How to Regrow Vegetables from Kitchen Scraps

That stub of celery, the root end of a green onion, the leafy top of a carrot — most of us toss these straight into the bin without a second thought. But many of them still have life in them. With a jar of water, a sunny windowsill, and a little patience, you can coax a surprising number of vegetables and herbs back to life from the scraps you were about to throw away.

Regrowing food won't replace your weekly shop, but it's a genuinely satisfying way to stretch what you buy, trim your grocery bill, and keep usable food out of the landfill. Here's how to get started.

Why Regrowing Scraps Is Worth It

Regrowing isn't just a fun experiment — it chips away at real waste. Scraps like root ends and leafy tops are among the most commonly discarded parts of fresh produce, and many of them regrow with almost no effort. The payoff is small but steady:

• A near-endless supply of green onions, herbs, and salad greens for garnishes and cooking.
• Less money spent on the small, perishable items that often wilt before you finish them.
• A free, gentle introduction to growing your own food — no garden required.

Pair this habit with smart storage for the rest of your produce and you'll waste even less. Our guide on how to store vegetables so they last longer is a good companion read.

The Easiest Vegetables to Regrow in Water

If you're new to this, start with the quick wins. These regrow in nothing more than a shallow dish or glass of water on a sunny windowsill:

• Green onions (scallions): Keep about 2–3cm of the white root end and stand it root-down in a little water. You'll see fresh green shoots within days. Snip what you need and let it keep growing.
• Celery: Save the base and place it cut-side up in a shallow bowl of water. New leaves sprout from the centre within a week.
• Romaine lettuce and bok choy: Set the root end in water and watch small new leaves form from the middle. Harvest them young for salads.
• Leeks and fennel: Treat the root ends just like green onions.

Change the water every couple of days to keep it fresh and prevent it going slimy.

Scraps That Do Better in Soil

Some scraps will sprout in water but need soil to truly thrive and produce more:

• Carrot and beet tops: The orange root won't grow back, but the leafy tops will. Sit the top in a little water until greens appear, then plant in soil. Carrot greens are edible and make a lovely peppery pesto.
• Potatoes: A potato with sprouting "eyes" can be cut into chunks (one or two eyes each) and planted. Given a few months, each chunk yields a fresh crop.
• Ginger and turmeric: Plant a knob with a visible bud just under the soil surface. They're slow but very low-maintenance.
• Garlic: A single sprouting clove, planted pointed-end up, grows into green garlic shoots you can snip like chives.

Regrowing Herbs from Cuttings

Many soft herbs root easily from stem cuttings — a brilliant way to multiply a single supermarket bunch into a lasting supply:

• Take a 10cm cutting of basil, mint, or coriander and strip the lower leaves.
• Stand it in a glass of water in bright, indirect light.
• Within one to two weeks you'll see roots. Once they're a few centimetres long, pot the cutting in soil.

Mint is especially eager — almost too eager, so keep it in its own pot. If your herbs tend to wilt before you use them, our tips on how to use up wilting herbs will help you make the most of every bunch.

Simple Tips for Success

A few small habits make all the difference between thriving scraps and a sad, mouldy jar:

• Light matters: Most scraps want bright, indirect light. A kitchen windowsill is usually perfect.
• Fresh water, often: Refresh water every one to two days to prevent rot.
• Be patient but realistic: Some scraps give one quick harvest, others keep going for weeks. Not everything will take — that's normal.
• Move the keepers to soil: Water regrowing is great for a first harvest, but soil and a little compost give longer, healthier growth.

Make It Part of a Low-Waste Kitchen

Regrowing scraps works best as one piece of a bigger low-waste routine. Combine it with using up what you already have before it spoils — our guide on what to cook with what you have is a great place to start. And to keep track of what's in your fridge and when it needs using, Food Waste Manager helps you log your groceries, get reminders before things expire, and plan meals around them.

Start with a single jar of green onions this week. It costs nothing, takes two minutes, and once you see those first green shoots appear, you'll be hooked.