A gardener has shared a helpful hack for making your garden thrive by attracting pollinators and repelling pests: companion planting.
The scoop
TikTok user Ashley Nicole (@momjeansandgardenthings) explains her clever tip for keeping plants in your garden healthy and pest-free. The centuries-old gardening tactic is known as "companion planting."
In the video, Nicole breaks down her tried-and-true formula for successful companion planting.
"If you're a beginner gardener and you're confused about companion planting, this simple formula is going to make everything make sense," Nicole says in the clip. "There are three main components to companion planting. There's the main crop … the flower, and the herb."
@momjeansandgardenthings Quick and Easy guide to Companion Planting #gardening101 #beginnergardenertips #companionplanting #newgardeners ♬ Paper Birds - Jordan Halpern Schwartz
Nicole shows off a pot with a tomato plant as the main crop — plus oregano, marigolds, chives, and onions.
"The marigold is going to act as an attractant for pollinators, the oregano is going to act as a repellent," she says. "Marigold also acts as a repellent. Now I have an additional herb here … our chives and onions, they are going to act as our herb and act as a repellent to pests."
This companion planting formula can help bring vital pollinators to your plants to make them fertile while also keeping harmful pests away from the leaves and flowers that keep your plants healthy.
How it's helping
Nicole's simple three-part formula helps create the conditions that allow your home garden to thrive. By maintaining a healthy garden at home, you can save money on groceries by growing your own food.
Additionally, gardens help to enrich the soil and the air quality of your home, according to GreenMatters.
Growing your own produce also helps you avoid exposure to dangerous chemicals that store-bought fruits and vegetables often contain. A recent study by the Environmental Working Group suggested that as much as 75% of non-organic produce contains traces of potentially harmful chemicals from pesticides.
What everyone's saying
Users shared their enthusiasm for Nicole's hack in the comment section of her video on TikTok.
"I knew about marigolds but omg the oregano and chives? Amazing! My oregano seeds are being stubborn but I can't wait to plant them together," one user wrote.
"I've been researching companion planting for months and not one time has it been explained this simply," another user commented.
"I just started companion planting this year. basil and marigolds with tomatoes, bush beans with potatoes. separate gardens," a third user said.
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