There are tons of great hacks for propagating veggies from the store at home. Many are for fast-growing plants such as green onions, sprouts, and herbs. However, one TikToker has demonstrated how to "never buy garlic again" and grow it inside on your kitchen counter.
The scoop
Potted Gem (@potted_gem) is a gardener and educator on TikTok who shares gardening tips, tricks, and home and wellness ideas. In a viral TikTok, they taught viewers how to grow garlic "year-round."
Garlic may not seem like an easy item to grow at home, but this creator laid out just how simple it can be.
@potted_gem Grow your own food garlic #garlic #grow #food #growyourownfood #propagate #root #gardening #gardening #gardeninghacks #pottedgem #gardening101 #homestead #kitchenscraps #kitchengarden ♬ The Office - The Hyphenate
Start by peeling your garlic cloves and letting them root in shallow water — in the clip, they rested on a plate during this process. The creator showed that the garlic took about 12 days to grow robust roots. Next, simply plant these rooted garlic cloves in a pot with damp soil. The clip showed five cloves planted in one medium-sized pot, with the TikToker saying, "Space out your holes so your garlic doesn't compete for nutrients."
This process seems exceedingly simple, but the creator did say the garlic will take about eight months to grow, so it's not an overnight success. Potted Gem also gave one tip for the growing process, saying that garlic does not like to be overwatered and should only be watered when the soil is completely dried out.
How it's helping
Garlic may not be the most expensive item at the grocery store, but this tip can save you money all the same. An eight-month grow time may not give you a constant supply of garlic, but some thoughtful planting may yield a robust harvest. If you are growing on your counter or in planter boxes, your return may be a bit lower, whereas TCD's guide for growing your own food says many gardeners can harvest hundreds of dollars of fruits and veggies from a home garden plot.
This hack is great for making gardening more accessible. Not everyone has access to a garden plot, so the more options we have for growing inside, the more people can grow their own food. While most research is on outdoor gardening, studies demonstrate that people who eat homegrown food get more fiber in their diets.
What everyone's saying
This TikTok went viral with nearly 800,000 likes and thousands of comments, but most people seemed to be concerned about waiting for their garlic harvest. One person wrote, "I'm not sure why I'm cracking up at 8 months, it's my ignorance thinking I'd have fresh garlic in 2 weeks."
Another person said, "This is an awesome tip - my garlic babies are doing really well!"
Someone else commented, "I love propagating on the kitchen counter all year round."
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