If you want to grow your own vegetables at home, don’t be discouraged by a lack of gardening space. There are many easy ways to grow produce right on your kitchen counter! Earlier this month we shared a story about a knifty circular indoor farming gadget, but if you’re not ready to invest in countertop hydroponics, you can also grow your own veggies with nothing more than a jar of water.

For produce like celery, lettuce, or scallions, simply cut the veggie at the base, leaving two to three inches of viable vegetable above the base, and place it base-down in a shallow dish of water. Place the jar in a sunny area and change the water every couple of days. Within a week you should see new stalks pushing their way up out of the base. 

For herbs like basil, mint, and cilantro, cut the stems to 5 inches in length and remove the lower leaves. Place in water, like you would with flowers, and leave in a sunny spot. These take a bit longer than lettuce, but once they begin to sprout at the bottom, you can even transplant them into a small pot and never buy cilantro again.

The process is relatively similar for all vegetables. You can experiment with bok choy, cabbage, onions, fennel, and leeks. Sprouting veggies is simple and takes up little counter space. So, if you’re new to the process of gardening, or even are a seasoned pro, pop your dinner scraps into water tonight and have fresh (and free!) vegetables in no time.