About two months ago, we were FINALLY getting our seedlings put into the garden. (It snows in May in Colorado, so we get started later than most folks.)
On one of the many trips inside the house to fetch a tool I’d forgotten, I noticed an old potato sporting many eyes in the pantry.
Normally this all-seeing potato would probably have ended up in the trash, but since we were in the process of gardening anyway, this time I decided to plant it.
I didn’t read any books or how-to guides for growing potatoes from, well, other potatoes. I just cut it into five sections, dug five holes and plopped ‘em in.
And now we have 5 healthy potato plants growing away in our garden! It was astonishingly easy, cost nothing and if I get even one potato from each plant it will be a total win.
This got me thinking about other “spoiled” or “unusable parts” plants that can be re-born in the garden.
Read on to discover more foods that should be planted, not tossed, when they begin to sprout because of age.
1. Garlic
If your fresh garlic has been sitting on the counter so long it’s beginning to sprout, carefully separate all the cloves, but don’t peel them. You’ll want the paper-like skin in tact for planting. Find a sunny spot with well-draining soil (containers work too!) and plant each clove with pointy tip or green sprout facing up, about one inch below the surface.
“You can begin to harvest the shoots (cutting off the tips as desired) once they’re about four inches tall, but never harvest more than a third of the plant. For maximum reward, however, I recommend waiting until the shoots reach at least eight to ten inches in height (about three months) and then harvesting the entire plant at once,” explains author Linda Ly.
2. Sweet Potato
Sweet potatoes put out a slightly different kind of “eye” than regular potatoes, called “slips.” When you see it start to form, you can do one of two things: encourage growth by cutting a few inches off the bottom of the potato and inserting toothpicks at one-inch intervals an inch up from the cut bottom. Immerse the cut end into a jar filled with water and wait for more roots to grow. Or, simply cut off the section that’s sprouted and plant it in the soil. The result will be a long, rambling vine with heart-shaped, lime green leaves.
3. Ginger
If you have a piece of ginger root that’s starting to shrivel and dry out, bury it about one-half inch deep in moist potting soil. Keep the soil moist but not soggy. Soon, it will produce palm-like leaves and eventually more edible ginger root below the soil!
4. Onion
There are two popular statements about sprouted onions floating around the internet. One says, “You cannot eat onions that have sprouted; they are rotten,” and the other says ”If you plant a sprouted onion, it will produce flowers (which you can then harvest for seeds to plant next year), but it will not produce an onion bulb that you can eat.” This isn’t necessarily true, however, as blogger Anktangle has successfully grown new onions from sprouted ones for several years. Check out her site to see how she does it! (It’s SUPER simple.)
5. Pineapple
Is the top of your overripe pineapple getting dry and shrively? Don’t toss it! Remove a few of the bottom leaves until you have a small stump. After letting it air dry for two days, place the pineapple top over a jar of water, immersing the stump. Place in a warm location like a window sill and keep jar filled while roots form. It could take one to two months. After rooting, plant the pineapple in potting soil. “The result will be a lovely plant with striking sword-shaped leaves that may eventually produce flowers that bear small pineapple fruit,” explains Community Table.
SOURCE: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/5-old-foods-to-throw-in-the-garden-instead-of-the-garbage.html
