Plants that can be Grown from Kitchen Scraps

Here are some simple ways and easy ways to grow plants from kitchen scraps

Spring Onions

Take the left over white roots and place them in a container with a small amount of water in it. You want the roots to be wet but you don’t want the entire thing submerged. Take your container and place it in a sunny window sill. Within 3-5 days you will begin to see new growth come up. Remove the produce as you need and just leave the roots in the water to continually harvest your kitchen scrap crops. You should refresh the water weekly to keep the plant healthy.

Lemongrass
 

Lemongrass is similar to all other grasses and because of that you just need to place the roots you cut off into a container with water and put in a sunny window. After about a week there should be some new growth from your lemongrass. Once you have new growth you will need to transplant the plant from the water into a pot with soil and put it back into the sunny windowsill. You want to wait till your lemongrass reaches a foot tall before you begin harvesting it. Just like before cut off what you plan to use in the kitchen and allow the roots to continue to sprout. It’s just like cutting your lawn, it will just keep coming on if you keep it healthy.

Ginger

Take a chunk of Ginger from your kitchen scraps and place it into the soil. Make sure the newest buds are facing up. Soon enough you will begin to see new growth sprouting up out of the soil, and under the soil roots will begin to sprawl out into the soil. Pull the entire plant out of the soil and cut off a the pieces you need, and just replant it like you did initially.

Potatoes
 

You can grow any variety of potato you like, it should just make sure the scrap has ‘eyes’ growing on it. With a potato that has a strong presence of eyes you can chop it up into 2 inch square pieces. Make sure each piece has 1 – 2 eyes. After you’ve cut your potato into pieces leave them out in room temperature for a couple of days. Leaving the pieces out allow the cut surface area to dry out and become callous which will prevent the pieces from rotting in the ground.

Potatoes need a very nutrient-rich soil, so if you have compost you should be sure to incorporate some into your soil before you plant it. When you are planting your potato cubes make sure they are in the 8 inch depth range with the eyes facing the sky. When you back fill your cube place 4 inches over the potato cube and leave the other 4 inches empty. Over time as your potato grows and roots begin to appear you will want to add more soil. 

Source: http://blackthumbgardener.com/1-plants-you-grow-from-kitchen-scraps/

7 Common Mistakes of the Beginner Gardener

Image: wikimedia.org

Justin Gardener | REALfarmacy.com

There’s nothing like the feeling of starting your own vegetable garden. It’s the beginning of a thrilling journey that rewards you and the environment of nature and people in many ways. It’s the realization of what food should taste like. It’s the realization of just how precious food is.

One of the most important things we should know when starting a garden is that mistakes will be made, no matter how many books and websites we read. Have no fear, though, for this will make you a better gardener. Nothing beats experience.

Still, it is good for the newbie gardener to minimize the most easily avoidable mistakes.

Planting Too Much. Start small; allow yourself to become familiar with the basic act of gardening and how much work it takes. Begin with just a few types of vegetables and plan on expanding the following year. Tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and snap beans are fairly forgiving for the novice gardener. Kale and leafy greens are good, easy cool season crops. Maybe try a bit of broccoli.

Not enough sunlight. Vegetable plants require at least six hours of direct sunlight to thrive. Summer vegetables like tomatoes and peppers are especially demanding of full sun. Cool-season crops are a little more forgiving of shade, with lettuce being perhaps the most shade tolerant. This also depends on climate. In the deep south, afternoon shade is actually welcome.

Poor soil preparation. Soil is perhaps the most critical aspect of a vegetable garden. It must be deep, loose, friable, and nutrient-rich. Incorporating plenty of organic matter in the form of compost or well-rotted manure is the best way to amend soil and keep it healthy. Hard, compacted ground must be tilled or turned. A raised bed is the ideal approach to good soil for small gardens.


Planting at the wrong time. Many crops have a relatively short window of opportunity for the ideal planting time. Plant cucumbers too early and they will suffer with the slightest frost. Plant broccoli too late in spring and it will bolt (flower) with hot weather. Make sure and check with a local source like the Ag Extension office for the best planting times in your particular area.

Improper plant spacing. Spacing is crucial for allowing the plants to develop fully and to allow plenty of sunlight and airflow (important for disease prevention). Even though new plants look small, they will get much bigger by the time they are producing. When seeding things like carrots, it is important to thin plants to the proper spacing (indicated on the seed packet) after seedlings have emerged.

Improper watering. The amount of watering needed will vary depending on soil and climate conditions. Good garden soil stays moist but is well-drained. Seeds and small seedlings need to be watered at least once a day to keep the soil moist, but not flooded. For established plants, let the top inch of soil dry between watering. Overwatering can be just as bad as underwatering.

Fertilizing too much. The most important way to “feed the plants” is to feed the soil with organic matter. This creates a natural micro-ecosystem that enriches the soil. Applying too much chemical fertilizer will cause lush green growth with little or no fruit. Make sure to apply fertilizer exactly as directions indicate. Organic fertilizers are better because they must be broken down by microorganisms to become available to the plant, moderating the nutrient release.

Source: realfarmacy.com