While researching for an article on singles self sufficiency, I began researching rerooting store purchased vegetables as a way for young singles to reduce their expenses. So far by utilizing 4 totes and two grow lights I have successfully rerooted broccoli, celery, green onions and carrots indoors. I am now harvesting enough from this unconventional garden to prepare vegetable and ramen noodle soup daily. All for an investment of $32.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002

Answers

how do you do the carrots Jay? My sweet tater, is JUST starting to sprout, and the onion tip, is making greens,, goign to do that will all the onions, then transplant them,, see what happens. I have some carrots and parsnips in the fridge, any ideas?

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 15, 2002.

I have considered doing that. Have they come true to form, and how do they taste? Does it not matter on the vegetable to re-root it, as it does the seed, whether or not it's a hybrid?

-- juana (juana@simple-living.com), April 15, 2002.

The taste thing bothers me, also. Seems that if you just keep re- growing in water that the taste will go and quickly and then there are only so many cell divisions before cell death, since we are not talking about seed cells here.

So, are you growing in more than just water and how many growing plants does it take, of say celery, to make a continual supply of one stalk per day?

I'm also interested in the carrot, do the onion and celery for transplant, outside now.

-- BC (desertdweller44@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.

I ran this simulation as if I were a 19 or 20 year old trying to buy "healthy". I bought the produce and let it live in my extra fridge. As I used it and let it wilt , I liquid rooted the broccoli and celery hearts in water, then planted them in topsoil mix in 60 qt totes in a sunny window. I bought carrots with tops and let them root in the fridge while using just a small part of the carrot for the soup then replanting the "seed root". when trimming the green onions, I planted the snipped heads. I cut broccoli heads as I need them and rob celery stalks a few at a time from the head.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 15, 2002.