Most people trying to grow vegetables in their backyards do not have unlimited space to work with, which means that making the best possible use of available space is critically important.
Luckily, one TikToker is here to help us optimize our gardening space with a very simple method.
@sabrina.sustainable.life the #squarefootgardening offers a number of benefits for both beginner and experienced gardeners. They are space efficient, easy to maintain, reduce pests, and tend to require less weeding and watering 💃 #gardening #gardening101 #gardeninghacks #gardentok #beginnergardener #raisedgardenbeds #earthmonth #sustainableliving #gardeningtips #ecotok #gardeningforbeginners ♬ original sound - Sabrina
The Scoop
The "square-foot gardening method," as gardening/sustainability influencer Sabrina (@sabrina.sustainable.life) explained to her 226,000-plus followers, involves using twine, a staple gun, and scissors to section your garden bed into 1-foot squares.
"How it works is: For each square of the garden bed you will plant a certain number of seeds or plants depending on the space required for each plant," Sabrina says.
In order to figure out what to plant where, Sabrina used an app called Planter.
"You select the size of your garden and plants you want to add and it will tell you how much space is required for them," she says in the clip. "For example, it will show you that a tomato plant will actually take up four squares whereas you can plant four lettuces or 16 carrots in each square."
"This app also tells you which plants are companion plants or combative, which is super helpful," she adds.
How It's Helping
When you grow your own vegetables at home, not only do you end up with fresh delicious produce, but you're also helping the planet at the same time.
Around 119 billion pounds of food is wasted per year in the United States. The food industry creates waste and planet-warming gas emissions at every stage — from farming to packaging and shipping to grocery stores. The more locally your food is grown, the better, and it doesn't get any more local than your own backyard.
By growing your own produce and using up everything you grow (including as compost) you can reduce your impact on the environment as much as possible.
What People Are Saying
Sabrina's followers were quite taken by the gardening hack.
"Thank you so much for bringing this app to my attention," one commenter wrote.
"I'm so glad I ran across your video," another added. "I've been using a physical copy garden planner, but now I have the Planter app and I'm so excited to use it."
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