Don't throw away the root end of your produce, it can be regrown! - Part 2 - Leeks

Regrow those Leeks

Ever cut up a huge leek, taken the good part, and then chuck the rest? Most folks do, but why shouldn't you? Here are two green ideas of how to re-purpose the tiny scraps:

• Compost
• Chicken feed (seriously, either your's or your neighbor's)

The better option however, could be to use the top green leafy parts as compost, ground cover or chicken feed, while taking the bottom white root part and replanting it. Whoa! You might think... "Replant it? Why would I do that?". The reason why most people don't do this isn't because they shouldn't. It is because nobody else does it. Is that a great reason? Please don't get me started... The food growers would hate if we all did this. However, there is really no good reason not to.
 
When you consider the price of produce you may start to see the wisdom to doing this. Sustainable produce. If you are like me and only buy organic food, then you can see the financial reason even more acutely as organic produce runs higher in price.

How To Replant Leek Roots

You can plant the roots in small containers. You can initially do this indoors of you like, if it is cold out. Tip: Don't skimp, The taller the root the faster the regrowth. Think of the root as the size of the 'growth engine' since that is exactly what it is.


What can you expect? All situations will vary based on light, heat, soil and most importantly, the replanted root size. Here are a few pictures of some of my replantings:

After only a few days in water. (Cat not included.)

You can see that after a few days I plant the root in soil (right). The leeks grow fast.  From seed they take 120 days, so you should see much quicker growth when starting with the engine (root) already built.

Eventually I plant these guys outside. The plant in the garden is substantially larger than the one in the previous picture, but it is not so easy to tell.  I will enjoy leeks from this plant all Spring, Summer and Fall as long as I just cut what I need. Uprooting it would end the golden goose. 

In conclusion, this can be a great little project for parent s and kids. You will get to see something positive for your efforts, save a little coin and bond with the little guys.