Kitchen Scrap Gardening

Imagine you got a haircut… and the hair you cut off, grew into a whole new version of you!

Well, that’s kind of what plants do in a process called propagation—a scientific word that means growing new plants from leftover bits.

In this activity, we will be propagating food by growing food from scraps, showing respect for Papatūānuku (the Earth), reducing waste, and practising kaitiakitanga—caring for the natural world, just as Tupuānuku reminds us to do.

Before we get started, let's make some guesses about what might happen. Scientists like to make predictions, or hypotheses, before they do experiments. It helps them figure out what to expect and why things happen the way they do.

Have a go at making your best guess using the pātai (questions) below:

1. Which vegetable scrap do you think will grow new roots or leaves the fastest? Why?
2. Do you think you can propagate every type of vegetable?

Tīmata! Let’s get started! 

• Huawhenua - Vegetable food scraps (celery bases, carrot tops, or spring onion roots work well!)
• Oko - A few small dishes or bowls
• Te rā - A sunny windowsill

Let's begin!

1. Collect vegetable scraps that can grow into new plants.
2. Put your vegetable scraps in small dishes or bowls with just enough water to cover the bottom. Make sure the part that grows new roots or leaves is touching the water.
3. Set the dishes on a sunny windowsill where they’ll get plenty of light.
4. Change the water every few days to keep it fresh. In a week or two, you should start to see new roots and leaves sprouting!
5. Once your scraps have grown roots and leaves, you can plant them in soil to continue growing even bigger!

1. What changes did you notice in your vegetable scraps over time?
2. Which scraps grew the fastest? Why do you think that happened?
3. If you were to do this activity again, what foods would you try to grow and why?

Propagating in Action

Plants have special parts called growth points (or meristems) that can grow new roots and leaves. Some vegetables — like celery, spring onions, and carrot tops — have these growth points at their base, which makes them great for growing from scraps.

When placed in water or soil, these scraps start to grow new roots and shoots. Over time, they can become whole new plants! This process connects to Tupuānuku, the star that reminds us of the importance of food grown from the soil and our relationship with Papatūānuku, our Earth Mother.