Ready to dive into the wonderful world of plants? In the last blog, “Setting Up Your Green Haven”, we covered all the materials that you might need to get started. Today, let’s check out all the different ways to grow your first plant!

Every plant is unique in its own way. Below we’ve shared steps to get started along with some personal experience so that you can learn from our mistakes. We’ll go through 3 ways you can grow your first plant: repurposing roots, starting with a seed, and transplanting a seedling. 

Repurposing with Roots: Give Leftover Spring Onions a Second Life

Did you know that you can give leftover vegetables a second life? This method allows you to regrow new plants from the roots of vegetables like spring onions. You can also use this method for other vegetables as well, like celery, lettuce, leeks, and some herbs. With spring onions, you can also grow it in a little cup of water too. Let’s see how to regrow them:

1. You’ll probably have some spring onions at home or can try this the next time you get some. 
2. Take the spring onion and cut it about 4-5cm from the thread-like roots at the bottom. The green part you can eat, and the root part, we’ll use for planting.
3. Take a pot and pour soil in it.  
4. Dig a small hole for spring onion root and carefully place it in the hole. Fill in the rest of the hole with pot soil.
5. Water it gently, keep in in the sunlight and viola! You’ll be able to see it grow like magic.

From Seed to Chutney: Growing Tomatoes at Home

Planting from seeds is a rewarding experience because you get to witness the entire life cycle of a plant from a tiny speck to a flourishing beauty. You can buy seeds from a nursery or plant store, but you can also find seeds in your kitchen too. We’ll walk you through doing this with a tomato, and we made a mini video tutorial on “How to grow a tomato from seeds”. So many other plants can be grown as well such as mirchi, dhaniya, garlic and ginger. It works best with organic produce. Some fruits can also be grown this way, just keep in mind which ones will grow a tree and therefore need a lot more space and time! 

1. Get a pot. You can also use any broken mug/cup or even egg cartons for each seed to grow separately.
2. Evenly pour soil in the pot and leave about 6-7 cm gap from the top of the pot for the plant to grow. 
3. Cut your tomato so that you can separate out the jelly-like part where all the seeds are.
4. Separate the seeds. (An easy way to do it, is to put the jelly-like part on a tissue paper and once it dries, you can shake/peel off the seeds.)
5. Sprinkle water on top and dig a little hole to place the seed.
6. Gently place the seed in the hole and cover the top with soil.
7. Water the pot and within a week you will see a beautiful little sprout coming out from the pot.

Planting with Seedlings: Give Your Plant a Head Start

A seedling is a young plant. You can get young plants from your nearby nursery or plant store and can ask for a particular plant’s seedling. The benefit of this option is that there’s a good chance of success because they have already overcome the delicate germination stage.

Let’s explore the details:

1. Get your seedling and pot. Make sure the pot has a drainage hole or else make a small hole in the bottom for drainage. Pick a place for the pot to avoid moving or shifting it once the plant is planted because the pot will be heavier and more difficult to move.
2. Mix the soil thoroughly to avoid any big lumps of soil in the pot.  
3. Evenly pour it in the pot, leaving about 6-7 cm of gap from the top. This helps the plant to not feel suffocated.
4. Dig a hole of about 4-5 cm in the soil.
5. Place the seedling inside the hole gently and then cover the top with pot soil. Water the pot, enough to moisten the top, but not to soak it completely.
6. Keep watering the top of the pot every day, and make sure that the pot receives enough sunlight, and fresh air.

Your complete guide to planting your first plant, along with some personal experiences from us. Ready to get started? Try this at home and share your experience with us in the comments below! We can’t wait to see your green thumb in action. Remember to have patience with the process. If you overwater or use too much fertilizer, it won’t grow quicker so have fun along the journey. We even made a mini video tutorial for planting the tomato. In the next part of our gardening guide, “Plant Whisperer’s Secrets” we will delve into plant maintenance. Stay tuned for more updates on our Instagram account and Youtube channel, where we will post new tips each week.

About the Series: Unleash Your Inner Gardener: A 7-Week Guide to Happy Plants & Sustainable Living

This fun and informative series makes gardening easy for beginners! Learn everything you need to know, from choosing plants to composting basics, in just 7 weeks. Each week covers a new topic to help you cultivate a thriving green space and embrace a sustainable lifestyle.

Ready to grow happiness and healthy plants? Join us for the next 3 weeks.