Few things are more rewarding than growing your own food, especially if you can regrow veggies from scraps most people would throw in the trash.
TikToker JudyBaoGarden (@judybaogarden), who calls herself "Mama Judy," shows her viewers how to grow all sorts of delicious produce and beautiful flowers.
@judybaogarden This is a sign to regrow your own lettuce! Let's get started! 🥬 #garden #lettuce #regrow #fyp ♬ original sound - JudyBaoGarden
In this case, she shares a simple way to grow endless amounts of lettuce, a gift that truly keeps on giving.
The scoop
Most people love a good salad, but you have to spend a lot of green to get your greens from the store, and they tend to expire quickly. With this easy hack straight from Mama Judy's garden, you can have infinite lettuce without spending a penny.
"Watch how easy it is to regrow your own lettuce," a voiceover says in the video.
The video shows Mama Judy cutting the stem off a head of romaine lettuce a couple of inches from the base. She then grabs a large plastic planter about three-quarters full of soil and sticks the lettuce in the middle, pushing it firmly into the soil.
Next, she takes a few handfuls of mulch and places it around the lettuce stem to help it retain moisture. Judy advises watering once a week for optimal growth, as too much water can kill young plants.
She shows the lettuce one week later, and you can see a tiny sprout shooting up from the middle. The video also shows a few other flourishing lettuce plants growing in other containers.
"Look how fast they're growing — we'll be having salad in no time," the voiceover says.
Judy encourages everyone to try the effortless gardening hack.
How it's helping
According to the USDA, romaine lettuce costs $2.68 per pound on average, and it may cost even more if you want pre-washed and chopped lettuce. This hack saves you a ton of cash while helping you stay mentally and physically healthy, as gardening can lower stress and help you get more exercise.
You'll also be helping the planet by reducing your reliance on mass-produced, globally-shipped produce that usually doesn't taste nearly as good as food grown in your own backyard. Not to mention, store-bought produce is often wrapped in plastic, so growing your own food can help cut down on plastic waste that often ends up in landfills.
What everyone's saying
Several commenters had already tried Mama Judy's hack with encouraging results.
"It works really well! Easy way to start leafy veggies," one person said.
"It's addictive. I started with lettuce, then did Bok choy, celery all free," another shared.
"I do this.. However, I root mine in water first. Maybe I should do it in dirt first. Thank you for the info," another grateful viewer said.
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