There are few things more frustrating for a home gardener than watching your beautiful fruits and vegetables get devoured by pests right before you get the chance to harvest them. 

Finding a way to protect your hard work without resorting to harsh chemical sprays can be a real challenge, but one clever gardener shared a simple, zero-cost hack that repurposes common packaging.

The scoop

The ingenious trick comes from the r/gardening subreddit, where one user posted a photo of their tomato plant. To protect the ripening fruit, they slipped small mesh drawstring bags, often used for jewelry or small gifts, over each tomato. It's a simple physical barrier that keeps the bugs out.

"I wanted to share my trick for protecting fruit from insects," the original poster wrote. "If I receive something in a little sachet like these, I save them to cover fruit with." 

The sachets are breathable and allow sunlight to get through, so the fruit can continue to ripen without becoming a snack for pests like the destructive hornworm.

How it's helping

This hack is a perfect example of how gardening can save you money on produce and deliver better-tasting food. Growing your own food also has significant health benefits. One study found that community gardeners tend to eat more fiber and have lower levels of stress and anxiety. 

Another study confirmed that spending time in the garden can improve mental and physical well-being. By growing even a small portion of your own food, you also help the planet by reducing the pollution created from transporting produce over long distances. 

Best of all, using a physical barrier like a sachet is a great way to control pests without chemicals, keeping your harvest free from potentially harmful pesticides. 

What everyone's saying

Fellow gardeners on Reddit loved the simple, upcycled solution and shared their own experiences.

"I just put these on my strawberries so far it's worked! I do go through and make sure they stay closed I've actually been able to harvest them now, before they were going to the chickens lol," one user shared.

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.

Another wrote, "Aside from a struggling tomato plant, great idea for fruit protection. I've contemplated using such satchels for my acorn squashes."

"This is brilliant and I'm stealing it," a third commenter added.

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