In a viral TikTok video, one gardener, Chris (@noveltyseeker), had some untraditional advice for home gardeners to get bigger tomato and pepper yields from their growing seasons. His advice may surprise you.
The scoop
If you see that your tomato or pepper plant is yielding small fruits, pluck them off.
@noveltyseeker Veggie Gardening Tip for HUGE Yields. #pepper #tomato #pruningtips #backyardgarden #vegtablegarden ♬ original sound - chris
"Get rid of those, or better yet, just go ahead and count up two leaves … and then just snip that guy off," Chris said as he cut the top of the main plant stalk.
He explained that removing small fruits and the tall stem eliminates deadweight, allowing the plant to focus its energy on growing bushier and better.
This is also called "topping" in gardening, which is a training technique that changes the plant's natural growth pattern, according to Earth Juice. Topping trains the plant to grow wider and denser, yielding more fruits.
"It's real. It consistently helps me year after year," Chris said in the comments.
How it's helping
Many beginner gardeners coddle their plants, fearing that one wrong gust of wind could destroy them. However, plants are more resilient than we think.
For example, one home gardener's bed of flowers began to come back after being contaminated by their neighbor's bleach-containing mop water. Not an ideal scenario, but the flowers did recover.
In another case, one false mermaid-weed, which had been unseen in the territory for generations, survived among a patch of wild garlic growing in a meadow. Nature is resilient, let's not forget.
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Which of these benefits is your biggest motivation in gardening? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Getting outside more 🌱 This gardening hack gives new home gardeners the confidence to experiment with their plants to see what works for them and what doesn't. It's a learning experience, on top of being a relaxing hobby.
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Scientists have found that community gardeners experience better mental health compared to those who don't garden and tend to have healthier diets, consuming more daily fiber than nongardeners.
Growing your own food is rewarding and can save you money on produce, leading to improved physical health.
A small garden patch also helps capture carbon in the atmosphere that contributes to rising global temperatures. Even a small group of plants can help lower the amount of carbon that lingers in the atmosphere.
What everyone's saying
Some commenters felt like the hack was misleading, commenting that it wasn't a one-size-fits-all solution.
"This is only recommended for people with long growing seasons. Don't do this if your season is short," a much-liked comment read.
"You cannot do this in northern states," another user emphasized.
"The deer do this for me and it doesn't grow back, so…. I say Cap!" a third commenter joked.
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