It is ingrained in most of us to hit the stores whenever we need something. However, as information about the harm that pesticides and fertilisers may cause, is there merit to homegrown? With the advent of being sustainable, there is also growing awareness of how we can reduce waste.

Here are 5 vegetables that you can grow from home using scraps, fuss free.

Lettuce

Lettuce stems can be replanted to grow your own lettuce – a process that will take you around two-three weeks.

1. First, place the stem in water ensuring it covers no more than two thirds. Leave it in a sunny spot with plenty of light. The kitchen windowsill or a sunny spot on the balcony are potential places.

2. Check the water and ensure to change it every time it is looking a bit cloudy.

3. If you have space in your garden or on your balcony transfer the little shrub to soil to allow for better growth. If you aren’t able to do so, keeping it on your windowsill will also work well.

4. Once it has grown, ensure you cut from the outer leaves and leave a small inner core instead of picking the whole lettuce head. This will ensure it continues to regrow again and again.

Spring Onions

To grow spring onions from scraps, you will need a glass of water and a lovely sunny spot in the home. To grow your own, it will take around one-two weeks.

1. The next time you cook with spring onions, cut about an inch from the roots (the part that usually gets thrown away).

2. Put the bottom in a shallow glass of water. Make sure the tops are not completely submerged.

3. Change your water every few days to keep the spring onion fresh.

4. As the green shoots continue to grow, cut off what you need.

Celery

Celery scraps can be replanted at home. These will take around one-three weeks to grow.

1. Cut around one-two inches from the base of the celery and place it down in a small bowl or glass of water. Ensure you find a sunny spot for it to live.

2. After a few days you’ll begin to spot some new leaves growing from the middle as roots shoot up.

3. Once it has grown a little further, transfer the celery shrub to a small pot of soil and water it generously. Wait for the stalks to grow to full length and then you can use it.

Garlic

To grow your own garlic from leftovers, you will need a plant pot filled with soil (or a cup of water).

1. Firstly, plant your garlic cloves with their roots facing down in your small pot filled with soil. For best results, ensure you place it in a sunny spot.

2. After a few days you will find that the garlic has sprouted slightly from the pot. Continue to water and enjoy!

3. Alternatively, if you don’t have access to a pot of soil, put the garlic that has sprouted slightly into a shot glass of water. These tops will continue growing and can be eaten just like spring onions.

Bean Sprouts

1. Rinse 1/2 cup of mung beans thoroughly.
2. Place the beans in the bottom of a jar and cover with several inches of water. Cover the jar with a lightly damp cloth and secure the cloth with a rubber band or jar band.
3. Place the jar in a dark location at room temperature. Let the beans soak for 8 to 12 hours, or overnight.
4. Drain the water from the beans and rinse the beans in the jar. Drain all of the water out of the jar, re-cover with the cheesecloth, and return to the dark location.
5. At least twice a day over the next several days, rinse the beans in the jar thoroughly, drain the water completely, and re-cover. This prevents the beans from getting musty or moldy. Remove any suspect sprouts.
6. When the sprouts have reached the desired size (around 2 to 4 days), remove them from the jar and rinse well. Eat immediately, or store dry in a container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.