Spring is finally coming to the far north of New York. My green house is starting to burst with seedlings. But not just things I grow from new seeds. Also vegetables I can”regrow” using the root ends – like scallions, lettuces, celery and beets. Also since late winter, I’ve been getting ready for potato season, and planning on potato sprouting to happen.
How’s that you ask? Well, for potatoes I’ve been saving the ones that have started to sprout in my potato bin. Mostly these are potatoes I’ve purchased, since we ate up the garden harvest over the over winter. Yes, I purchased some bags of potato starters at the feed store. But just as often I follow the “I can use this a regrow a plant” method.
For other vegetables, it may mean saving the root end, as with celery, lettuce or scallions and letting the roots suck up some water. For beets, it’s the opposite – cut off the beet flesh to eat, and then place the top with any early sprouting greens in water.
How to regrow a vegetable
I’ve seen several articles on this regrowing idea recently. It’s the practice of saving something you would normally throw away, and allowing the plant, or at least parts of the plants to grow back. Potatoes are perfect for this. Rather than throw away a potato that is shriveled and sprouting, I save it to plant. It’s not a perfect method. If the potato (or anything else for that matter) is a hybrid, the roots or fruit or vegetable may not come back to match exactly what you planted. That’s okay.
From an old potato, or even a piece of a potato, I might get 3-4-5 pounds or more of new potatoes. Considering I would have otherwise tossed it or composted it, that’s a lot of free food.
So in mid-late winter I start putting potato sprouts in a box in the laundry room downstairs. Some of the sprouts will die back, and that’s okay. I don’t want them growing too much before I can plant the pieces in the spring. It’s important to cut the potatoes into pieces and allow the cut sides to dry for at least a few days. This seals the cuts so the potato won’t rot. And like most seeds over winter, as long as the pieces are dry and on the cool side, they will “hibernate” until I get them out to plant.
Once they start getting some light, the eyes start to grow, a process referred to as”chitting”.
I’m still saving pieces – today some gold potatoes.
When saving potatoes for planting, make sure at least 2, preferably 3, “eyes” are in each piece. Each sprout is an eye, which will ultimately send out new roots, stems and leaves, and grow new potatoes.
Ideally the pieces are planted before developing long fragile stems. They really should be developing underground. Depending on how cool the area is, and how much light, the potatoes eye may or may not cooperate. I plant them as early as I can, after the ground is ready.
I’ll go ahead an plant whatever we’ve eaten, that’s started to sprout: russets, red, white, gold or purple. Not a problem, they all taste good! If you don’t have a garden, you can plant potatoes in anything that is over 12″ deep (’cause that’s how deep the average potato will shoot roots down) – a bucket, wooden box, garbage can or half a barrel.
I also have a variety of other vegetables “regrowing” – scallions or spring onions, celery, beet greens and lettuce. All you need is a sunny window, and something fairly shallow that holds water – pets dishes and cat food cans in my case. It’s hydroponics at the most basic level. No soil needed.
Change the water every day or two so it’s clean. Scallions, celery and lettuce will shoot up pretty fast. Beet tops will produce new greens for cooking or salads. If you have any form of a garden, the pieces can be planted once roots start to grow.
Some vegetable tops, like parsnips and horseradish, will grow a whole new root if planted back in some soil. I haven’t tried this with carrots yet, but I’ve read a 1″ sprouted top will produce new greens and seeds.
All of a sudden, I’ve end up with more things I can eat, at virtually no extra cost. All for free – in upcycled containers as well. In today’s world that a good thing.
