It’s no surprise that gardening is a popular hobby. It’s a great way to get outside and enjoy the natural world. Gardens are also beautiful spaces with tons of potential for creativity and personal expression. But even if you have an acre of land to work with or only a few pots on your balcony, there will always be challenges: time constraints, lack of knowledge about what plants like, cost of tools, and more. Fortunately, there are many hacks you can use in your garden to help you save a bit of time and money so you can just relax and enjoy the gardening experience!
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Use A Muffin Tray To Start Seedlings
Growing your plants from seeds can be a fun and rewarding experience, but it’s also a complicated one. You have to find suitable soil, measure out the right amount of nutrients, plant at just the right time, and more. With a muffin tray, you can simplify the process of starting your seedlings by removing some of these variables. Simply fill each cup with soil and pour rainwater into them to soak the ground before placing your seeds on top! Then just set them aside and wait for them to sprout, and you can quickly transfer them to your garden.
Use Bar Soap To Keep Away Pests
One of the best parts about gardening is enjoying your fruits and vegetables when they’re ripe, plump, juicy, and ready to eat. Unfortunately, sometimes some bugs like them just as much as you do and will cause damage to your plants if you don’t take action. One easy solution for this is using bar soap! Simply break up a bar of soap into a few pieces and mix it in a bucket with a gallon of water. If you pour this mixture around your garden, you can deter insects from nibbling on your plants without using harsh chemicals that could harm the environment or yourself.
Use Egg Shells As A Fertilizer
Many gardeners like to use fertilizers to help give their seeds, sprouts, and adult plants the nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy. Unfortunately, many traditional fertilizers can be expensive or full of chemicals that you probably don’t want to put on your garden. Luckily, the solution is simple: eggshells! Eggshells are naturally full of calcium, which is excellent for your garden. Simply crush them up into small pieces and mix them into the soil around your plants. This will give them just the nutrients they need to grow strong!
Use Lemons To Kill Weeds
Weeds are an inevitable part of gardening, but they can also be highly frustrating! They can grow through your carefully-planted seeds, steal the nutrients in your soil, and even ruin the look of your garden. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem: cut up half a lemon and sprinkle it around your garden. Not only will the natural acids from the lemons kill any weeds that come into contact with them, but they’ll also serve as an excellent fertilizer too!
Use Vinegar To Get Rid Of Ants
Ants can be an issue for your garden, but you should try vinegar before resorting to any harsh chemicals. There are two ways to use this home remedy: setting out a trap or pouring vinegar on the anthill. For a surprise, take a small jar and pour some vinegar inside. Now create a mixture of equal parts borax and sugar water and dump it into the pot. Set this by your anthill or where you’ve found ants before to keep them away from your garden! If you want to kill off an anthill completely, pour some vinegar directly onto it.
Turn A Milk Jug Into A Watering Jug
When you water your plants, you don’t want to waste any time or water by carrying the hose all over your garden. A great way to avoid this is to use a milk jug! Simply poke a few holes in the pitcher’s cap and fill it with water. It is a simple tool that can save you a few extra dollars and easily carry around to all of your plants for fast and efficient watering.
Use A Coffee Filter In Potted Plants
Another fantastic trick is to insert coffee filters in the bottom of a potted plant; not only will this keep dirt inside of the pot, but it will also save you a mess on the floor if you have a hanging plant. Using a coffee filter as a liner will also make transplanting your plant later on easier. This one is super simple. All you have to do is remember to put a coffee filter in before adding your soil to a pot! All you need to do is lift the filter out, and the plant and soil remain in one piece. This prevents an enormous mess that you would have to spend time cleaning up.
Use Plastic Forks To Deter Animals
If you have any issues with animals, such as cats or dogs, marking around your garden beds can be challenging to keep them out. One way to deal with this is by using plastic forks! Just stick the tines of a few forks into the ground to stick up vertically. Now tie some ribbon around the bottom for visibility, and the animals will be unable to use your garden beds. This can also double as a great way to mark your plants. Just take a marker and write down which plants are subsequent to each fork you place in the ground!
Conclusion
Gardening can be a great hobby or even an excellent little side project. However, it can also be expensive and take up way too much of your time if you’re not careful. By using these simple tips and tricks, you’ll be able to save money on fertilizers, get rid of garden pests, water your plants efficiently, and much more! These methods won’t just save you time and money, but they will also give your plants a fighting chance at creating a beautiful garden for you to enjoy!
