Gardener shares money-saving tips to grow staple grocery item at home: 'Great information'

Needmore Farms (@needmorefarmsnc) recently shared some great tips to keep basil bushy and healthy, so you can enjoy harvests for as long as possible. 

@needmorefarmsnc Follow these tips for an abundance of basil! #basil #herbs #herb #harvesting #harvestingherbs #garden #gardentok #gardeningtok #planttok ♬ original sound - needmorefarmsnc

The scoop

The video highlights two key tips for managing basil. One is to pinch off flowers when they appear. This prevents bolting, which begins the process of a plant dying and makes its leaves taste bitter. Even once basil has flowered, it's possible to harvest seeds for replanting next year. 

The other tip is to prune basil by cutting it at its nodes. As other gardeners have suggested, cutting the center stem can help basil grow outward rather than upward. Cuttings can even be used to propagate more plants without needing to start from seed. 

How it's helping

Basil is a delicious addition to any garden. Keep it on hand for salads, pesto, and pizza. The odor from basil can even fend off pests in the garden. 

More generally, growing your own food is a great way to save a few bucks on grocery bills, especially as prices continue to rise. There are loads of other benefits, too, however. For one, fresh, local produce is healthier than food that needs to be shipped to your kitchen. There's less opportunity for food contamination during transit, and local sources are less likely to use harmful pesticides. 

The reduced transit requirements for your food are also good for the environment. About 20% of emissions from food production can be traced to transportation. Eliminating transportation means avoiding the production of heat-trapping gases that can exacerbate destructive weather patterns, warm oceans, melt polar ice caps, and raise sea levels.

What everyone's saying

TikTok viewers were keen to give the tips from Needmore Farms a try. 

"Thank you. Great information," said one community member.

"Basil is the best!!" said another.

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