No-Waste Kitchen Gardening - Katie Elzer-Peters.pdf

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No-Waste Kitchen Gardening
Regrow Your Leftover Greens, Stalks, Seeds, and More
KATIE ELZER-PETERS
CONTENTS
Introduction
1. No-Waste Kitchen Gardening: How It Works and How to Do It
2. Regrow Roots and Underground Stems in Soil
3. Regrow Stems and Modified Stems in Soil
4. Grow Seeds in Soil and Water
5. Regrow Whole Plants and Stems in Water
Resources
Index
Acknowledgments
Photo Credits
About the Author
O
Introduction
ur culture is one that evolved from a lifestyle of thrift and reuse from the pioneer
days and the years of the world wars to one of convenience and consumerism in
the post-war years, and the result has been a lot of waste—cans, bottles, plastic
bags, and so forth. But for several years now, the pendulum has been swinging
back toward more conscientiousness. The political and social movement toward
“zero-waste” living is now decidedly with us, as seen in magazine articles,
books, and political debate—not to mention the people quietly living it. These
days, some people are so extremely efficient at this that they produce less than
one bag of trash per year.
That’s not necessarily realistic for most of us.
But it is realistic for most of us to look at our daily lives and see where we
can recycle, reuse … and also regrow—the main subject of this book.
Once you get started, living a low-waste or no-waste lifestyle can become
almost like a game, but a game with tangible results. More and more, consumers
young and old are entering into a no-waste lifestyle for a variety of reasons and
out of a variety of personal perspectives. Some people arrive here out of a
“green” attitude and a need to protect the planet, while for others it is an intense
need for self-sufficiency and a wish to be prepared for any eventuality.
Whatever the motivation, those wishing to practice a no-waste lifestyle have
many practical ways to get started.
THE NO-WASTE LIFESTYLE
No-waste consumers are always looking for ways to cut down on trash, save
water, and green up their home and garden. There are multiple ways to do this.
First, when you’re shopping, look for items in containers that can be recycled or
reused. When possible, buy in bulk and buy produce that isn’t wrapped at all.
Keep yard waste (leaves, twigs, weeds, grass clippings) out of the landfill by
creating your own compost pile or check into potential municipal compost
programs.
A little ingenuity will reveal lots of small ways to conserve and reuse water
that will add up to big environmental savings. Install rain barrels at your
downspouts and use them to water your container gardens and raised beds. Keep
a 5-gallon bucket handy in each shower to collect runoff while you’re waiting
for the water to heat up. You can use that to water houseplants. Let water you use
to boil pasta and vegetables cool down after cooking, then use it to water plants
outside.
It’s possible to regrow lots of your kitchen scraps, such as carrots, onions, and lettuce. You’ll save time
and money, and have a little fun too!
We often think about gardening as being a “green” activity, but gardening can
actually generate a lot of waste: new plants in plastic containers, commercial
mulch, and fertilizers are all sources of waste. The first place to start with no-
waste gardening is to reuse all of the biomass (yard clippings) produced in your
yard. From twigs to weeds to clippings to last season’s annuals, your yard

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