7 food items that you can easily regrow at home – and save on your grocery bill

Having to import over 90 per cent of its food, land-scarce Singapore is subject to the global food market’s volatilities. In response, Singapore has doubled down on its '30 by 30' goal, an initiative to produce 30 per cent of the country’s nutritional needs locally by 2030.

Given that the typical household in Singapore spends about $1,199 per month on food (more specifically, $350 to $475 per month on groceries), one easy way to save on your grocery expenses is by regrowing edibles from scrap parts.

Does growing your own food save money?

1. Spring onions

Unfortunately, spring onions can go limp in the fridge very quickly. A simple solution to this would be to grow them yourself. All you have to do is cut off the spring onions’ root end – leaving around three cm – and place them in a bowl of water.

Once the spring onion has reached roughly 10cm in height, transfer it into a pot. Water it daily and enjoy your harvest after five to seven days.

2. Celery

Celery is one of the most low-maintenance vegetables that you can grow. Cut off the bottom root from your celery (about five to seven cm) and place it upright in a bowl of water. Replant in soil once you notice the appearance of new shoots. This should take roughly three to five days.

Harvest once the celery stalks have reached at least 15cm in height (approximately three months).

3. Lemongrass

If you're a fan of Thai cuisine, then growing this versatile herb is a must-try. Cut about two to three cm off the lemongrass’s tops and place them in a jar of water for roughly two weeks. Change the water daily.

Once the roots start to firm up, transplant the stalks into a pot. Harvest when the stalk grows to 30cm.

4. Basil

A handful of fresh basil can transform a simple pizza or pasta dish into something bright, flavorful, and delicious. Place a stalk of basil – about eight to 10cm – in a glass of water.

Remove roughly 75 per cent of its leaves. Once the roots are approximately five cm, transplant the herb to a pot. You can harvest fresh basil after three to four weeks.

5. Chilli

Chilli is probably the easiest vegetable to grow on this list, which says a lot. All you need to do is collect the chilli seeds and plant them in potting soil under ample sunlight.

Make sure to keep the soil constantly moist – but not soaking wet. Depending on the variety of chilli you’re planting, some are ready to harvest 60 days from sowing, while others can take as long as 120 days.

6. Lettuce

While there are a few leafy vegetables you could grow in Singapore’s hot and humid climate, you’d typically need to purchase their seeds. Thankfully, this doesn’t apply to lettuce – where you can regrow it from its scraps.

Place the base of your lettuce in a shallow bowl of water. You should notice roots appearing after three to four days and have your first harvest in 10 to 12 days.

7. Avocado

Admittedly, you’re going to need a landed property for this. If you have space, however, you’ll find that nurturing an avocado tree in your garden is a pretty low-effort endeavour. First, remove the avocado’s pit. Wash it clean but do not remove the brown skin.

Place the avocado seed half-submerged in a glass of water; you can do this by sticking toothpicks into the seed, which will serve as support. Once the tree is about 15cm, transplant it into a pot.

A disclaimer: it’s going to take some time before you can harvest avocados. Some plants begin fruiting when they are three to four years old, while others could take as long as 15+ years!

This article was first published in ValueChampion .