tree that was growing in my lily pot

Day lily

Lily

Lilies that were planted before we moved in. Curious to see what kind/color.

Irises

Hostas, also planted by prior tenant.

These were taken on April 16th.

What are these?

I have three things growing that I can't identify.  Any ideas?

One is a tree of some sort: 

The other is some sort of flowing plant...

And this...

While I was moving...

My husband and I moved to Clarksville, TN at the end of February.  While we were finishing up and cleaning one day, my husband grabbed my plants in the greenhouse and put them in his car.  I later noticed where they were. 

Plants in the rear window of the car.

Pinterest

So I just found pinterest... amazing!  I will be working it in with the blog and posting a lot on there as well.  It's really brought a lot of traffic already, in just a day. 

Pictures

Here are some new pics taken on March 27th & 28th!

Day Lillies

Irises

Lillies

Tulip

Not sure what it is...

Strawberry

Strawberry

This one has as runner

Kiwi

Tulip opened