8 Vegetables You Can Plant and Regrow At Home To Be Self Sustainable
If you have been growing plants at home before and wanted to take your gardening skill up to another level, perhaps you can try out growing vegetables or herbs. here are some sample ingredients that are great to have on hand.
1. Spring Onions: these are the easiest ways to start growing where you can use them for salads, or even other meat dishes which will required this ingredient for sure.
To grow:
- Cut the end of the spring onions, leaving around 3CM from the roots.
- Place the ends in a bowl of water that should be changed daily. The water level should only be slightly above the roots.
- After a few days, you’ll see new green regrowth.
- Once the spring onion has grown to about 10CM, you can plant it in soil and ensure that it’s moist daily.
To harvest:
- Snip off however much you need and they’ll keep growing back.
Image credit: Noob Cook
2. Celery: the important ingredients for soups, juices or even taking it raw.
To grow:
- Cut off the entire root base of the celery bunch, around 2CM from the bottom.
- Stick the cutting into a bowl of water. The water level should only reach ⅓ of the celery.
- Change the water everyday and replant in soil once new shoots appear in about 3-5 days.
- Plant the celery in a mix of soil and slow-release fertiliser. Only the new shoots should be above the soil.
- Water everyday and ensure soil is damp, not wet.
To harvest:
- The celery stalks should at least be 15CM in height before you harvest.
- If the outer stalks are ready before the inner ones, you can pluck those off first.
- If the whole plant is ready, take the simpler route by uprooting the whole thing before starting the process again for a new plant.
Image credit: Clarice Chua
3. Garlic: the most important ingredient in many different cuisines.
To grow:
- Plant garlic cloves pointed-end up and blunt-end down in the soil.
- Water daily, ensuring the soil is moist. Fertilize when leaves start to grow.
- When stalks start to grow, cut them off to ensure that the nutrients go to the growing bulb.
- When the plant stops producing leaves, stop watering as the dry soil will help the bulbs last longer after harvest.
To harvest:
- Harvest when the leaves turn brown.
- Dig bulbs up and leave to dry for 2-3 weeks.
Image credit: podgardening
4. Ginger: the warm food where it helps to revitalize, reduce bloating, and fights colds.
To grow:
- Soak the ginger in a bowl of water overnight to remove any growth inhibitors that may have been sprayed on it.
- Cut the ginger into about 2CM pieces with 1-2 eyes on each. Each piece of ginger will produce one plant.
- Plant the pieces bud-side up in a mixture of soil and slow-release fertilizer and water daily, ensuring the soil is moist.
To harvest:
- When the leaves start to die down, it’s time to harvest and you can pull up the whole plant.
- The best part is that after harvesting, you can immediately replant new ginger with buds to have a continuous supply.
Image credit: Clifford Manthey
5. Lady Finger: the hardy vegetable that goes well strong flavour with curries and sambals.
To grow:
- Plant seeds in soil mixed with slow-release fertiliser and water daily to keep the soil moist.
- Flowers should start growing in 30-35 days and fruit will start to bear after 3-5 more days.
To harvest:
- Harvest when the lady’s finger are still tender, if not they’ll become too fibrous. A good estimation is when they grow to about 7-12CM long.
Image credit: Urban Trees
6. Kailan: the most zi char places will have this stir-fried kailan dish on their menu.
To grow:
- Plant the seeds in soil and water daily, ensuring the soil is moist.
- Fertilise after 10 days when seedlings are stronger.
To harvest:
- Harvest young stems and leaves when the first flowers appear.
- Cut off what you need at the stem and if your plant has adequate nutrients, it will keep producing leaves enough for 2-3 more harvests.
Image credit: Fusian Living
7. Baby Bok Choy: the smaller and sweeter than regular bok choy which is easy to grow at home.
To grow:
- Plant seeds in a mixture of soil and slow-release fertiliser. Water daily to ensure soil is moist.
To harvest:
- Harvest when the baby bok choy is about 15CM tall.
- Cut the plant off, leaving about 2CM at the soil line, this should ensure re-sprouting and at least another harvest.
Image credit: VeronicaFlavor
8. Lemongrass: the scent that is refreshing and can be used to made lemongrass tea, syrup for desserts or tom yam soup.
To grow:
- Cut about 2-3CM off the tops of the lemongrass and place the stalks in a jar of water for about 2 weeks. Change water daily.
- When roots start to appear stronger, plant the stalks in a mixture of soil and slow-release fertiliser. Water daily to ensure soil is moist.
To harvest:
- Harvest when the stalk reaches around 30CM and don’t uproot the plant, just cut off what you need.
Image credit: HGTV