The grass may not always be greener on the other side of the fence, but if you're neighbors with one TikToker, the tomatoes are likely stronger.
The scoop
In a video with over 2,000 likes posted by Planted in the Garden (@plantedinthegarden), the user shares their unbelievable hack for stronger tomato plants, calling it a "new school tomato trick" in the video's caption.
"I did a really crazy experiment when I topped off my tomato seedlings," they open by saying while showing a small potted tomato plant. "It formed some new side shoots at a very early stage, and this is what happened next."
@plantedinthegarden NEW SCHOOL TOMATO TRICK The idea here is to encourage early suckers to grow, which will form strong new stems. Then narrow those stems to about 2-3 strong lead stems if you're growing indeterminate variety for more fruit production. I don't normally do this to my tomato seedlings, but I always challenge myself to try new ways to grow our food. #gardentom #tomato #gardening #gardening101 #gardenideas #fyp ♬ original sound - Planted in the Garden
They go on to explain that since they were growing indeterminate tomatoes — meaning tomatoes that will produce fruit for an entire growing season or until killed by frost — they only pinched two stems, both of which were laden with clusters of the fruit.
"The idea here is to encourage early suckers to grow, which will form strong new stems. Then narrow those stems to about 2-3 strong lead stems if you're growing indeterminate variety for more fruit production. I don't normally do this to my tomato seedlings, but I always challenge myself to try new ways to grow our food," they further explained in the caption below the video.
How it's helping
While the bounty of fresh fruits and vegetables is an obvious reward to gardening and gardening hacks like this, the benefit extends well beyond the bounty.
Growing your own food will also help you save money on expensive store-bought produce, eat healthier, minimize waste by allowing you to stop buying more than you need, and reduce your pollution footprint by decreasing the demand for mass-produced and globally shipped produce.
Further, gardening has been shown to improve both physical and mental health, with one study showing that those who garden get more fiber and physical exercise.
You don't have to have a ton of space to do it either, as pointed out by this helpful TikToker who says any veggie you want to grow, you can grow in a pot or this one who shared their hacks for growing a range of veggies in small, indoor spaces.
What everyone's saying
Regarding the OP's tomato hack, the comment section was filled with gratitude and amazement.
"Thanks for the share," said one grateful viewer.
Sharing is caring, after all.
"This is so [mind blown emoji]," stated another.
"Wow," commented a third. "I will try that next season."
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