Gardener reveals surprising reason your vegetables might not be growing: 'There's nothing wrong with [your] plant'

If your vegetable plants are producing lots of blooms but not lots of food, a TikTok gardener may have the solution.

The scoop

In a popular video, LondonsPriorities (@gardeningsimplified) discusses a common problem with many vegetable plants — lots of blooms falling off the plant before the veggie (oftentimes a pepper, cucumber, or squash) has grown.

@gardeningsimplified Garden tutorial P3- diagnosing common issues with back yard vegetable gardens. Why are all my blooms falling off of my plant? Lack of pollination will have you thinking youre the worst gardener ever #garden #gardentutorial #gardening #gardeningforbeginners #gardeningtipsforbeginners #organicgardening #backyardgarden ♬ original sound - LondonsPriorities

The problem, she says, may have nothing at all to do with how much water, light, nutrients, or attention you give the plant. Instead, your answer may come by looking at the blooms.

"These are non-pollinated blooms. That's why they're falling off," she says, grabbing a fallen bloom off the ground. "There's nothing wrong with this plant — just a lack of pollination."

So, how do you make sure your plants are well-pollinated? By creating an environment that is beneficial to pollinators.

London says summers become incredibly hot in her home state of Arkansas.

"Pollinators don't like it when it's hot as hell, either," she says in the video.

To help with that, she puts shade cloth over her vegetable plants. She also suggests having food and water sources available for local pollinators — in particular, native plants that will bring those pollinators to your garden.

One final piece of advice: stay away from chemical-laden pesticides, as those will also keep those necessary pollinators away.

"If you use pesticides," she says, "you're the issue, baby."

How often will you be gardening this summer? Every day At least once a week At least once a month I don't garden Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

How it's helping

Growing your own food not only saves you money, but it also reduces food waste and your carbon production. By investing $70, you can yield $600 worth of produce.

And putting native plants in your lawn or garden will do more than just help your vegetables grow. These plants are a key part of a healthy ecosystem, as they have evolved over time to thrive in your local environment and to coexist harmoniously with wildlife.

What everyone's saying

Users lauded the pollinating advice, calling it "such useful information," and some even encouraged the TikToker to start a gardening podcast.

Those who also live in warm areas found the advice especially helpful.

"I've always heard it's the extreme heat," one commenter wrote, "but never made the connection of it just being too hot for the pollinators!"

Join our free newsletter for easy tips to save more and waste less, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.