An experienced gardener is earning plenty of praise after recommending using a special plant to enhance your garden.
The Instagrammer, who goes by the name Jamie, posted a reel about the plant on the community page Nettles & Petals (@nettlesandpetals), which currently has 188,000 followers.
"If you only grow one flower for your vegetable garden this year, make it nasturtium," Jamie says in a convincing tone.
The scoop
The reel begins with Jamie showing a close-up of his garden that features the flowering plant.
"All parts of the nasturtium are edible," he says.
He explains how he usually adds nasturtium to the corner of his garden beds. He finishes by saying, "They add a nice bit of color and also act as sacrificial crops. Everything loves them."
How it's helping
As people like Jamie probably already know, there are many reasons why gardening can be beneficial both to our health and that of our planet.
For one, just the act of being surrounded by plants, either inside or outside, has been shown to boost our well-being on numerous levels. A garden with a diverse array of plant life can also mitigate noise pollution, and if it is close enough to your home, it can keep your residence cool in the summer.
Growing your own food can also be beneficial to your health and the planet as well. For one, studies have shown that store-bought packaged foods can have a range of chemical contaminants from the plastic or canned packaging, which can seep into the food it is meant to protect.
Also, by growing your own produce instead of buying packaged foods, you are helping reduce the need for more plastic and metal for canned food. Plastic can be especially problematic when it comes to sustainability.
Each year, nearly 300 million tons of plastic waste are generated globally, with only a small portion being recycled.
What's everyone saying?
With over 1,000 comments on the video, Instagram users had quite a bit to say.
"What a great discovery!" one person expressed.
Another wrote: "The neat thing about these is the way they grow. The vines it sends out seem to seek the nearest source of soil and water."
"I'm growing them in abundance because I read in Lord of the Rings that it's what hobbits grow," another wrote in one of the most interesting comments.
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