Got a few green onion ends or a sprouting onion sitting in your kitchen? These kitchen scrap gardening ideas give you a little inspo before you toss them.
From leafy vegetable bases to herbs in jars, there’s plenty to watch growing right on your windowsill.
You can start with one jar or try a few different scraps. Not every setup here leads to another full vegetable, though.
Some are best for watching roots and leaves develop, while a couple deserve a closer look before you copy them.
Kitchen scraps and little growing projects to try
green onions in a little jar
We’re starting off strong with these bright green onion shoots. I love how you can see the tangled white roots through the bottom of the jar.
Save your rooted onion ends if you want to try a similar little growing project. A clear container lets you watch what’s happening below those tall green leaves too.
a leafy celery center
How cute is that little burst of leaves? The celery base still has its thick cut stalks around the outside, with fresh green growth tucked into the middle.
This is a lovely one to observe up close. Think of it as a regrowth experiment rather than a promise of another full bunch of celery.
romaine leaves coming through
I am obsessed with the little romaine leaves rising out of this cut base. Those darker, crinkled leaves look so pretty against the pale remains underneath.
If you’re trying romaine regrowth, take pictures as the center develops. It’s a simple way to notice changes you might otherwise miss.
an avocado pit over water
Want to watch a seed from the very beginning? This avocado pit rests over a glass of water with toothpicks holding it in place. There isn’t a visible shoot yet.
Treat this as a plant-growing experiment, not a shortcut to homegrown avocados. I’d keep the clear glass so any roots are easy to spot.
a potted pineapple crown
This pineapple crown may just be one of my favorite-looking projects here. I love the upright gray-green leaves in that black pot with wavy pale lines.
The crown is planted in a chunky growing medium, with a saucer underneath. If you try your own, choose a pot with drainage rather than picking one for its looks alone.
a windowsill full of shoots
If you love seeing lots of green in one little spot, this one is for you. Tall, narrow shoots rise from a cluster of bulb-like bases in a low clear container.
The close grouping is so pretty beside the window. The photo doesn’t clearly establish the plant variety, so I wouldn’t use it alone to identify what to grow.
potatoes in a roomy pot
Taking your growing project outside? This picture shows a potato piece being placed into growing medium in a large gray pot.
For a potato-growing project, I’d choose certified seed potatoes and a container with drainage. The photo captures the planting moment, but it doesn’t show the full process or guarantee a harvest.
ginger with roots and shoots
Look at those white roots! This ginger piece has pointed green shoots emerging at the top and side, with roots hanging underneath.
The close-up makes both parts easy to see. If you’re saving ginger for a growing experiment, look for a healthy piece with visible buds rather than expecting every leftover slice to sprout.
feathery carrot tops
How pretty are these tall carrot greens? The carrot pieces are held over water with toothpicks, so you can see the fine roots filling the glasses below.
One thing worth knowing before you try this: a carrot top can grow more foliage, but it won’t regrow the orange taproot you ate.
basil roots in clear view
I love this close-up of a rooted basil cutting. The branching white roots are just as interesting as the green leaves above the jar.
Want to follow that progress yourself? Keep the leaves above the water when rooting a suitable stem cutting.
There’s no need for an elaborate display to make this one worth watching.
a sprouting onion on a tiny jar
That little jar is such a cute fit for this onion. The bulb sits above the rim, with roots trailing into the water and green shoots reaching upward.
If an onion has already sprouted in your kitchen, it could become an observation project like this. You don’t need to expect a whole new crop to enjoy watching it grow.
sweet potatoes by the window
These sweet potatoes have quite the leafy tops! Each one sits partly in a jar, with a web of roots visible below the waterline.
Sweet potatoes can produce shoots called slips, which can be grown on separately. The jars show that early growth stage, not finished sweet potatoes ready to harvest.
tomato slices on soil
This one needs a little context before you copy it. The picture shows tomato slices being laid on soil, with the seeds still inside the flesh.
Tomato seeds can germinate, but burying whole slices also introduces flesh that can decay. I’d save and prepare the seeds separately instead of treating this photo as a complete planting guide.
a little bok choy base
How adorable is this tiny leafy center? The pale bok choy base sits in a shallow white bowl, with green leaves opening up above it.
I love how simple the setup looks beside the window. If you want to compare your own regrowth experiments, this could sit next to a celery or romaine base.
a lemon setup to question
This is one I wouldn’t copy based on the picture alone. A lemon is supported over a water-filled cup with toothpicks, but there’s no clearly visible root system growing from the fruit.
For a lemon-growing experiment, use seeds taken from the fruit instead. The objects in the water don’t establish that suspending a whole lemon this way is a reliable method.
mint stems in a sunny jar
I am obsessed with how leafy this mint looks. The jar holds a tangle of pale roots beneath the stems, while the green leaves spread out above the rim.
A few suitable mint cuttings make a lovely small propagation project. Keep an eye on the water and refresh it regularly rather than leaving the jar untouched.
a whole tray of experiments
Can’t choose just one scrap to save? This tray brings together leafy bases, small root-vegetable tops, a cut red onion and a jar of green onions.
I love seeing the different shapes side by side. Give each scrap the conditions it needs rather than treating the tray as one shared growing method.
Little labels would make comparisons easier too.
seedlings in egg cartons
Here’s another way to reuse something from the kitchen. These egg cartons hold individual pockets of soil and seedlings, with some stems much taller than others.
The picture doesn’t tell us whether the seeds came from scraps. Still, it’s useful container inspiration.
Set cartons on a tray to catch moisture and plan to move seedlings before they outgrow those small spaces.
crinkled cabbage leaves
Those deep green leaves are gorgeous. A cut cabbage base sits inside a clear container, with broad, crinkled leaves rising from the center.
This is another lovely example to save if you enjoy watching leafy regrowth. The new foliage doesn’t mean the base will necessarily produce another full-sized cabbage head.
a wall of herb jars
Last but definitely not least, we have this little wall display beside the window. I love the leafy plants arranged in jars on three horizontal boards.
One lower jar holds corks instead of a plant.
The photo doesn’t establish that these herbs started as scraps, but the arrangement is worth borrowing. For your own version, I’d use removable pots with drainage so watering is easier to manage.
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