If you have a food garden at your home, it is almost certain that tomatoes are one of your crops. Tomatoes are one of the easiest crops to grow, which is why 86% of home gardeners have them on their land, according to the National Gardening Association.
Despite their prevalence, it is common for home gardeners to struggle to find the right companion plant.
The scoop
Jamie Walton (@nettlesandpetals) shared a few key tips with his followers to ease the struggles.
He suggested planting marigolds to help deter common pests, attract beneficial insects, and add color to the garden. He also suggested planting basil to deter pests and improve the flavor of the tomatoes.
"Companion planting is fundamental to a healthy and productive vegetable garden. It helps [with maintaining] a balanced ecosystem, reducing pests, increasing pollination, and maximizing harvests," Jamie shared in the caption of the post.
How it's helping
By instructing his followers to plant the right companion plants, he is saving his followers time, energy, and space in their gardens. These tips set up the gardeners to grow better-tasting food with an overall better crop yield, which will ultimately save them money on groceries throughout the year.
Growing the right companion plants also means gardeners can deter pests and weeds naturally, without the need for pesticides or other chemicals.
Gardening not only reduces your grocery bill and produces higher quality produce than many mass-produced produce in our markets, but it is also proven to be great for our mental and physical health. Studies show that gardening encourages movement, gets you outside more, and the literal fruits of your labor add fiber to your diet.
Finally, gardening at home reduces the global food miles it takes to ship produce to your local grocery stores. Global food miles account for 20% of all global food pollution and account for 3 billion tons of CO2 every year, according to a study published in the journal Nature Food.
What everyone's saying
One user on Instagram responded, "I've just set up four new raised beds and gonna do this!"
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The cost of installation 💵 Another said, "[You're] always so helpful! Planning and almost ready to plant!"
A third user could not wait for the finished product: "I did this, they are growing! Can't wait to put them on my plate with some olive oil and burrata."
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