Growing herbs in your garden is a great way to bring some freshness to your cooking, and herbs can be grown inside or in a window planter if you don't have outdoor space. One home expert has shared a great tip to keep your basil thriving all season.
The scoop
If you're looking to add basil to your garden or start growing some herbs inside, this TikToker has an amazing tip for you. Kaleb Wyse (@wyseguide) shares all kinds of home tips, including cooking, decorating, and gardening. In one of his gardening videos, Wyse shares how to keep your basil-producing leaves all season long.
@wyseguide If you want your basil to grow all summer long, you need to cut it back. Here's how! #gardenhack #gardening #basil #herbs ♬ original sound - Kaleb Wyse
In the video, Wyse shows viewers a tall basil plant that seems to be one single stalk. He says the basil plant "is growing too fast and needs to be cut back." He goes on to explain that the reason the plant is growing tall is to put out a flower and then create a seed head. However, the plant will then "put all its energy into that and stop making all these wonderful fragrant leaves that we wanna use in our kitchen."
Wyse goes on to explain that regularly clipping the plant at a "Y" where several leaves are coming off the main stalk. This encourages the plant to continue to put out new leaves rather than just grow straight up. He also says this works on any type of basil, showing both green and purple in the clip.
How it's helping
Growing food at home is a great way to reduce your grocery bill and be a little friendlier to the planet. If you have outdoor space, even just a few feet can produce a ton of vegetables, and check out companion planting if you're trying to maximize your space. There are several plants that you can grow inside or in a small space — herbs like basil are among the easiest.
Reports have also shown that people who garden are more likely to get plenty of fiber in their diet. In addition to the physical benefits, gardening has also been shown to improve a person's mental health.
Washington State University has a robust fact sheet on how to make your garden as eco-friendly as possible. It stated: "Home-grown food increases soil carbon and decreases carbon emissions from food packaging, refrigeration, and transportation."
What everyone's saying
With 80,000 likes, this TikTok has hundreds of comments. One person gave an additional tip, saying: "You can stick that cutting in water and it will root in just a week. New basil plant!"
Another added: "Thank you. Didn't realize it could be so easy."
Someone else loved the suggestion, saying: "Thank you. I've been struggling with this for years. we eat a ton of basil but then we lose it when it flowers."
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