Grocery Store Gardening

For years I've grown garlic from bulbs I buy in the produce section of the grocery store. They are one of the easiest vegetables to grow. Even when I lived in New England I could plant them in my garden in the fall and next spring I would have green garlic sprouts growing. I keep some  bulbs for cooking and plant some in the garden or a large pot. Simply plant it with the root side (the blunt side) down and don't plant it too deep and it's ready to grow.

 Onions are another easy one to grow. If you grow the slender green onions, you can have an endless supply. Whether you plant the green ones or a big bulb onion, simply cut the root end off and either set it in water or, especially with the green onions, just plant in soil.

Once the stalks of the bulb onions turn yellowish, I pull up and leave it outside to dry. Then it can be stored until needed. I like to braid the stalks and hang in the kitchen when I have a good supply.

I haven't tried replanting bulb onions a second time, but you certainly can do that with the green onions. I'm going to try this when I harvest these babies.

    

Potatoes are another easy vegetable to grow.

Some potatoes come treated with sprout retardant. You'll be able to tell pretty quickly if they have been treated or not. If there is good strong growth, you know that's the potato you want to plant. Cut the potato into sections with at least one eye in each section.  I've always been told not to do this a second year using the potatoes you grew from the starters, but I'm not sure why. In any case. It doesn't hurt to refresh your stock every other year.

                

^{Potato in a pot  - ready to put in a big container.}

For maximum yield, you can plant in a tall container like a garbage can or barrel. Plant the sections in a layer of dirt in the bottom. As the vines grow, cover with light soil, straw or shavings. They will continue to produce potatoes as the grow upward. When the plants flower and start to look yellowish, check the top layer and see if there are potatoes under there. When you're ready to harvest, just dump the container over and pick out your potatoes.

 And we don't want to forget the avocado. I don't know anyone who actually got it big enough to produce fruit but it makes a fine houseplant. If you are one of the few who have never grown one, clean off the seed with water but don't remove the brown seed covering. Poke three or four toothpicks in the sides of the seed so you can suspend the bottom half of the seed in a jar of water. Change the water every few days.

Once it sprouts root and grows leaves and a stalk, you can plant it in soil. Keep the top half of the seed above the soil. I'm told some will produce fruit in 3 years or so, but like mango, the good fruit comes from grafted trees. Sometimes they need friends for pollination. I think I"m going to get an avocado next trip to the grocery store.