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Gardener on TikTok shares the secret to growing food in a big city: 'You heard me correctly'

"You never stop learning."

Seedlings garden

Photo Credit: @kia_urbangardener / TikTok

A TikTok video shared by Kia Jade (@kia_urbangardener) features advice that may change your garden forever.

"These are the things I wish I knew about gardening," Jade captions the video, which she shared with her 23,000 followers. "You never stop learning, right?"

Jade's first tip will give hope to gardeners everywhere. 

"If you are an urban gardener, you can grow anything you want in pots. Any vegetable that you want to grow, I can guarantee you you can grow it in a pot," she says. 

As she notes, all you need is the right soil, some drainage, and the right-sized pot. 

Her second tip is about the actual soil itself. Jade says not all soils are the same, and paying a premium can make a difference. 

"Yates is a really great brand that I use," she says. "It's a little bit more expensive, but trust me, your plants will thank you for it."

@kia_urbangardener These are the things I wish I knew about gardening! You never stop learning, right? 😊 #gardeninghacks #gardening #gardeningupdate #gardeningforbeginners #growyourownfood #urbangarden #urbangardening #gardeningtiktok #gardenproject ♬ Paper Birds (3 min) - Jordan Halpern Schwartz

The third tip may shock some gardeners out there — but Jade says to plant from seeds, not seedlings. The seed is an earlier stage of a plant's growth process. As they begin to grow, seeds eventually turn into seedlings

"Yes you heard me correctly," she says. "It does take a little bit longer, but if you're buying seeds, it's going to last you a really long time, you will get a lot of bang for your buck and you will save hundreds of dollars."

A backyard garden is one of the cheapest ways to grow your own food. You don't just have to use seeds or seedlings — some food scraps can grow new food, too. It's also one of the easiest ways to ensure you have access to healthy food.

TikTokers were quick to share some thoughts. 

"One thing I like to do is buy heirloom seedlings and let one go to seed then collect those seeds and reap the rewards," one user writes.

Another says that even if you're only interested in growing food, "including some annual flowering plants can be beneficial." 

Jade agrees, saying, "It brings the bees."

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