Don't Throw It, Grow It!

Don t throw out your kitchen scraps grow them! Discover how you can transform leftover pomegranate seeds, mango pits, and dried bits of gingerroot into thriving plants. From the common carrot to the exotic cherimoya, you ll be amazed at the gardening possibilities hidden in the foods you eat.

“eoeDeborah Petersonestops at nothing to grab some strange piece of produce, seed or pit to start a plante.Lots of fun here with figs, feijoa, fruiting citrus and more for the whole family.e Orange County Register eoeI found Don't Throw It, Grow It! to be an absolutely delightful little book. I can't wait to start using as many of the suggestions as I possibly can. There were even ethnic fruits and vegetables I had never heard of - genip, anyone? Children will enjoy the magic of watching a new plant grow. This will help you brighten your living space while recycling at the same time. This is one of my favorite new books, and I just can't highly recommend it enough.e About.com eoeThis clever little book from Storey -- priced right at 11 bucks in paperback --offers up suggestions for sprouting not just avocados, but also carrot tops, garbanzo beans, peanuts, jicama, lemongrass, ginger, and just about any other kind of grocery store producee There's something so thrifty and retro about sprouting food from kitchen scraps that makes it seem just right for the times.e Garden Rant eoeHeree(tm)s another way to be creative with plants: Read Done(tm)t Throw It, Grow It! ePeterson and Selsam go way beyond the avocados and potatoes we used to root in water glasses. Besides fruits and vegetables, they include nuts, herbs, spices, and more international foods like chayote and litchi.e Philadelphia Inquirer”

"Deborah Peterson...stops at nothing to grab some strange piece of produce, seed or pit to start a plant....Lots of fun here with figs, feijoa, fruiting citrus and more for the whole family."

Orange County Register

"I found Don't Throw It, Grow It! to be an absolutely delightful little book. I can't wait to start using as many of the suggestions as I possibly can. There were even ethnic fruits and vegetables I had never heard of - genip, anyone? Children will enjoy the magic of watching a new plant grow. This will help you brighten your living space while recycling at the same time. This is one of my favorite new books, and I just can't highly recommend it enough."

About.com

"This clever little book from Storey -- priced right at 11 bucks in paperback --offers up suggestions for sprouting not just avocados, but also carrot tops, garbanzo beans, peanuts, jicama, lemongrass, ginger, and just about any other kind of grocery store produce... There's something so thrifty and retro about sprouting food from kitchen scraps that makes it seem just right for the times."

"Here's another way to be creative with plants: Read Don't Throw It, Grow It! ...Peterson and Selsam go way beyond the avocados and potatoes we used to root in water glasses. Besides fruits and vegetables, they include nuts, herbs, spices, and more international foods like chayote and litchi."

Philadelphia Inquirer

Deborah Peterson, a founder of the Rare Pit & Plant Council and the editor of their newsletter The Pits for 25 years, has contributed to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Handbooks and lectured extensively on gardening with pits, among other gardening topics. Deborah is the proprietor of Landmark Landscaping and has landscaped and designed many gardens and private parks in NYC and Massachusetts.

Eat Your Vegetables (and plant them too!) You can also have houseplant fun with fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices. From the common carrot to the exotic cherimoya, dozens of foods have pits, seeds, and roots waiting to be rescued from the compost bin and brought back to life on your windowsill. Planted and nurtured, the shiny pomegranate seeds left over from breakfast and the piece of neglected gingerroot in your refrigerator will grow into healthy, vigorous houseplants -- kitchen experiments in the wonder of botany.

Magic and wonder hide in unexpected places -- a leftover piece of ginger, a wrinkled potato left too long in its bag, a humdrum kitchen spice rack. In "Don't Throw It, Grow It!" Deborah Peterson reveals the hidden possibilities in everyday foods. Peterson, former president of the American Pit Gardening Society, shows how common kitchen staples -- pits, nuts, beans, seeds, and tubers -- can be coaxed into lush, vibrant houseplants that are as attractive as they are fascinating. With Peterson's help, a sweet potato turns into a blooming vine; chickpeas transform into cheery hanging baskets; the humble beet becomes a dramatic centerpiece; and gingerroot grows into a 3-foot, bamboo-like stalk. In some cases the transformation can happen overnight! "Don't Throw It, Grow It!" offers growing instructions for over 50 plants in four broad categories -- kitchen vegetables; fruits and nuts; herbs and spices; and more exotic plants from ethnic markets. The book is enhanced with beautiful illustrations, and its at-a-glance format makes it a quick and easy reference. Best of all, every featured plant can be grown in a kitchen, making this handy guide a must-have for avid gardeners and apartment-dwellers alike. "Don't Throw It, Grow It!" will appeal both to committed recyclers and to anyone who wants to find magic in the mundane -- from parents and teachers looking to instill a sense of wonder in children, to the houseplant enthusiast seeking to create a one-of-a-kind Eden right in her kitchen.

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