61PLANTS Bloomberg Pursuits May 4, 2020
I got an early clue that these are indeed Uncertain Times
when I started planning my backyard vegetable bed and
found that seeds had become maddeningly tricky to source.
My go-to garden center now has an arduous ordering
system for tomato starts, and most of my favorite sites are
completely sold out. With a little creative problem-solving,
though, a lush vegetable garden is still obtainable, and you
probably don’t even have to leave your kitchen. Refrigerator
drawers, spice racks, and pantry shelves can hold a bountiful
repository of baby plants-to-be. If you don’t believe me, stick
some sesame or chia seeds in the dirt sometime and see
what happens. And if you are already growing microgreens
for salad, let the radish and broccoli grow past the sprout
stage and harvest once they’re mature. I’ve already got a
thick patch of daikon and lentils in my garden that I planted
only a month ago.
Here are a dozen staples that, if tended, can produce your
own green quarantine.GROW FROM ROOTS
GROW FROM CUTTINGS
MINT
If there’sanherbthatgrowsfrom
cuttingsmoreenthusiastically, I’ve
yet to meet it. An entire corner of my
garden is populated
with mint I grew
from one
store-bought
sprig. OREGANO
Anotherprodigious
memberofthemint
family,oregano
growseasilyfrom
clippings.Once
established,it’ll
happily spread
to all the nooks
and corners of
your garden.ROSEMARY
Even though this piney
herb can grow into a
rather large, woody
shrub, the sprigs are
easy to plant. Just
pluck off the lower
2 inches of leaves,
and it’ll form
roots in
water after
a few weeks.SCALLIONS
ChefDavidChangrecentlyshared
thistrickfromhismomonInstagram:
Snipthescallion’sgreensandputthe
rootendin a glassofwater,andit’ll
keepsprouting.(Italsoworksforleeks,
pictured at the bottom of the pile.)SWEET POTATO
Just one can yield several ofthe
root vegetable. Cut it into hunks—
make sure there are two orthree
eyes on each one—and coverwith
a few inches of dirt. You caneven
plant straight into a bag ofsoil.GARLIC
It takes patience, but if you buy a head
of garlic and bury each clove pointy side
up, you can harvest next year. No time?
Chop the root end of a
shallot and plant it—
you’ll have chive-
like greens in a
few weeks.