• slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide
  • slide

Starting Plants from Kitchen Discards – Seeds

Keep your green thumbs busy starting new plants from kitchen scraps. 

Kitchen scrap gardening is about the fun and challenge of starting new plants from dinner discards.  It is not about growing the most productive plants.  Anytime we collect seeds from hybrids the offspring will usually look and taste different than the parent.

I always look at climate where the original plant grew when deciding how to sprout its seeds. If the plants are native to cold climates, the seed probably needed a cold treatment to sprout. Plants native to tropical areas do not.

You may want to start with seeds from apples, pears or cherries.  Collect and clean the seed. Place in moist vermiculite or damp peat moss inside a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least 2 to 3 months. Or plant the seeds directly outdoors in fall. Chilled seeds can be started indoors in spring and transplants moved outdoors once the danger of frost has passed.

A bit more information:  Or go topical and try seeds from avocado, oranges, lemons and other fruit native to warmer parts of the world. Skip the chill and plant in a moist well-drained potting mix.  Or try growing potatoes that sprouted in the pantry or the tops of sweet potatoes.  Check out my other related tips Kitchen Scrap Gardening and Growing New Plants from Kitchen Scraps.

Upcoming Live Events
& Webinars


April 3, 2024
Garden Trends 

Franklin Public Library, Franklin, WI

April 10, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Container Gardening Throughout the Year
Register now

April 11, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

7 Steps to Managing Water Where it Falls in Your Yard
Register now

April 17, 2024
Landscaping for Birds: 
A Gardener’s Perspective

Glendale, WI 

April 18, 2024
Be a Waterwise Gardener
Golden Rondelle Theater, Racine, WI
Register now

April 20, 2024
Pruning Hydrangeas and Other Shrubs 
Pasquesi Home & Gardens, Lake Bluff, IL

April 27, 2024
Ridges & Rivers Book Festival
Viroqua, WI

April 28, 2024
Flowering Trees and Shrubs
Ebert's Greenhouse Village, Ixonia, WI

May 1, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

Ornamental Fruits and Vegetables
Register now

May 9, 2024
FREE WEBINAR

How to Plant Your Rain Garden
Register now

WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS

Learn More

Book an Appearance

Learn More

Enter to Win The Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide !

ENTER NOW