A beautiful lawn with blooming flowers and the aura filled with the aroma of plants and some home-grown vegetables is definitely soothing for the eyes and the soul. We all might not have that green thumb but there is always something attracting us to the gardening and we can’t help but dive into some mud to witness the growth of the plants we always wished graced our lawns. This is when the gardening hacks step in to guide us all to turn our imagination into a reality and see those plants flourish and adorn the garden. Those muddy hands and clothes would be all worth it when the garden is blossoming and the plants are thriving. These amazing tips and hacks would save a lot of energy when one is struggling with the gardening process. The gardening secrets are out and they could not be more helpful!
Little Greenhouse For Them
When seedlings require a regulated environment for their growth and are not comfortable with the conditions outside, a greenhouse would be an appropriate choice for it. When we talk about a greenhouse, those large glass structures are pictured in our heads but we don’t need those at home for our plants. The miniature versions of those big ones can be made at home. Create your own little greenhouse with a bottle by cutting it into half and then, placing those halves over the plants that need controlled surroundings to flourish. Watch your seedlings be happy in the environment customized for them!
Reusing Takeout Boxes
We all are guilty of ordering takeout and adding to the plastic waste that comes here in the form of those boxes carrying our meals. But we can do something about it and pick one “R” from the three R’s of sustainability - reduce, reuse and recycle. Here, we can choose to reuse the plastic containers for planting seedlings. Wash the plastic box removing all signs of food from it and fill it with soil. Put the seeds that you wish to see grow in there, close the container, and let it receive adequate sunlight. You just contributed your bit to saving the environment and helping a beautiful plant grow.
News Flash In The Garden
Pulling out the weeds once they have found their way towards your hard work on the lawn is definitely exhausting and infuriating. All we wish for these weeds to never show up in our kitchen garden and lawns ever. It’s time that your wishes are fulfilled. You can prevent the growth of weeds by utilizing the bundle of old newspapers that have been lying around the house. Before planting the seedlings, lay down the sheets of newspapers in the soil and then plant your herbs and vegetables. The newspapers would allow water to seep through it to reach the plants and roots but become a deterrent for the weeds.
Let’s Fork In
It can be a task to keep stray animals away from the garden as they always find their way to the green area and end up ruining a lot of that space. Don’t worry, there’s a great hack to prevent those animals from entering your favorite area. Grab a few plastic forks from the kitchen and fix them in the soil with the sharp side up. The animals would recognize it to be a difficult walk through the garden with the sharp objects coming in the way. Your lawn might take a different look with the forks covering some area but it is worth it! No one wants the wonderful flower beds to be squashed by the animals, right?
Kitchen Waste Composting
If you were just about to throw away all that stuff from the kitchen, then think again! That waste can enrich your garden in incredible ways. The kitchen scraps including banana peels, eggshells, potato skin, orange peels, leftover vegetables, and tea bags can be used as compost if collected regularly at a place outside the house to avoid any stench. Put all this kitchen waste in the soil and your plants would thank you for this garden fertilizer you just made at home. The waste generation is also minimized by this technique. It’s a win-win situation!
Spacing With Muffin Tin
It’s hard to breathe in jammed places as everyone needs some space to take in the air. Plants are no different! They can’t survive in a congested environment with other seedlings trying to grow very close to them. This is when garden spacing is introduced. It makes sure that the plants receive enough space to develop and don’t have to share their area with others in the crowded neighborhood. A plant spacing ruler is made for this purpose but one has to foot the bill to place an order for it online. It is an expensive garden accessory and so, we have an alternative to that and it’s right there in your kitchen. A muffin tin would save you a lot of money in this case. Press the muffin tin into the soil and move it across the entire space of the garden to create small impressions in the ground that would act as the marks where the seeds would be scattered. This would lead to perfect spacing!
Cork Labeling
When we decide to take a stroll in a botanical garden, we come across a variety of plants including shrubs, herbs, climbers, and many more. But the labels standing in front of every plant help us differentiate between them and many names stick with us. We may think that the marking is not necessary for our own garden which is much smaller than those places. However, that’s not true. Labeling is a great idea and we usually realize that when our plants grow in all directions and tend to blend with others in their surroundings. We need markings that will tell us the vegetables in one particular area and the kind of shrubs grown in another. For labels, you’ll need old wine corks and kebab skewers or roasting sticks. Write the name on the cork and fix it in the stick that is then placed right at the location of that particular plant.
Vegetable Garden From Scraps
Everyone loves watching a beautiful kitchen garden in their yard with tiny veggies growing on the branches or some emerging from under the ground. For all those who are not sure if they should go ahead and pick up some seeds from the store for a dream kitchen garden, here’s a hack for you. We can grow those vegetables by using the ones you already have in your kitchen. You won’t believe how simple and satisfying this process is. Take a bell pepper and slice it in half. Now, remove the seeds and gather them in the hollow half of the bell pepper. Add soil in this half and keep it in the ground covered. Water it regularly and it won't be long until it sprouts and have its own peppers hanging on it.
DIY Watering Can
Believe us, you don’t need to buy multiple watering cans for every family member who is interested in lending a hand while it’s time to sprinkle some water in your beloved garden. You can build watering pot at home instead of shelling out money on them at the shop. We all have an empty gallon jug lying around somewhere in the garage or the storeroom and that is the main requirement here. Take that jug and remove its plastic cap. Further, prick a few holes utilizing a pair of scissors or a knife. Put the lid back again after filling it with water. There you go, another watering can is ready!
Sponge For Regulated Supply
Our plants love water and we love them. So, when it comes to treating them right with water, we do our best and sometimes we forget something important in that flow. Over-watering is one of the major reasons of plants dying too soon. We need to water them in a controlled way as that’s what those shrubs and herbs deserve. If you are unable to judge the amount of water that flows out of the watering can into the pots, we have a trick for you. An old kitchen sponge would serve you the purpose here. Put this sponge at the bottom of the pot and you don’t have to worry about the plants deteriorating due to excess water. The sponge will absorb any extra water leaving just the right amount for it to survive. Now, they’ll love you back too!
Nutrients Back To Where They Belong
Weeds extract all the nutrients and water from the soil leaving the plants struggling for those essential nutrients. These invasive species have always been tricky to deal with but the experts have found their way around this battle over time. We can make a smart move after pulling out those weeds from the ground. Don’t just throw them away instantly. There’s an amazing way to suck the nutrients from them just like they did from our plants. Keep them in warm water filled in a huge pot and the weeds would eventually leave all those stolen nutrients. That water can now be used to replenish the plants. Back to where they came from!
Replacing Shoes With Plants
No garden but always wanted one? Here’s how you can create one with all the stuff that is present at home. The shoe organizer would help you in this case. Just hang that old shoe organizer on the door where you prefer to have a garden and perforate the bottom of each section. The next step is to put soil in those sections and plant the seeds. You can grow anything according to your preference but this shoe organizer garden can be a great place for herbs. Imagine crossing that door and smelling herbs!
Soap To The Rescue
Apart from the damaging garden pests like slugs and snails, there are a few other dangers that exist for the garden. Those small insects can be prevented from entering the plants but what about the bigger animals? A rabbit might be found hopping around the yard or a deer might emerge from the woods for a stroll in the garden. These animals can cause some serious destruction to the garden that took months to look beautiful. Since we want to make sure these animals are not hurt and our garden also is saved, we need a strong process. It’s the simplest thing ever – take a solid soap and grate it into tiny pieces and disperse them around the green space. The animals would be repelled by that smell and your plants are saved!
Salty Is Good
Every room of your house contains something that can benefit your garden in magical ways. Kitchen leftovers added to compost always provide good nutrition to the seedlings and then, there is always something in the powder room that can help your plants grow happily and healthily. This fertilizer is made from Epsom salts that are used in hot baths to relieve stress. Take two teaspoons of the bath salt and make its solution with about one gallon of water. Just take this mixture and sprinkle it near the base of the seedlings. Follow this for a month and you’ll notice a good change in the way they are growing and the pace at which they are thriving.
Coffee Filters Doing It Right
The plants need regular watering and we all know it can be a little messy at times when the potted plants kept inside the house lead to wet dirt all around the place when watered. As much as we love the greenery inside our homes, the dirt caused due to the water and soil seeping out the tiny hole beneath the pot is an unpleasant sight. Here’s an amazing hack for keeping the watering process clean – before planting in the pot, cover the base of the pot with a coffee filter, and then add soil and seeds above it. This would not clog the drainage hole but will just prevent soil from permeating through it. Problem solved with just a small coffee paper!
Cans In The Pot
When we go plant pot shopping, those huge round ones appeal to our eyes and we can imagine a healthy plant growing in it and enhancing the look of our garden or even adorning the interior of our homes. However, those big deep pots have a little disadvantage when it comes to the essential things like moisture and air not reaching the soil down below. It can have an undesired effect on our plant. So, there’s a trick to deal with it. To make sure that air and moisture reach the depths of the big pot, throw in some empty cans or plastic bottles and then add soil on the top. This way the air pockets created inside due to these cans and bottles would let the soil have enough moisture and air that would avoid any root rotting in plants.
Growing Green Onions In A Jar
Gardening does not always require a large space. It can be done inside the house using the vegetables that are cooked almost every other day. Imagine growing a bunch of green onions in a glass jar kept on a table near the window! We can grow more green onions from the ones we just bought from the farmer’s market. While chopping them, you just need to keep the bottom white bulb part that has roots still attached to it. You can use the green stalks for your recipe and put the bottom root part in a jar filled with water. The roots should be submerged in the water and the rest part should be above the water surface. You’ll notice green shoots growing on the top of the bulb after a few days and gradually, there will be green onions growing in there.
Weed Killer With Household Ingredients
Weeds are a gardener’s worst nightmare and they are constantly looking for ways to make their green space free from all these unwanted dangerous plants that can bring all their hard work to a zero in a moment. While there are many sprays available in the market that are harsh enough to destroy the weeds but they are equally perilous for the thriving plants grown by you. Let’s move inside the home and gather a few things to prepare a weed killer that would not risk your plants’ lives. Your homemade spray would include one tablespoon of dish soap, a gallon of white vinegar, and one cup of salt. Mix all of it and spray it in your garden and you’ll see weeds disappearing.
From One Pot To Another
The seedlings grow and we can never predict what they would turn into or how much space they would need once they are a few inches tall and spread a bit in the pot. Everyone feels the urge to shift the plant to another suitable pot when they see them flourishing but we are aware of the risks too. They are delicate and changing their surroundings can be a little scary. Firstly, never grab the plant by its stem while taking it out as this would lead to the roots being separated from the plant and it can be highly risky. Instead, start by loosening the soil from the sides of the pot by using a sharp knife. Now, carefully take the plant out from the base and it will thrive!
Tools Immersed In Sand
Gardening requires quite a few tools that are responsible for keeping the law fresh and trimmed. Tools make a gardener’s work easy and tidy. So, it’s crucial that they stay in the best shape and don’t wear out too soon. There is a trick to make sure your tools look new for a long time and work efficiently without losing their strength. Storing all the tools in a bucket filled with sand has proven to be really helpful in this way, they don’t dry and this method also prevents them from rusting. After utilizing the tools, squirt mineral water on them and place them in the sand until further use. You’ll see that they stay sharp and rust-free for much longer than you expected them to.
Aim A Little Higher For Your Plants
A slightly raised flower bed is definitely eye-catching and makes the entire garden look attractive. To make this possible, you might have to head to a store and make a purchase but it isn’t a big one. All you need are a few cinder blocks to make your garden bed unique and striking. Arrange these blocks according to your imagination of a raised garden bed. Fill the spaces between the blocks with solid and let your flower bloom a little more above the ground. The aesthetic of the lawn would change and only for the better!
Rolling Seedlings
Those empty toilet paper rolls you have been throwing away could actually be a healthy space for the seedlings to grow. Start collecting those cylindrical rolls and after having a good number of them, you can begin the process of plant growth in them. Fill them with soil and plant seeds in them. Keep them in a safe place preferably a waterproof vessel. When you realize that these seedlings need to be shifted to the ground, just pick the cardboard rolls holding the plants and put them down. Cardboard is a biodegradable material and will combine with the soil eventually leaving the plants in a happy and open space!
The Wetter, The Better
The ones who are dedicated to building a beautiful garden for themselves know the struggle that lies beneath those pretty blooming flowers and spreading shrubs. Weeding your garden is a task and sitting there tugging off the weeds from the soil is an arduous job. We cannot avoid this task in any case as those unwanted plants can destroy the entire garden if not removed at the right time. But there is a hack to make it a little less laborious than it is. If you pull out those weeds when the ground is wet, you can save a lot of energy and time. If it rains, then call it a fortunate stroke of serendipity and if doesn’t, a water pipe would do the job. Once you do it, you’ll understand how easy it is when wet!
Trick To Dig
The ones with the green thumb can gather here for the hack that would save them from the backache as a result of the laborious day in the yard after digging holes. The process of digging up the soil can be extremely tiring as one has to bend down for a long duration and be focused on that job. To relieve you of that physical stress, there’s a tool available in the market. It’s a posthole digger and you would realize its magic once you bring it home and utilize it in your garden. This investment would be highly beneficial and you would never have to crouch down for long hours to dig holes.
Layering Of Pots
When our plants are growing and spreading, we all wish for the liberty to make a few changes in the way they are placed in the garden. But we cannot jeopardize their lives just for the sake of our garden décor. However, there is a trick that can make this possible. Before putting the plants in the ground, take some pots of the same size and give every plant a home in one pot that’s layered with another one. So, each plant has now 2 pots combined in which it is growing. When you feel like it’s time to reorganize, just grab one plant with one pot and leave the other buried in the ground and switch the positions easily without risking their survival.
Perfect Watering
It can be difficult to hold the huge watering cans for the tiny plants kept inside the corners of the house. We need something more portable or a miniature version of the huge can. There is one thing that matches these requirements and you hold it every morning while heading to work. Yes, that handy coffee cup can be turned into a watering can by just washing and rinsing it thoroughly after use. The cacti and Aloe vera need the least amount of water and in a controlled way, so, this watering technique would help them thrive. Even those desk plants at your office table would love when you water them through a coffee cup.
Bid Goodbye To Insect Trouble
Insects are not pleasant guests in our gardens as they feed on our plants and mess up the entire green area by biting and pulling the shrubs and herbs that we grew for ourselves. There is one way to manage these bugs and keep them out of your way and it can be made from the stuff available right at your home. Mix 1 head of garlic, 6 cups of water, 1.5 cups of mint leaves, a touch of dishwasher liquid and 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper in a food processor. Put the mixture in a spray bottle and spritz it at the places where insects make their abode near the plants. This spray would not impact the plants in any destructive way and would only be an anti-insect mixture.
What Cardboards Can Do!
The ones with a green thumb would know what struggle it is to make your garden weed-free. It is not as easy as falling off a log to make sure the lawn is free from any unwanted species that creep in and makes things harder to handle. There is a trick that gardeners trust entirely and it’s not even slightly complicated. All you need is cardboard sheets that can be easily cut out from a box. Place those sheets in the garden and then, spread the compost or mulch and soil on the top. The cardboard will absorb all the water and will not allow any weeds to slide in and enter the area of the seedlings. The plants will thrive in healthy surroundings.
Fertilizer Through A Pipe
Our plants require a good but accurate dose of fertilizers and it is usually difficult to spritz it on the exact location where it is needed. An easy hack for this is using a PVC pipe to supply the fertilizer in the right spot of the plant. One end of the pipe is fixed at the place where the product is required and then, the fertilizer is allowed to flow through it while pouring it through the other end. Cutting a 45 degree opening at the end from where the fertilizer is poured can make the process smoother.
One Game Set Can Be A Savior
Nothing hurts more than witnessing your garden bed being destroyed by a small careless mistake you made while indulging in lawn care. The ones who are spending hours in their yard making sure the plants are watered well and are flourishing know that things can go against them if they take their eye off the ball for even a second. One of the reasons for the plants being destroyed is the movement of the hose across the lawn. At times, we pull that pipe without realizing that it is spoiling the flower beds on its way. There’s a hack to avoid that blot on the landscape. Use those wickets from the old croquet set to keep the hose attached to one place. This way, the flowers, and shrubs would be safe from being ruined.
