Cut-and-Come-Again Vegetables: What Works (and What’s Just Internet Nonsense)

If you spend any time on gardening Facebook groups or social media, you’ve probably seen them: viral posts claiming you can regrow almost any vegetable from supermarket scraps. Leeks in beakers, celery bases in jars of water, onions magically producing a “second crop”.

In this blog, we break down what cut-and-come-again vegetables really are, which crops genuinely work, and why most regrowth tricks fail commercially.

What Does “Cut-and-Come-Again” Actually Mean?

A cut-and-come-again crop is one that can be harvested multiple times from the same plant without significant loss of yield, quality, or uniformity.

Crucially, this only applies to specific plant types, mostly leafy greens and herbs. It does not mean:

• Regrowing supermarket vegetables in water
• Getting a full second harvest from root crops
• Turning annual vegetables into perpetual food machines

Most viral examples confuse regrowth with economically viable regrowth; two very different things.

Why Most “Regrow Your Veg” Hacks Don’t Work

Yes, a leek base or celery stump may sprout leaves if placed in water. But that doesn’t mean you’ve produced a usable second crop.

Common problems include:

• Very weak regrowth
• Poor flavour and texture
• Low yields
• Non-uniform plants
• Increased pest and disease risk

Trying to grow these leftovers hydroponically, often using a crude “beaker method”, is particularly impractical and unrealistic.

For commercial growers, or even serious home growers, uniformity and yield matter. Second-growth crops from scraps rarely deliver either.

Vegetables That Do Work as Cut-and-Come-Again Crops

Cut-and-come-again systems are real and widely used commercially, but only for the right crops.

Leafy Greens

These are the most reliable cut-and-come-again vegetables:

• Loose-leaf lettuce (not closed-head types)
• Spinach
• Rocket (arugula)
• Mizuna
• Pak choi
• Kale
• Swiss chard
• Mustard greens

⚠️ Closed-head lettuces (e.g. iceberg) cannot be cut-and-come-again; despite what social media might claim.

Herbs

Many herbs respond very well to repeated cutting:

• Basil
• Parsley
• Coriander / cilantro
• Chives (a true perennial)
• Mint (to a limited extent)
• Thyme (needs cutting or it becomes woody)

Chives are an excellent example — they are designed to be harvested repeatedly. If you don’t cut them, quality actually declines.

Microgreens (Limited Second Cuts)

Some microgreens can produce a weak second flush:

• Alfalfa
• Clover
• Ryegrass
• Fescue

However, second cuts are usually lower quality and lower value, making them questionable economically.

Crops That Are Not Suitable for Cut-and-Come-Again

Despite frequent claims online, the following crops do not work as cut-and-come-again systems:

• Onions
• Leeks
• Celery
• Iceberg lettuce
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Potatoes

Any regrowth is typically:

• Small
• Inconsistent
• Unmarketable

For large-scale growers, these crops are simply not worth reharvesting.

Special Cases: Tomatoes and Roses

Tomatoes

While you can propagate tomatoes from stems, commercial growers don’t do this for second crops. Instead, they:

• Train plants continuously
• Lay stems along greenhouse beds
• Grow the same plant for up to 11 months

Rejuvenating old tomato plants results in weaker growth and poor uniformity.

Roses

Deadheading roses encourages more flowering by removing hormone-producing seed heads. This is sometimes described as “cut-and-come-again”, but it’s not relevant to edible crops or cut-flower production.

The Real Issue: Economic Viability

The key question isn’t “Can it regrow?”
It’s “Is the second crop worth growing?”

For:

• Small growers
• Salad producers
• Herb growers

Second cuts can make sense.

For:

• Large-scale vegetable producers
• Root crops
• Head-forming vegetables

Second cuts are uneconomic, inconsistent, and impractical.

Don’t Believe the Social Media Hype

You’ll increasingly see:

• Clickbait posts
• “They don’t want you to know this” claims
• AI-generated images of impossible regrowth

These are not based on commercial horticulture or plant physiology.

In most cases, starting again with fresh seed, cuttings, or planting material produces better yields, healthier plants, and fewer problems. If you are looking for a great All-In-One fertiliser to grow any of these plants mentioned today have a look at Liquid Gold!

Article by Dr Russell Sharp

If you would like to keep up to date with subjects just like this, you can listen to both our podcasts! Links can be found bellow:

Hydroponics Daily Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/hydroponics-daily/id1788172771

Cereal Killers Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cereal-killers/id1695783663