Don’t throw out your kitchen scraps — grow them! Discover how you can transform leftover pomegranate seeds, mango pits, and dried bits of gingerroot into thriving plants. With clear illustrations and step-by-step instructions, this innovative guide shows you how to cultivate 68 common shoots, seeds, pits, roots, and tubers that might otherwise end up in the compost bin. From the common carrot to the exotic cherimoya, you’ll be amazed at the gardening possibilities hidden in the foods you eat. 

Preface

 

Chapter 1: Nitty-Gritty Growing Techniques

What Plants Need to Grow * Getting Plants Started * Caring for New Plants * Dealing with Pests

Chapter 2: Plants from Common Vegetables

Bean * Beet * Carrot * Chickpea * Jerusalem Artichoke * Lentil * Onion, Garlic, and Shallot * Pea * Potato * Radish * Summer Squash * Sweet Potato * Turnip

Chapter 3: Plants from Fruits and Nuts

Almond * Avocado * Carob * Chinese Star Apple * Citrus * Date * Feijoa * Fig * Kiwi * Mango * Papaya * Peanut * Pineapple * Pomegranate * Sapodilla

Chapter 4: Plants from Herbs and Spices

Anise * Caraway * Celery * Coriander * Dill * Fennel * Fenugreek * Mustard * Sesame

Chapter 5: Plants from Latin America

Black Sapote * Chayote * Cherimoya * Genip * Jicama * Malanga * Prickly Pear * Tamarillo * Tomatillo * Tropical Guava

Chapter 6: Plants from Asia

Arrowhead * Bitter Melon * Daikon * Ginger * Jujube * Lemongrass * Litchi * Loquat * Name * Persimmon * Sugar Cane * Tamarind * Taro * Water Chestnut

Deborah Petersonstops at nothing to grab some strange piece of produce, seed or pit to start a plant.Lots of fun here with figs, feijoa, fruiting citrus and more for the whole family.

Orange County Register

I found Don't Throw It, Grow It! to be an absolutely delightful little book. I can't wait to start using as many of the suggestions as I possibly can. There were even ethnic fruits and vegetables I had never heard of - genip, anyone? Children will enjoy the magic of watching a new plant grow. This will help you brighten your living space while recycling at the same time. This is one of my favorite new books, and I just can't highly recommend it enough.

About.com

This clever little book from Storey -- priced right at 11 bucks in paperback --offers up suggestions for sprouting not just avocados, but also carrot tops, garbanzo beans, peanuts, jicama, lemongrass, ginger, and just about any other kind of grocery store produce There's something so thrifty and retro about sprouting food from kitchen scraps that makes it seem just right for the times.

Heres another way to be creative with plants: Read Dont Throw It, Grow It! Peterson and Selsam go way beyond the avocados and potatoes we used to root in water glasses. Besides fruits and vegetables, they include nuts, herbs, spices, and more international foods like chayote and litchi.

Philadelphia Inquirer