_SPOTLIGHTS

 Garrett Duran
The Faithful Gardner

Do you buy produce from the grocery store?

I call this Grocery Gardening…….

Did you know that most of what you purchase, you can actually grow yourself?

And you can even eat some of it first, then grow the rest!

This article is going to provide you a brief explanation of some of the things you can grow that you purchase from the grocery store,

Lettuce, celery, pineapples, apples, oranges, limes, lemons, bok choy, dates, avocados, mangos, potatos, sweet potatoes. This is a non-exhasutive list of plants that I’ve purchased from the grocery store, eaten some of, and then grown. Yes it really is possible!

I love the concept of grocery gardening because you’re growing things that you already purchase. You end up helping yourself and your household by producing the things that you consume. Way to go, you producer you!

Here’s a beautiful quote from a man named Bill Mollison, who dedicated his life to living in harmony with nature, and co-founded a model of living called permaculture.

“ The greatest change we need to make is from consumption to production, even if on a small scale, in our own gardens. If only 10% of us do this, there is enough for everyone. Hence the futility of revolutionaries who have no gardens, who depend on the very system they attack, and who produce words and bullets, not food and shelter.”

Grocery gardening empowers you to grow foods and develop self-sufficiency. It connects you to the food that you’re eating. It empowers you to make healthy decisions and become less dependent on others. And ultimately it plants a seed (pun intended) for your personal growth. Who knows, it might be the start of you becoming a gardener, a farmer or something awesome like that!

Picture below is some sweet potato and a mango tree i’m growing. I bought these at the store and planted them!

Garrett’s 5 Steps
On How to become a Grocery Gardener

1. Buy, Buy, Buy!

   

   Gif by holisticchefniki on Giphy

   
   Go to the store and purchase the produce you normally consume. The only ones that can’t be grown using standard methods are bananas, fruits without seed, and cut lettuce mixes. There may be some others, but there’s a 90% chance you can grow it in some way.

2. Container Time

   

   Photo by Ferks Guare on Unsplash

   After acquiring the produce, find a container (a lot of the time you can use the container you bought them in, otherwise any plastic will work. You can even use glass if you’d like) add some soil, and a paper product.
   Place the paper in the container add the dirt, then place the plant or the seeds. If you’re growing plants like bok choy or celery, look for the circle on the bottom of the plant, this is the portion that the roots will sprout from, so put those in the dirt. Plants with the circle on the bottom can be eaten from by taking the leaves and stems off of the plant until you're left with the small baby leaves. If you’re growing seeds, you can place them in the dirt.

3. Add water to the container.

   

   Gif by emilykayeillustration on Giphy

You don’t want to flood it, but you do want it to be fairly damp. If the water is more than the paper product can absorb, then you don’t need to add more.

Check on the plants regularly

You may need to let some water out, or add water. Usually if it smells funny and is starting to rot, it means too much water. If it's starting to wilt and look sad, not enough water. Within a week or two you will generally see something start to sprout. Typically it will be a little white root, followed by some green leaves if it’s a seed.

This is some celery i’m keeping! You can see the little white roots coming from the bottom of the stems.

5. Transplant

   

   Gif by yippywhippy on Giphy

You can now transplant this plant to the area of your choice. There are plenty of options, from outside, to a larger pot for plants, to hydroponic systems. There are so many options!

This is a picture of some lettuce in the container it came in, as well as some others I've planted in the ground!

This article doesn't cover everything, so if you have any questions please do reach out!
My mission is to help 10,000,000 people grow their own food! I'd love to help you grow!

Connect with Garrett
IG - the_uncommon_gardener
email - [email protected]