I’ve fallen for the “grow it from scraps” trend more times than I’d like to admit—and let’s just say, not all veggies are worth the trouble.
Some gave me sad, scraggly results after weeks of babying, while others flat-out refused to grow. Honestly, a few are just better off coming from the store where they’re cheap, fresh, and ready to go.
I’m all for saving money and experimenting, but some scraps just don’t pull their weight. Here are the veggies I’ve officially given up on growing—and why I’m not looking back.
1. Carrots Won’t Deliver
Looking at those carrot tops sprouting in water might seem promising, but don’t get your hopes up!
Carrots grown from scraps will only produce leafy greens, not new root vegetables. The energy stored in the carrot top simply isn’t enough to generate a whole new carrot.
Many gardening enthusiasts waste months nurturing these scraps only to harvest nothing edible. While the greens can be used as garnish or in pesto, you’ll never get the satisfying crunch of a fresh carrot.
2. Potatoes Not Worth The Wait
Growing spuds from old potato eyes requires significant space, soil depth, and constant monitoring. Store-bought potatoes are often treated with sprouting inhibitors, making them unpredictable starters. Even when they do grow, the yield is typically small and takes months to mature.
Commercial farmers use certified disease-free seed potatoes for good reason. Regular potatoes can carry diseases that affect your entire crop.
Factor in the cost of containers, soil, and time invested, and you’re spending more on homegrown potatoes than store-bought ones. Skip the hassle and grab a bag during your next shopping trip.
3. Onions Offer Minimal Returns
Placing onion bottoms in water seems like magic when green shoots appear within days. Unfortunately, the excitement ends there for most home growers. The regrown onions rarely develop substantial bulbs, leaving you with something resembling green onions at best.
Professional onion production depends on specific day-length requirements and growing conditions. Most kitchen attempts lead to weak plants that bolt quickly.
Growing from scraps might give you some onion greens to snip for garnish, but you’ll still need to buy full onions for cooking. Your countertop experiment will never replace the need for store-bought onions.
4. Bell Peppers Fall Short
Saving those seeds from the center of your bell pepper might seem like a smart move, but reality quickly disappoints.
Seeds from grocery store peppers often come from hybrid varieties, meaning their offspring won’t match the parent plant. You might end up with smaller, less flavorful, or even bitter peppers.
Growing bell peppers demands warm temperatures, consistent watering, and at least 70-80 days to mature. Most homegrown attempts from scraps produce plants that struggle indoors.
Even successful plants yield just a few peppers after months of care. For reliable, affordable peppers year-round, the produce section remains your best option.
5. Broccoli Regrowth Disappoints
Placing a broccoli stem in water might produce leaves, giving false hope to eager gardeners. The reality? You’ll never get another head of broccoli from this method. At most, you’ll grow a few small side shoots that pale in comparison to what you’d buy at the store.
Broccoli plants naturally produce once before needing to be replaced. Store-bought stems lack the energy reserves to create substantial new growth.
While watching the greens sprout can be fun, the yield isn’t worth the counter space or effort. Next time you want broccoli, save yourself weeks of waiting and grab a fresh head from the produce aisle.
6. Cauliflower Leads Nowhere
Sticking a cauliflower base in water creates a science experiment that ultimately goes nowhere productive. Like its cousin broccoli, cauliflower might sprout some leaves, creating false hope for a new head forming. The reality is far less exciting.
Cauliflower demands specific temperature conditions and at least 80 days to mature. The base you’re trying to regrow lacks the necessary energy stores to produce another edible head.
Commercial growers plant fresh seeds each season for good reason. Your kitchen counter revival project might be educational, but it won’t reduce your grocery bill or provide another meal.
7. Corn Creates False Hope
Saving corn kernels from your summer barbecue seems thrifty until you understand the reality of corn production.
Most store-bought corn comes from hybrid varieties, meaning saved kernels won’t grow true to type. You might end up with plants that produce tiny, barely edible ears after months of care.
Corn demands substantial space, growing in blocks rather than rows for proper pollination. Each plant produces only 1-2 ears after 60-100 days of perfect conditions.
Home-grown attempts from grocery scraps typically yield disappointing results. The effort-to-reward ratio makes corn one of the least practical vegetables to grow from leftover scraps.
8. Asparagus Requires Patience
Growing asparagus from the woody ends we typically discard is essentially impossible. Proper asparagus cultivation starts with crowns or seeds and demands extraordinary patience. New plants shouldn’t be harvested for the first 2-3 years while they establish themselves.
Commercial asparagus fields produce for up to 20 years, but only after this initial waiting period. Attempting shortcuts with kitchen scraps yields nothing but disappointment.
Even if you planted proper asparagus crowns today, you’d still be buying asparagus from the store for the next several seasons. Some vegetables simply can’t be rushed or regrown from leftover parts.
9. Cabbage Creates Confusion
Placing a cabbage base in water creates an interesting display as leaves begin to sprout from the center. Excitement quickly fades when you realize these leaves will never form a new head. The regrowth remains loose and open, nothing like the tight cabbage head you purchased.
Commercial cabbage grows from seeds under specific conditions over 80-180 days. The core you’re attempting to regrow lacks sufficient energy to reproduce a full head.
While the sprouted leaves are technically edible, the sparse yield hardly justifies the weeks of watching and waiting. For reliable, dense cabbage heads, the produce section remains your most efficient source.
10. Eggplant Efforts Wasted
Saving seeds from grocery store eggplants typically leads to disappointment for home gardeners. Most commercial varieties are hybrids, meaning their seeds won’t produce plants identical to the parent. The resulting eggplants might be bitter, seedy, or significantly smaller than expected.
Eggplants demand warm temperatures, consistent watering, and 100-120 days to mature. Most home attempts from scraps produce weak plants that struggle to set fruit.
Even when successful, the yield rarely justifies the space and effort invested. For reliable, high-quality eggplants without the four-month wait, simply add them to your shopping list.
11. Cucumber Complications
Extracting and planting seeds from store-bought cucumbers creates a garden gamble few win. Most commercial cucumbers are hybrid varieties, meaning their seeds won’t grow true to type. The resulting plants might produce bitter, oddly-shaped fruits nothing like what you expected.
Cucumber plants need significant space, consistent watering, and warm temperatures to thrive. Even successful plants may fall victim to numerous pests and diseases.
Growing from scraps typically yields disappointing results after 50-70 days of care. For consistent quality and convenience without the wait, cucumbers are best purchased fresh from your local market.
12. Zucchini Zaps Energy
Saving seeds from store-bought zucchini creates false economy for eager gardeners. Most commercial varieties are hybrids that won’t grow true from saved seeds. The resulting plants might produce bitter fruits or fail to produce at all after months of care.
Zucchini plants demand significant space, consistent watering, and 45-55 days to mature. Each plant spreads 3-4 feet in diameter, making them impractical for most indoor growing attempts from scraps.
Even outdoor plants frequently fall victim to powdery mildew and squash vine borers. For reliable zucchini without the space requirements or pest battles, the produce section remains your best option.
13. Brussels Sprouts Bust
Attempting to regrow Brussels sprouts from stem scraps creates nothing but leafy disappointment. While the stem might sprout leaves when placed in water, it will never produce the compact sprouts you’re hoping for. The energy required simply isn’t present in leftover scraps.
Commercial Brussels sprouts grow from seeds over a 90-180 day period, making them one of the longest-season vegetables.
They require cool temperatures and perfect timing to produce good results. The sprouted leaves from your kitchen experiment might be edible, but they’ll never replace actual Brussels sprouts.
14. Radishes Refuse To Cooperate
Placing radish tops in water creates leafy growth that gives false hope to many home gardeners. The hard truth? You’ll never get another radish from this method. The tops might produce some edible greens, but the root vegetable you’re hoping for will never materialize.
Commercial radishes grow from seeds in just 21-30 days, making them one of the fastest vegetables to mature.
Despite this quick turnaround, attempting shortcuts with kitchen scraps yields nothing but disappointment. While watching the greens sprout can be fun for kids, the yield isn’t worth the effort. Next time you want radishes, just buy a fresh bunch.
15. Tomatoes Take Too Long
Saving seeds from grocery store tomatoes creates a garden gamble that rarely pays off. Most commercial varieties are hybrids, meaning their seeds won’t produce plants identical to the parent. The resulting tomatoes might be smaller, less flavorful, or prone to splitting.
Tomato plants need 60-100 days to mature from seedling to harvest, demanding consistent watering and plenty of sunlight.
Even successful plants require staking, pruning, and protection from numerous pests and diseases. Growing from scraps typically yields disappointing results after months of care. For reliable, tasty tomatoes without the long wait, the produce section remains your best option.
16. Kale Keeps You Waiting
Placing a kale stem in water might produce some leaves, creating false hope for ongoing harvests. Unfortunately, the regrowth remains sparse and weak compared to proper plants. The stem lacks sufficient energy reserves to create substantial new growth.
Commercial kale grows from seeds over 50-65 days, developing strong root systems that support continuous harvesting.
Your kitchen counter experiment might yield a few leaves, but nothing comparable to a proper plant. While watching the greens sprout can be entertaining, the minimal yield isn’t worth the counter space or effort. For abundant, healthy kale, purchasing fresh bunches remains most efficient.
17. Spinach Scraps Disappoint
Attempting to regrow spinach from stem bases creates more disappointment than salad greens. While the stems might produce a few small leaves when placed in water, they’ll never develop into the lush bunches you’re hoping for. The energy required simply isn’t present in leftover scraps.
Commercial spinach grows from seeds in 37-45 days under perfect conditions. The sprouted leaves from your kitchen experiment will be sparse and short-lived.
Even successful regrowth provides just a garnish rather than enough for a proper salad. For reliable, abundant spinach without the wait and disappointment, simply add it to your shopping list.
18. Lettuce Lacks Substance
Placing lettuce bases in water creates one of the few partially successful scrap-growing experiences. New leaves will emerge from the center, creating the illusion of victory. Look closer and you’ll notice the regrowth is often bitter, sparse, and lacks the substance of proper lettuce heads.
Commercial lettuce varieties grow from seeds over 45-55 days, developing proper root systems that support substantial growth.
Your kitchen counter experiment might yield a few leaves for a sandwich, but nothing comparable to what you’d buy. While it’s one of the more successful scrap-growing projects, the yield rarely justifies the effort. For reliable, substantial lettuce, fresh heads remain your best option.
19. Beets Beat Expectations
Placing beet tops in water creates leafy growth that gives false hope to many home gardeners. The hard truth? You’ll never get another beet root from this method.
The tops might produce some edible greens, but the root vegetable you’re hoping for will never materialize.
Commercial beets grow from seeds in 50-70 days, developing their characteristic roots under specific soil conditions.
Despite looking promising initially, attempting shortcuts with kitchen scraps yields nothing but disappointment. While the sprouted greens are edible and nutritious, they’re not the beet root you’re hoping to harvest. For actual beets, buying fresh ones remains your only practical option.
20. Sweet Potatoes: Sweet Disappointment
Growing sweet potatoes from store-bought varieties creates more problems than it solves for home gardeners.
While you can sprout slips from sweet potato ends, commercial varieties are often treated with sprouting inhibitors, making them unpredictable starters. Even when they do grow, the yield is typically small and takes months to mature.
Sweet potatoes demand warm temperatures, specific soil conditions, and 90-170 days to produce decent-sized tubers.
Factor in the space requirements and time invested, and you’re spending more on homegrown sweet potatoes than store-bought ones. For reliable, well-developed sweet potatoes without the half-year wait, simply add them to your grocery list.