A TikTok user has shared a helpful hack for pollinating your vegetable garden — and all it takes is a few beautiful flowers.
The scoop
In a recent video, TikTok user Kia Jade (@kia_urbangardener) shared an incredibly helpful tip for maintaining a happy and healthy vegetable garden.
"One of the biggest mistakes that beginner gardeners make when they first start growing their own vegetables — and I've made this mistake myself — is not growing enough flowers in your vegetable garden," she says in the clip. "What else will attract the bees if it's not for the flowers? And you need the bees to get the vegetables. So next time you're growing vegetables, make sure you plant some beneficial flowers."
@kia_urbangardener One of the biggest mistakes beginner gardeners make when growing vegetables (we have all been there). #beginnergardener #gardeningtipsforbeginners #gardeninghacks #growingveggies #growingyourownfood #growingfood #gardeningtiktok #gardentok #beginnergardenertips #beginnergardening ♬ Daydreams - Gentle State
How it's helping
Planting flowers to attract pollinators like bees helps to keep your fruits and vegetables pollinated — a vital step in the gardening cycle. According to a guide by Home Depot, pollinators are important to food growth because they pollinate up to one-third of all the food we eat.
By growing your own food in a garden, you can save money on your next trip to the grocery store by eliminating the need to purchase produce and herbs that you've already grown yourself. Additionally, growing your own food helps limit your exposure to the harmful chemicals that store-bought vegetables contain due to pesticide use.
A recent study by the Environmental Working Group indicated that up to 75% of nonorganic store-bought produce contains some amount of potentially harmful chemicals.
Growing your own food also helps the soil and air quality around your home, as plants and gardens enrich the soil with nutrients and purify the air through photosynthesis, according to GreenMatters.
What people are saying
Other TikTok users shared their tips for attracting pollinators in the comment section of the post.
"Marigolds are perfect for this. And nasturtiums for edible flowers 🌸," one user wrote.
"I hear lavender doubles as a pesticide for non-pollinators," another user said.
"Yes! This year I've planted hundreds of flowers, I can't wait to see them all bloom 😍😍," a third user commented.
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