A Potato Vine
Regular white potatoes will grow vines with dark green leaves, and they're sturdy, attractive and easy to grow. Caution: The potato is a member of the nightshade family. The leaves of the potato plant are poisonous if eaten.

You'll need:
An oblong potato
A large jar with a mouth large enough to put your potato through
Toothpicks

Sometimes potatoes bought at the supermarket have been sprayed with a substance to keep them from sprouting. Wash and scrub your potato well to make sure it will sprout. Fill the jar with water. Cut off one end of the potato. Stick three or four toothpicks around the middle of your potato piece to hold the top of it up out of the water. Place the potato in the jar, with the cut side in the water. There need to be some "eyes" beneath the water. Put the jar where it can receive light, but not in direct sunshine.

In about a week white, stringy roots will start to grow from the bottom half of the potato. Soon after roots grow, the leaves will begin to appear on the top half of the potato. Keep the jar filled with water, changing the water if it becomes cloudy. You can move your plant to a larger jar if it grows too big for the one it is in. A sweet potato or yam makes a purple vine, and can be grown using the same procedure.

Carrot Tops
The next time you have carrots for dinner, save the tops. Carrot tops are easy to grow and produce nice foliage.

You'll need:
A pie plate
Pebbles
Carrot tops

Fill the pie plate with a layer of pebbles about one inch deep. Cut off the tops of several carrots. Fat, short carrots work the best. Put the carrot tops on the pebbles, cut side down. Add enough water to cover the bottoms of the vegetables. The carrots should not be completely covered with water. Use the pebbles to prop up your carrot tops and to keep them arranged the way you want. Place the pie plate out of direct sunlight. Check the water level daily. If your carrots begin to shrivel, there is not enough water in the pie plate and they will not sprout.

Sprouts should appear in about a week and there will be new growth every day. The carrots will continue to sprout for about a month. Beets, radishes and turnips also can be grown this way. Sprout several root vegetables at the same time to make a nice arrangement.

Bean Sprouts
Almost any variety of dried bean or pea, except split peas, will make sprouts. You can also plant beans in soil to make a houseplant.

You'll need:
A glass jar
Pantyhose
A rubber band

Soak beans overnight in a water-filled jar. If you're sprouting different types of beans, use a separate jar for each kind. In the morning, pour off the soaking water and rinse the beans. Cover the mouth of the jar with a piece of panty hose and secure it in place by putting a rubber band around the top of the jar. You will rinse the jarful of beans every morning and evening. Between the rinsings, turn the jar upside down in a dish rack and tilt it so that the water drains thoroughly from the jar. Somewhere between two and four days the beans will begin to sprout. Pink lentils sprout the fastest and can germinate in one day.

You can eat the bean sprouts. They are more nutritious when they are short, but some like the flavor of sprouts that have grown longer. Bean sprouts can be stored in the refrigerator, which will stop their growth. The sprouted beans can also be planted in soil and will grow to make a nice leafy indoor plant. Plant the beans about one inch deep. Put the plant in a sunny place and keep the soil moist.

Orange Seeds
You can grow an indoor tree from an orange seed. Orange seeds sprout easily, and after a long time will grow into a small tree. As the plant grows, you must transplant it to allow plenty of room for growth. The leaves of this plant release a fresh, lemony fragrance when you rub them between your fingers.

Rinse orange seeds with warm water and soak overnight. Prepare a container for your plant. Plant your seeds about 1/2 inch deep and cover with soil. Leave one inch between seeds to give plenty of room to grow. Keep the soil moist and put your plant in a warm, sunny spot. Sometimes the seeds may take a month to sprout. As the plant grows, pinch back (cut or pinch off the center, tiny leaves) the tips of new growth to make it bushier.

Other Ideas
Don't throw away the bottom part of a celery bunch! After you cut all the celery stalks off, take the leftover bottom part and place cut side up in a saucer of water. Change the water if it gets dirty or cloudy. The celery will sprout new tiny pale stalks.

Popcorn kernels can be planted. Plant the kernels about one inch deep. Water the plant well and keep in a sunny spot. Keep the soil moist. It will take about two weeks for the corn to sprout. Once sprouted, corn grows very quickly and sprouts need to be transplanted into a larger pot for each plant. The plants will lean toward the sun, so turn your plant before it gets too lopsided.

You can enjoy these easy projects with a minimum of supplies or effort, and have your own garden indoors any time of year.

Want to see more?

• Plant the top of the carrot, but use the bottom to make a healthy Carrot Drink.
• How Does Your Garden Grow? Teaching Your Child the Art of Gardening
• Talk about it!