A couple of months ago, I posted about an Herb that was Grown from Trash that generated a lot of interest. The experiment worked so well I still have fresh green onions I can use anytime.
One of the comments (thanks Alison!) mentioned it is possible to try this with celery. So I decided to try it the next time I had celery.
I used up the celery and only the stump was left. Usually I throw this out in the trash, but this time, I saved it. I did cut it straight across so all stems were even.
Here is a photo on Day 1.
See the side view here.
I filled a shallow bowl with about 1/2 inch of water and left it on a sunny window. I added water every couple of days.
This is what it looked like on Day 10.
I left it another seven days and this is what grew:
The sides do get shriveled up but the middle stems keep getting taller.
I planted the whole thing in a pot and it continues to grow. The growth is not as rapid as the first two weeks but it will eventually grow a whole new celery plant that I can use.
There are other things that will grow such as carrots and potatoes, however I believe they need a bit more room and some other steps to successfully grow and harvest. Jack who runs Suburban Survival Blog suggested you can grow garlic just as easily. (Note: Fall is the best time to grow garlic.) I have seen old garlic can grow green shoots that can be planted. This proves that even with no budget for gardening, you can grow a few things.
For more fast and easy tips to become more prepared, read my book:
Back in 1980, I bought a pineapple at the local grocery store. After cutting off the top with the leaves, I brought it to the back hall to throw in the trash. As I was about to put it in the trash can, I noticed a terra cotta container with soil in it. I placed the top of the pineapple on top of the soil and brought it back to show to my wife. We both laughed that it looked so natural and just like a growing plant. Apparently, my wife had put some water in the soil and put it back in the back hall.
Several weeks later I noticed the pineapple top was still green. It had rooted in the container, so I brought it back in the house. I think we kept the pineapple for several years as a house plant. That experience taught me that many other things we get from the grocery store can be rooted in this manner.
Or, a Bend Engrailed: Thanks for sharing your story. Now I know if I try it out, even if another pineapple doesn’t grow out of it, at the very least I can get a nice houseplant.
I have two celery plants growing from the roots of store bought celery. They are both about a foot tall. The stems are about as big around as my little finger and have beautiful green leaves. They are the perfect size for when I need just a little celery for flavoring tuna/chicken/ham salad or to add to salads or other dishes for crunch. Often the store bought regular sized stalks would end up pithy or wilty before we could eat it up.
The pineapple tops will eventually form a flower/fruit, but it takes about 2 years. Once the plant fruits, a “pup” will form from the base of the plant and the mother plant will die. The fruit we’ve harvested has been quite tasty and would probably have been larger if we had regularly watered/fertilized it. That’s if we can get to them before the raccoons do.
Onions that start to sprout get stuck into the ground or a pot for their green onion tops that are added to cottage cheese, salads, baked potatoes, etc. Same with garlic buds that show new growth, into the ground and harvest the green tops.
Hi kdonat, Thanks for sharing your experiences with these plants. The pineapple tops sound like fun to try as well.
Turnip and beet tops sprout real well too for greens.
I’ve never even thought of growing these–nice to know they are easy too. Thanks!
Fascinating! Guess what I’ll be trying the next time I buy celery! Thanks!
Hi Carolyn, I’d be interested to find out how yours turns out – hope to see your post on it. Thanks!
This is awesome. I am going to do this with everything from carrots, etc to see if they continue to grow. Great experiment!
Those would be fun to try out. Thanks Jack!
I had no idea that was possible. Thanks for sharing.