Whether you have a green thumb or you can barely keep your potted plants alive, there are many tips and tricks to improve your gardening skills, especially if you have a big backyard in your brand new home you just moved to -- you'll want to show it off!
Check out these helpful gardening hacks to grow and maintain an awesome garden.
1. Make natural seedling planters. Use lemon rinds or eggshells as biodegradable planters for seedlings before transferring them into your garden. The planter can go directly into the soil with your seedling and will act as compost!
2. Turn a plastic jug into a watering can. Heat a needle with a flame and puncture small holes into the jug's plastic cap to create an efficient and easy-to-use watering can for your garden. Since you are re-using your plastic jug rather than sending it to the recycling plant, this hack is friendly to the earth, too!
3. Make a DIY hanging garden. Re-purpose a fabric shoe organizer by filling pockets with soil and seeds to create a hanging garden, perfect if you wish to grow a variety of herbs. Make sure water is able to drain through the fabric, or make holes for drainage.
4. Use coffee grounds for compost. Rather than throwing them away after brewing a fresh pot of coffee, add your used coffee grounds to your garden as compost. Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, and add nutrients to your soil.
5. Prevent soil leakage with coffee filters. Keep soil from seeping out your pots' drainage holes after watering by lining them with coffee filters. The filter acts as a barrier to filter out excess water while keeping soil inside and preventing clogs.
6. Water with a wine bottle. Keep your plants hydrated by filling an empty wine bottle with water and sticking it upside down into the soil. The water will gradually be absorbed into the dirt to keep your soil moist on hot, dry days when just one watering won't do.
7. Use egg shells to fertilize and keep away pests. Ground eggshells not only fertilize your soil and add calcium, but they can keep pesky beetles and slugs from destroying your plants. The shells' sharp edges kill pests that get into your garden.
8. Keep your gardening tools in sand. Store your garden tools in sand-filled pots to keep them clean and prevent rusting. Keep your tools oiled by applying boiled linseed oil to the metal and wood to further stave off rust and keep wood from growing dry and cracking.
9. Make homemade aphid repellent. Aphids are tiny insects, but they can be hugely destructive to your garden. To keep these pests at bay, mix a concoction of cayenne pepper, jalapeño seeds, smashed garlic and water, place it in a jar and leave it outside in the sun for several days to ferment. Fill spray bottle with the solution and spray in onto your plants leaves. You can also spread tobacco on the soil or spray diluted laundry soap onto your plants.
10. Deter ants naturally. To avoid ants, boil citrus peels or sweet potatoes and pour the water onto your soil.
11. Kill weeds without pesticides. Keep destructive weeds at bay by adding one tablespoon of sugar to a damp weed. or by dousing your weeds with boiling water (make sure to avoid your flowers, veggies and herbs). You can also try a water, molasses and vinegar mixture to kill weeds, though this method may not eliminate the root.