Yes, you can regrow store-bought celery from the base you would normally throw away in your kitchen. Just place that cut bottom in water and watch new leaves sprout within a week on your counter. This fun kitchen project gives you fresh celery greens without buying seeds or plant starts.
The process for growing celery from scraps starts with your next grocery store bunch. Cut the base about two inches from the bottom where all the stalks connect together. You want that solid white core intact because that is where all the new growth comes from.
I tested this method on three different store-bought bunches to see how well it works. All three sprouted new growth within the first week on my kitchen windowsill. The key is using a fresh bunch with a firm white base that has not dried out yet.
Place the cut base in a dish with about an inch of water covering the bottom half of it. Set it on a sunny windowsill where it gets six hours of light each day in your home. The warmth and light trigger the celery to push out new growth from the center.
Change the water every two to three days to keep it fresh and prevent rot from setting in. You can see tiny green leaves poking up from the center within the first week. Small white roots start growing from the bottom around the same time as the leaves appear.
This is your celery kitchen regrow project taking off and starting to grow. Keep your expectations realistic about what this method produces for you though. Those new leaves work great for flavoring soups and salads in your recipes at home.
But you cannot get full thick stalks like the original bunch without more effort on your part. The base lacks the root system to support big growth in water alone on your counter. Growing in the Garden notes that celery needs 80-140 days to produce full sized stalks.
The celery from scraps method gives you leaves and flavor but not crunchy stalks for dipping. Want real stalks from your celery kitchen regrow project at home? Transplant that rooted base into garden soil once it shows three inches of leaf growth on top.
Plant it deep with just the new leaves above the soil level in your bed. Now it can build the root system needed for thick stalks over time. Give your transplanted base the same care as any celery plant in your garden throughout the season.
I keep a celery base going on my kitchen windowsill all winter long for fresh leaves. It gives me greens to toss into dishes whenever I need that celery flavor in my cooking. When spring comes I move the strongest one into the garden for full stalks later.
Read the full article: Growing Celery: Expert Homegrown Plan
