DIY: Water Gardens

Would you believe us if we told you that you can take your old containers and a bit of water and you can regrow lettuce, celery, green onions, chives, leeks or bok choy? Sound a little like science fiction? Well with this amazing DIY water garden, that's exactly what you can do.

Water gardens add a little bit of colour, life and decoration to your window sill while being a great way to reuse your containers. Whether it is a glass jar, plastic container or one of our body scrub tubs, you can make your own water gardens with a few easy steps.

What even is a water garden?

The premise behind a water garden is that the plants grow in water, not soil. This uses less water and grows your vegetables and herbs faster. Not every vegetable or herb can be grown this way but lettuce, green onions, celery, chives and bok choy certainly can. All you have to do is put your stems/stalks in water and watch them sprout.

Used Stuff you'll need for this DIY water Garden:

• Empty body scrub containers
• A stalk of romaine lettuce, green onion, celery or one of your other favourite vegetables or herbs

How to make your own water garden:

1. Remove the label from the old body scrub container by soaking in warm water. You can also use a bit of vinegar to remove any leftover stickiness once the label is peeled off.
2. Clean out the body scrub container thoroughly with warm soap and water. To ensure that your regrown produce won't taste like Blood Orange or Bamboo Body Scrubs (or whatever they used to house), try adding some baking soda and water in the container and leave it for a few days to make sure all the oils and smells are fully eradicated from the tubs!
3. Place a romaine lettuce stalk or some green onions stalk in the container and fill with water. No soil is needed. Hint: The containers are the perfect size to sit nicely on a well-lit window sill.
4. Replace the water every other day and your lettuce or green onions will regrow themselves!

Things to keep in mind

Now it's good to note that you won't get a full head of lettuce through a water garden, but you might just get enough for a small salad. Also, some leftover stalks may not regrow, but it's a great way to try to reuse your leftover food scraps.

More upcycling ideas

Try more great upcycling ideas like Flower Holders or a Living Picture Frame, or share your own on our Facebook page!