Dig In!: 12 Easy Gardening Projects Using Kitchen Scraps

Cornell, Kari

ISBN 10: 151243065X ISBN 13: 9781512430653

Publisher: Millbrook Press ™, 2018

Synopsis

Grow your own fruits and vegetables from nothing but kitchen scraps! Rather than throwing away leftovers from food in your kitchen, you can use them to grow more. Learn how to turn a single sweet potato into a pot full of them. Grow a salad from the end bit of lettuce and a lemon tree from a single seed. Several of these projects require nothing more than a jar, a windowsill, and a few pieces of food that would otherwise end up in the trash or compost. Step-by-step drawings and photographs make it easy to follow along, and fun recipes will help you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

About this title

About the Author

Jennifer S. Larson has written many nonfiction books for young readers.

Review

"This large-format book shows kids how they can use kitchen cast-offs to grow new food. For instance, most cooks cut off the top of a pineapple and discard it. But placed in a dish of water, the leafy top will grow roots that can be placed in soil and the new plant may produce a pineapple in two or three years. More short-term projects include growing new celery or romaine lettuce from their discarded bases, harvesting sweet potato shoots to plant, and using seeds collected from fresh-cut peppers and pumpkins. The encouraging, informative text is interspersed with appealing photos of kids gardening and plants in various stages of growth. Small digital pictures supplement the many photos, particularly in illustrating steps of the gardening projects. Throughout the book, planting projects are paired with recipes that, like most of the projects, may require some adult assistance but look very promising. Recipes include potato leek soup, a basil-parsley pesto, a pineapple-banana smoothie, sweet potato oven fries, and homemade lemonade. A fresh look at growing and preparing foods."―Booklist

(Journal)

"In this companion to The Nitty Gritty Gardening Book (2015), Cornell offers 12 gardening projects for preteens, focusing here on the regenerative power of plants and their parts. An introduction provides garden basics: the needs of plants, the role of pH, U.S. plant hardiness zones, and pollination. The four subsequent chapters are organized by type of propagation: sprouts from root ends; roots from cuttings; fostering growth from tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes; and planting saved seeds. Projects include sprouting romaine lettuce leaves, rooting herb cuttings, planting a ginger rhizome, and starting pepper and pumpkin plants from saved seeds. Ten nicely chosen (and delicious-sounding) recipes incorporate project ingredients―though most will require additional, store-bought items. Attractive photographs and clear drawings highlight step-by-step processes and the often modest growth of the propagated plants. (Cornell encourages patience; many projects require several weeks of monitoring.) A few missteps affect the overall package. State boundaries are difficult to discern on the hardiness map. While recommending organic produce (which is free of chemicals that inhibit sprouting), Cornell omits any discussion of hybrids, which, if propagated from seed, won't likely resemble the parent. Recipes lack yields and sometimes omit cautions regarding knife use. Quibbles aside, this engaging volume's strength―homing in on plants' specific regenerative properties―should spark STEM projects and home gardening fun, whether in a backyard or on an apartment windowsill."―Kirkus Reviews

(Journal)

"Don't throw away that lettuce core or those potato ends―instead recycle and turn them into new plants. This is a beautiful book for beginning gardeners that encourages the use of kitchen scraps and cuttings. The title is filled with projects to grow sweet potatoes, lettuce, garlic, and many vegetables and herbs. Planting zones and soil composition, as well as tools and supplies needed are covered in the planning stage. Each project is then outlined with drawings, photography, and step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow. Each section also includes recipes for using the plants that are grown. There are instructions on how to make seedling posts from old newspapers and how to root stems in a glass of water. The author and the photographer are experienced gardeners and writers of children's nonfiction books, making this collection of projects even more valuable. VERDICT A fine addition to gardening collections."―School Library Journal

(Journal)

Edition details

• Publisher: Millbrook Press ™
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 151243065X
• ISBN 13: 9781512430653
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 64