Gardener shares easy method to grow leafy greens from kitchen scraps: 'Let me start doing this'

Gardener Emily (@allabooutemily) had a great use for some kitchen scraps and shared the tip with her TikTok followers. 

The scoop

"It's so easy to grow your own food just by using stuff from around the house," Emily wrote in the video caption. 

@allabooutemily How to Grow Lettuce using a water bottle! It's so easy to grow your own food just by using stuff from around the house. #gardentok ♬ original sound - All about Emily

She then shows how she cuts the base of a head of romaine lettuce and pops it into a shallow plastic bottle with water in it. After a few short days, it was already sprouting new leaves. 

Other gardeners have shown how it's possible to propagate in a similar way with French onions, potatoes, celery, and even pineapples. 

How it's helping

Growing your own food can save a few bucks at the grocery store, but that's just the start of it. By using food scraps as part of that growing process, you're preventing organic matter from going to landfill and emitting methane. 

Food waste is a big contributor to atmospheric pollution and the destructive weather patterns that go with it. Increasingly extreme floods and droughts are causing serious issues for farmers, leading to rising grocery prices. 

These are exacerbated by transportation pollution, which accounts for about 20% of a food item's ecological impact, according to a study published in the journal Nature Food. By getting the absolute most out of the food you buy, you can help tamp down those trends. 

Gardening is great for mental and physical health, too. Since homegrown food isn't traveling as far, you get to enjoy it fresher with less chance of infection and higher nutritional value. Being able to cut pesticides out of the equation can also be a health bonus. 

What everyone's saying

Emily's TikTok followers were keen to start growing their own lettuce. 

"How cool! I can remember my mom doing this when I was a kid. I'll have to do it again!" said one community member. 

"Let me start doing this," said another.

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time ⏳ Not enough space 🤏 It seems too hard 😬 I have a garden already 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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