Growing a Garden from Kitchen Waste - Part 2

So many things can be grown from the parts of veggies that we normally throw out. Last week we talked about growing onions from the little bit of root that we cut off when dicing our onions.  This week, we'll talk about potatoes.   You know how when potatoes stay in the pantry for too long, the start sprouting weird looking things out of the eyes?  Each one of those sprouts can grow into a new potato plant that will produce potatoes!!  We plant ours in containers. 

When you find sprouted potatoes in your pantry, fill a container about 1/2 full of potting soil or compost. Cut each of sprouted potatoes into pieces with at least one sprout on each piece. Experts say you should let each piece dry for about a day, but so far I've had excellent success without letting mine dry.   As the plant begins to grow, you can add additional soil along the stem, burying it - the potatoes grow along the stem, so the more you have buried, the more potatoes you may get.   

Potatoes grow well in warm or cool weather, and in the Deep South, we can grow them year round, since we don't usually see many days of freezing temps. 

Once your potatoes have grown for a few months, you can gently brush some of the soil away from the base of the plant and see if you can find a few new potatoes to sneak from the plant and cook for dinner.   Yum!!