Girl Scouts of Colorado’s Outreach Program team has five fun activities to help you complete Step Five of the Junior Gardener badge, which is to grow your own garden. First, we are going to learn all about sourcing seeds.

There are four basic parts of a garden: plants, soil, water, and sunshine. You can achieve this with as little as one cup, some dirt, a few seeds, and a windowsill; or you can plant a raised bed garden in your backyard, your own plot in a community garden, or in pots on a porch or balcony. There are endless combinations that make great gardens!

Seeds are usually available for purchase at your local grocery or hardware store or garden center. If your family cannot afford seeds, there are still a few ways to get them, including seed libraries. You check seeds out from the library, plant them, and save seeds from the fruits and vegetables you grew and return those seeds to the library. To find a seed library near you, visit the Seed Library Database. With the help of your caregiver or troop leader, you can also participate in a seed swap with other Girl Scouts across the country. Additionally, there are a lot of seed swap groups on social media, just be sure to take Girl Scouts of the USA’s Internet Safety Pledge first.

Did you know that you can grow new food from food you buy at the grocery store? GSCO Media Star Myla shows you how to regrow vegetables from scraps!

Here are the steps to regrow vegetables from scraps:

• For vegetables that still have an attached root or stem, you simply cut off roughly one to two inches from the bottom (or top). These are then placed in a container with water covering around half of the plant. The root should be placed down in the water. If it has a stem coming off the top, then the spot where you cut goes in the water.
• Change the water every few days until you see a few inches of new growth and roots, then plant in soil.

Some examples of scraps you might do this with are celery, carrots, onions, beets, romaine, or bok choy.

Another way to regrow things is to save the seeds from them. After you cut open the vegetables, scrape the seeds into a bowl, and save them for later. Simply treat these like you would a pack of seeds you bought. Plant them in some soil and water when necessary. If, like me, you planted them in a small starter container like an egg carton, then you will need to transfer them to a larger container as the roots develop and the leaves get bigger. Because they are coming from seeds, these will need a little more time and patience to grow. Please also know that many vegetables from grocery stores are something called a hybrid plant. Hybrids are two species of a plant that have been combined to make a new plant. Most hybrid seeds will not sprout, but that is okay because it’s all about trying! Some things you can try this with are peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, or pumpkins.

Some other fun things you can try regrowing from scraps could be:

• Potatoes: Simply peel a two-inch section of a potato that has at least three eyes on it. Let them dry out overnight before planting at least four-inch deep in soil. An eye on a potato is a spot where you can see a root sprouting. They kind of look like white growths on the potatoes.
• Ginger: This amazing root is full of flavor. Just take a small section of the root and plant it with the small buds facing up.
• Garlic: To grow more of this flavorful bulb, simply take a single clove and plant it root down in some soil. Soon, you will have some new shoots. Trim these back and soon you will have a new bulb. Repeat for endless garlic.

For a real challenge, try some fruit trees! Please keep in mind these will take a few years before producing any fruit. They are also trees, so make sure you give them space.

• Cherries: Clean off the pit from a cherry. Plant in a small lidded container with nutrient rich soil. Cover it and place it in the fridge for around 12 weeks. Then, plant this in the ground.
• Apples: Let the seeds from an apple dry out. Plant outside. Please note that seeds from the same apple can produce different types of apples.
• Peaches, Plums, and Nectarines: Dry out the pit and plant them in nutrient rich soil that gets plenty of sunlight.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.