Kitchen Gardening during COVID-19

During these challenging times, we could all use a little happiness and hope.  There is nothing quite like the excitement of growing, nurturing, and harvesting your own food to bring a sense of hope into your home.  Gardens are also a great way to bring family together to help nourish an interest in growing and eating fresh fruits and vegetables. 

Unfortunately, there have been shortages of many important items, such as fresh produce, meat, and dairy products.   The good news is that you can start a kitchen garden using items that you may already have in your pantry or refrigerator.  Many fruits and vegetables can be regrown using scraps that you might normally throw away, such as the ends of a bunch of celery, a head of lettuce, onions, and even garlic!   You can also plant dried beans, seeds from your favorite fruits and vegetables, and sprouts from potatoes or sweet potatoes! 

Some of the easiest things to grow are lettuce and celery.  To get started:

• Cut off the end piece of the stem, or “stump”, which is the bottom of the plant, leaving about 2 inches of the plant.
• Place the stump in a shallow dish of water.
• Change the water every other day.   (You will see growth in as little as 3 days!)
• Lettuce can be harvested by cutting off lettuce leaves as they get bigger, and it will keep growing for several harvests. 
• Celery leaves and stalks can be harvested by cutting off what you need and it will keep growing.  
• Both plants can survive for quite a long time in water in the kitchen, or can be planted into a container using potting soil.  

Another fun garden to start in the kitchen is beans.  To get started:

• You will need a few dried beans, such as black beans, pinto beans, lentils, or black-eyed peas.
• Place the beans in a wet paper towel and fold it in half, then in a clear sandwich bag, leaving a corner of the bag unsealed.   
• Keep the beans in the bag for up to a week.  
• Place the bag in a warm location, such as the top of your refrigerator or a sunny window to keep it warm until it sprouts.  (Make sure the paper towel stays moist 
• After about 7-14 days, you can plant them in a large reusable grocery bag in potting mix and move them outdoors.  
• Keep your plants watered and support the vines with a trellis, fence or other structure as they grow.

 

Tomatoes and other fruits and veggies with seeds can be regrown using their seeds.  To get started:

• You will need to either take a thin slice of the tomato or remove the seeds and place them in a shallow dish of water.  (Just enough water to cover the bottom of the dish.)
• After the seeds have begun to sprout, the slice of tomato with the seeds or the individual seeds can be planted in a small container with potting soil to continue to grow.  (These seedlings can be kept indoors near a sunny window.) 
• When the seedlings are about 2-3 inches tall, you can thin them out and plant individual plants in a large containers or in the ground.  (Be sure to share plants with your friends and neighbors!)

Finally, you can save a trip to the garden store and save money on containers by recycling containers from your kitchen.  One of the best containers for home gardens is a gallon milk jug.  All you will need to do is cut off the top half and make small holes in the bottom for drainage.  Add your potting mix, and plants.  Save the top of the jug and tap the lid on to use as a scoop for the potting soil!  You can also recycle plastic coffee containers, margarine or yogurt containers, and the clear plastic containers from produce.  If the container has holes in the bottom, line it with a moist paper towel or coffee filters. 

Get your family involved in growing and trying new foods!  The experience of growing, nurturing, and tasting new food from the garden can become a family fun adventure!