A TikTok gardening expert is showing off a companion planting hack that will make your garden produce more yummy food while simultaneously fighting off pests and attracting pollinators.
Oh, and it looks stunning, too.
The scoop
In the video, shared by Jolene Wainwright (@oursanctuarygarden), she's not out in the garden where you'd expect to find her. Instead, this garden lover is seated at a desk, drawing a few diagrams.
The first shows off how most of us were taught to plant — in "nice neat rows with plant types grouped together."
@oursanctuarygarden See my b1o for my workshop details! It's all the fundamentals of gardening to bring you success! #companionplanting #intercropping #regenerativegardening #gardeningtips #greenthumb #permaculture ♬ original sound - Jolene Wainwright
The second drawing shows off how to use intercropping and companion planting methods to overhaul your garden.
"Watch how I fit more plants into the standard [eight-foot by four-foot] bed," she says in the video.
How it's helping
The space-saving hack centers brassicas, like cauliflower and broccoli, down the center in triangle patterns, which she says provide shade to the more delicate lettuces that she dots around them toward the outer edge of the garden bed.
Then, the edges are filled in with root vegetables such as carrots and onions. Onions, she says, repel pests. A patch of nasturtium at the end of the bed is an "aphid trap," and it attracts pollinators.
All of this intercropping and companion planting can lead to a garden that produces more food, supports a healthier ecosystem, and reduces the need for pesticides.
Plus, growing your own food can save you quite a lot on your grocery bills. Having carrots and onions on hand is always important as they are both recipe staples, and fresh lettuce and veggies like cauliflower and broccoli are so healthy. Plus, nothing will motivate you to eat more veggies like growing them yourself.
What people are saying
"This is exactly how I do it, and it works," writes one TikToker. "I grow vertically too so I can increase production even more."
One TikToker says the tips made so much sense that now they have to go and "replan everything."
"I'm planning my garden now," writes another viewer, "and this just wildly changed my perspective on planting. Thank you."
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