Have you ever wished your garden could produce more vegetables for a longer period of time?
An Instagrammer named Kasie Rae (@thenortheastgarden) shared a video on a gardening technique that allows you to harvest your plants and vegetables in a more manageable way.
The scoop
"I'm currently succession planting lettuces, spinach, carrots, bok choy and beets!" said Kasie in the caption.
The key to succession planting is to have the same plants in different stages of growth. This allows the harvests to be ready at different times, which can extend your growing season by a few more weeks.
"The basic idea is to sow seeds of the same variety 2-3 weeks apart so they mature at different times." said Kasie.
How it's helping
Succession planting is a great technique for people to have fresh crops at the right amounts within the right times. Instead of harvesting a large amount that is hard to manage and too large to eat before they go bad, you can have smaller batches that are much easier to eat.
Gardening is a great activity for everyone. Studies have shown that when we grow our own food, we improve both our physical and mental health. The University of Colorado discovered that gardeners increased their activity levels by roughly 42 minutes per week and were found to experience lower anxiety levels than non-gardeners.
Not only is this tip great for gardeners, but it is also great for the environment because it reduces potential food waste. In the U.S., about 33% of food, equivalent to 80 million tons, goes to waste each year.
This not only squanders valuable resources but also contributes to environmental problems. Food waste in landfills releases methane, a harmful planet-warming gas over 25 times more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, which contributes to the Earth's overheating.
🗣️ What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home?
🔘 Not enough time ⏳
🔘 Not enough space 🤏
🔘 It seems too hard 😬
🔘 I have a garden already 😎
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
What people are saying
Many gardeners on Instagram were thrilled with this technique and showed signs of adopting it themselves this harvest season.
"This is so smart!" one commenter said.
"Love that plan!" said another.
Now is a great time to start gardening and harvesting your own produce. You can save money, get outdoors, and use this technique to reduce your food waste. It's a win-win for people and the environment.
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