We’re all for a good DIY project. Whether it’s making your own craft beer, brewing your own coffee, or building your very own chicken coop, we’re always down for learning how to do things ourselves. Gardening is no exception!
Gardening is one of those things that can be done in so many different ways, there are endless ways to grow your own food and save money at the same time.
If you’re interested in gardening but don’t know where to start, then read on! We have 28 gardening hacks that will change the way you garden forever.
Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Help Plants
If your plants are looking sickly or drooping, try spraying them with hydrogen peroxide. This chemical compound is full of oxygen molecules and will help your plants grow stronger and healthier. It’s also environmentally friendly.
Use Honey to Propagate Cuttings
Honey has many uses in the garden, one of which is as an alternative rooting medium for cuttings. Simply dip cuttings into honey before planting them in soil or potting mix to encourage rooting. You can even use the leftover honey water as a fertilizer after it dries out on its own.
Use newspaper to weed your garden
If you’re growing in raised beds, you can use newspaper as mulch to prevent weeds from sprouting up underneath the soil. Just lay sheets of newspaper on top of the ground and cover with more mulch (or compost).
Plant seeds in eggshells
Plant seeds directly into the eggshells and once they germinate, transplant them into pots or other containers.
The eggshells will keep roots moist and prevent them from drying out too quickly. They’ll also add calcium to your soil, which is beneficial for plants like tomatoes.
Use old tires as planters
Old tires make great planters because they’re durable, waterproof, and easy to clean out after the growing season ends. Drill holes in the side of each tire (about one inch apart) so that water can drain out easily but not leak all over the place when it rains outside.
Fill each tire with soil before planting seeds or transplants inside them. You can even put up two tires next to each other and grow two different types of plants at once
Tomato cage as a trellis
Tomato cages are great for supporting heavy vines and keeping plants upright, but they’re pretty ugly! Instead of tossing them out after harvest, hang them from trees or lay them on the ground as an elevated planting bed.
You could even plant flowers or veggies in the bottom portion of the cage for summertime color.
Grow plants in plastic bottles
Plastic bottles are great for so many things: creating terrariums, keeping food cold or hot, storing beverages, and more. But did you know they make excellent planters? The flexibility of these containers makes them ideal for small spaces, like balcony gardens or containers on patios and decks.
You can also grow herbs and veggies in them if you have a little more room to work with. All you need is some soil, seeds, and water, there are lots of tutorials online about how to do this yourself.
Diy organic fertilizer
If you love to garden and don’t want to spend money on expensive fertilizers, here is a simple hack to make your own fertilizer. All you need is some bone meal, fish emulsion, and kelp.
Mix them all together in equal parts and add them to your soil when planting new plants. This mixture will give your plants the nutrients they need for healthy growth.
Diy organic pesticide
Baking soda works as an effective insecticide in its own right, but it can also be used as an ingredient in homemade pesticides.
Combine 1 tablespoon baking soda with 3 tablespoons of water and let stand overnight before using on plants that are infested with aphids or other pests. You can also soak cotton balls in vinegar and water and place them around problem areas to help deter pests.
Mason jar to grow seedlings
Seedlings require plenty of light to grow well, but there are times when it can be hard for them to get enough sun exposure in their first few weeks after germination.
In these cases, using a mason jar helps provide just enough light while still allowing them enough space to grow properly and not dry.
Self-Watering Wine Bottle Planter
A wine bottle can be used to make a self-watering planter. This is a great way to grow herbs or small vegetables in containers on your patio or deck.
Use Coffee Grounds to Keep Pests Away
Coffee grounds can repel ants, slugs, snails, and other pests. You can sprinkle them around plants that are vulnerable to pests or place them in areas where they tend to congregate.
Start Seeds With Citrus Peel
If you want to start your seeds early in the year, save some citrus peels and use them as planting pots. The peels make great starter pots because they are biodegradable and compost well once they have served their purpose. They also provide good insulation for your seeds.
Use Eggshells as Seedling Pots
Eggshells are an excellent medium for starting seeds indoors as they are porous and allow for good drainage while retaining moisture at the same time.
To make an eggshell pot, simply break open an egg and remove the contents from the inside before filling it with soil and sowing your seeds in it.
Cinnamon Powder for Preventing Diseases on Seedlings
Cinnamon powder sprinkled on seedlings can help prevent diseases. It’s also great for repelling ants and other bugs.
Use Eggshell to Prevent Pests
Crushed-up eggshells mixed with water make a great fertilizer for plants, but it also help keep pests away from your garden by making the soil less appetizing to them.
Add some cinnamon powder if you want the eggshells to smell good too.
Use Diapers for Moisture-Retaining Ability
You can use diapers to improve the moisture-retaining ability of your garden soil. This is especially useful for sandy soils or ones that have been depleted from repeated plantings. All you need are some plastic bags and old diapers!
Epsom Salt When Transplanting
When you transplant plants in the springtime, add Epsom salt to help them root easily in their new location. Magnesium sulfate helps dissolve minerals in hard soil and makes it easier for plants to take up nutrients.
Just remember not to overdo it; too much can actually disrupt plant growth by making them more susceptible to diseases.
Use Coffee Filters in Flower Pots
If you’re using a self-watering planter, coffee filters are a great way to keep the soil moist. They fit perfectly over the bottom of the pots and help prevent evaporation, which is a common problem with self-watering systems.
Keep Away Mosquitoes Using Herbs
Keep mosquitoes away by planting mint or basil in your garden. These herbs have a distinct smell that bugs don’t like.
Broken Pot Plant Marker
Use pieces of broken pottery to mark your plants so you never forget which needs watering or feeding next.
Kill Weeds Using Vinegar
Vinegar can be used as an organic weed killer for killing weeds in your garden beds by spraying it directly onto their leaves.
You can also spray vinegar on mulch or gravel pathways where weeds tend to grow well. The vinegar will kill them off quickly before they even sprout.
DIY Self-Watering Hack
This is one of those gardening hacks that can change the way you garden forever. We’ve seen self-watering pots before, but this one is made from a plastic container and a hose connector.
The container has holes in the bottom that allow water to seep through when filled with water. When the plant needs more water, just add more water to the top of the container.
Hang Pallet on a Wall for Storing Garden Tools
If you have a shed or garage with an open wall, hang up an old pallet and use it as a tool storage rack. It keeps everything off the floor and within easy reach.
You can also use it as a place to store your wheelbarrow or other equipment that might otherwise take up valuable space in your garage or shed. If you don’t have an old pallet lying around, check out Freecycle or Craigslist for one near you.
Cooking Water Can Fertilize Plants
If you ever find yourself with leftover cooking water (perhaps from boiling pasta), use it to fertilize your plants instead of letting it go down the drain. The minerals in the water will give your plants a boost, especially if there are any onions or garlic in there.
Smother the Weeds
Use cardboard or newspaper to smother weeds. You can just pile them up on top of the unwanted plants and they’ll eventually die off when they run out of light and oxygen.
Team Up With Nasturtiums
Nasturtiums are great companions for many different kinds of plants because they’re good at repelling pests like aphids and whiteflies while attracting beneficial insects like bees and ladybugs. If you want to keep pests away from your plants, plant nasturtiums nearby.
Grow Herbs in Water
If you don’t have a garden, or if you want to grow herbs indoors, try growing them in water instead.
Fill a large container with water and add some herbs from your local nursery or supermarket – mint, basil, thyme, and rosemary all grow well this way.
Reuse Prunings
Prune back branches from mature plants every few months so they don’t get too long. Use the prunings to make compost or as mulch around new plants at the base of their stems.
Sow a Few Extras
Always sow more seeds than you need, it won’t cost much more than buying a packet of seeds once, and you might end up with more than one plant! This can be useful if one doesn’t make it through transplanting or if you get different results from different batches of seeds (if they were packaged together).
Keep Tools Rust-Free
If you have a hose in your garden, you know how quickly it can rust. To avoid this problem, simply wrap electrical tape around the base of the tool before you store it. You can also use a small amount of Vaseline.
Pro Tip: If you have a lot of tools and hoses, wrap them all together and hang them on an old coat hanger so they don’t get tangled up when you store them.
Use Hose Guides
Hose guides are an inexpensive way to keep your garden hose neat and tidy. They attach easily and allow you to wind up your hose when not used.
Speed Up Tidy Ups
If you want to speed up tidy-ups at the end of the season, cut off flower heads from perennials before they go to seed. This will stop new plants from popping up where you don’t want them next year.
