Cucumbers are a versatile fruit (or vegetable, depending on your school of thought). They can be chopped up in salads, dipped in hummus, or even made into pickles. And thanks to TikTok gardening expert Joe Clarke (@joesgarden), it just became incredibly easy to grow them at home.
The scoop
To start, scoop your cucumber seeds from inside the plant and remove the outer gel. Or, use seeds from a packet — they work just as well, Joe says.
Next, plant your seeds on their side in an old cookie box, like the kind you might find in the Safeway dessert aisle.
@joesgarden #howto grow some cucumbers 🥒😁! #cucumber #planttips #plantsoftiktok #LearnOnTikTok #garden #gardening #recycle #lifehack #diy #seeds #plantbased ♬ Up Beat (Married Life) - Kenyi
"Water really well," Joe instructs, "but make sure it has holes in the bottom."
After a month, you'll have healthy plantlings ready to be potted individually. Once they've outgrown that first pot, it's time to once again transfer them to a larger pot. And by the time they've grown into large, more mature plants, they'll start to produce baby cucumbers — four to five per vine.
How it's helping
According to recent research, people who garden are healthier than those who don't, as they engage in more physical activity and tend to eat more fiber. Additionally, growing food at home is a great way to save money on produce.
If you don't have room for your own personal garden, community gardening is also an excellent alternative, and it is proven to have positive mental health effects.
Finally, gardening benefits the environment — it reduces the demand for mass-produced, store-bought, and globally shipped produce. If you're looking for a way to lower your personal carbon footprint, sustainable at-home gardening is worth exploring.
What everyone's saying
Joe's TikTok comments were full of fellow gardening enthusiasts asking questions and making quips about the plant in question.
"Do you need to support cucumbers when they grow?" one TikToker asked. "I have bamboo canes to support the plant. But unsure on the fruits themselves?"
"I normally don't support the fruits," Joe replied. "But it can definitely help."
"Bro I have a terrible obsession with cucumbers…" another user commented. "I need to do this."
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