by Jennifer Poindexter
Do you consider yourself a frugal person? I certainly am, and I wear it almost like a badge of honor. I don’t like to waste things, and I don’t like spending money when I don’t have to.
Whether you share my sentiments or would just like a cool kitchen experiment, you’re in the right place. I’m going to share how you can use your kitchen scraps to grow a new plant.
If you cook with many scallions, don’t toss the bulbs once you’re done chopping the plant up for culinary use. Instead, follow these steps to grow more scallions right in your kitchen.
Why Grow Scallions from Kitchen Scraps?
I realize not everyone is or desires to be a frugal person. If you’re not these things, why would you be interested in raising scallions from kitchen scraps?
The first reason is because you know what you’re eating. When growing your own scallions, there’s no guesswork as to what was or wasn’t put on the plants before they made their way to your kitchen.
The next reason you might wish to grow your own scallions is for convenience. I hate when I’m ready to make a dish, think I have all the ingredients, and I’m missing one thing.
You guessed it. Scallions are usually used as a finishing touch to a meal and can be easily overlooked on a grocery list.
Yet, oddly enough, meals lack flavor and color without being topped with scallions prior to serving. Avoid running into this issue by growing your own scallions right in the kitchen.
Finally, growing your own scallions can save you money. Whether you wish to be frugal or not, it’s always a nice feeling passing by something at the grocery store because you know you already have it.
Scallions are no different. Though they may be an inexpensive item at the store, you can still keep your cash right where it is when it comes to buying this item.
If you were on the fence about growing your own scallions from kitchen scraps, you now have a few reasons to hop all the way over and start growing your own. Not to mention, the process is extremely easy.
How to Grow Scallions from Kitchen Scraps
1. Chop Off the End of the Scallions
When cutting scallions for use, most lay them out on a cutting board. The bulbs are chopped off first, and the foliage is diced into bite-sized pieces for use.
Instead of tossing the bulbs into your trash or compost, save them. This is where the new plants will grow from.
Each of the unused bulbs has the potential of forming new scallion plants. Even if you feel like you have quite a few bulbs, don’t toss them. It’s always good to have extra bulbs growing in case something happens to a few of them along the way.
2. Place the Scallion Bulbs in Water
Once your scallion bulbs have been set aside, it’s time to place them in water. I like to use a jelly jar. Fill the jar about ¼ of the way full of water.
When done, place the bulbs into the jar where the roots are sitting in the water. The bulbs should be touching the water minimally to avoid rot.
If you don’t have a jelly jar, you can use any shallow dish that will allow the roots to rest in the water while keeping the bulb elevated.
3. Put the Scallion Bulbs by the Window
Place your scallions in a window where they’ll receive indirect sunlight. Like all plants, these need sunlight to grow as well.
Even if you don’t have a great place in your kitchen, consider growing them in your bathroom or another well-lit area of your home.
4. Wait and Enjoy
Once your plants have found their home, you wait. It should take three to four days for the plants to begin producing sprouts of foliage.
After this has occurred, you’re well on your way to enjoying homegrown scallions. Be sure to change out the water once per week while the plants are growing.
5. Transplant the Scallions for Further Use
The final step in this growth process is to know when to transplant. If you like growing scallions in water and prefer to stick with this method, you can.
Unfortunately, once the plants have reached a certain height, the bulbs will stop producing while in water.
You can always buy more scallions, or use the ones you’ve grown, to start more plants in water and continue the process.
However, if you’d like to prolong the life of the plants you’ve already started, consider transplanting them into a pot, with soil, once they’ve reached four inches in height.
The pot should be placed back in a sunny window where they can receive indirect sunlight. Be sure to water the plants as needed.
Avoid deep watering scallions as they have shallow roots. Instead, apply light watering on a frequent basis. Usually, watering every other day will do the trick to ensure the plants get what they need.
Continue to harvest the scallions when they’re four or five inches tall. This gives you the most tender and flavorful harvest while still encouraging the plants to produce more.
Growing your own scallions doesn’t need to be a complicated or expensive process. Instead, use what you’ve already purchased.
Avoid tossing the scraps and use each bulb to produce a new plant. It’s up to you how far you take the process, but either way, hopefully you end up with an abundance of flavorful scallions right from your sunny window.
More About Growing Scallions
http://sonomamg.ucanr.edu/The_Kitchen_Garden/Feature_Vegetables/Scallions/
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-scallions-home-gardens
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