by Originally published on our site mydailymagazine.com
Do you consider yourself as a bit of a green fingers? We all love the idea of sprucing up the garden ourselves, and the immense satisfaction that comes from looking out at a perfectly trimmed lawn and exquisite flowerbeds, knowing we did this with our own fair hands.
Shoe Organizer Shrubs
Here’s one tip you can use if you don’t even have a garden! If your home is missing some outdoor space, or just a little smaller than you would like, you can bring the garden to you by hanging an old shoe organizer over your outside door. Then make a few holes in the bottom of each section, fill with soil, and plant the seeds of your choice in each one.
It’s Easy Being Green
Do you know what is so special about a greenhouse? It’s the fact that they keep the outside world away from the seedlings inside, so it’s the perfect controlled atmosphere within for optimum growth and development of the plants.
Fork Off
Tried everything to keep pesky animals off your lovely lawn, but still suffering from trampled flower beds and shrubbery? If you’re really stuck, there is another thing you can try, although it may somewhat affect the aesthetic of your arrangement.
Double Up
Sometimes it can be incredibly frustrating to pot a plant in what seems like the perfect place, but then when they start growing, you think they would have looked better somewhere else. Worry not—there’s a hack for this too!
Cardboard Blocks
Every gardener knows that every day involves a new weed to fight against, uproot, and make sure it doesn’t do any damage to the precious plants and flowers you have so painstakingly arranged around the yard. But the best way to deal with weeds is actually prevent them before they arrive, rather than chasing them around.
Compost Mentis
Another amazing way you can use your household items to improve the health of your garden, is also good for the environment!
Seedling Salts
Another amazing home remedy you can try in your gardening exploits is making your own fertilizer. Don’t worry—it doesn’t involve dealing with any nasty substances! One of the best natural fertilizers is actually made very easily at home, using Epsom salts.
Don’t Bug Me
Once you have faced off all the weeds, rabbits, slugs, and any other forms of danger or destruction that might befall your beloved garden, there’s still one more to consider—insects. No one expects a garden to be entirely free of creepy-crawlies, but an excess of bugs in your garden can lead to quite a bit of damage to your plants and flowers.
Suck it Up
We have already talked about how to keep your plants from drying out or losing essential moisture in their pots. But did you know that an EXCESS of moisture can also be just as detrimental to the health of your plants?
Pan Pots
Do you ever wish there was a use for all those cardboard rolls you’re left with after finishing a roll of toilet paper? We do—and now there is! These cardboard cylinders are a great way for starting off your seedlings. Simply fill with soil and add your seeds, storing in a waterproof container.
Plastic Fantastic
We know we are all supposed to be reducing our plastic waste, so what are we supposed to do with all those food containers that come when we order takeout?! Well, here’s one answer—you can reuse them to plant your seedlings!
Flower Filter
Getting the balance right in planting your seedlings can be a tricky business. You want the pot to be able to let the moisture out so it doesn’t become waterlogged, but you also want to keep the soil and nutrients in.
Wet Work
Everyone knows that one of the hardest and most strenuous parts of horticulture is weeding your beloved garden. We’ve all been there—sweaty and exhausted from trying to heave weeds out of the soil, our hands red raw from tugging.
Weed Water
Even though weeds are obviously totally annoying, like any enemy, the secret is in using their power against them. The problem with weeds is that they suck up all the nutrients from the soil that are supposed to go to your plants.
Holy Help
Aside from the strenuous activity of pulling out weeds, another aspect of gardening that can leave you feeling weary and sore is the endless digging of holes. Crouching down for long periods of time and digging up all that soil isn’t great for your back, but there’s a handy tool you can use to avoid any injury or strain.
Soda Stream
Another potential pitfall for your plants’ survival is when you plant them in really massive pots. Sometimes you need a big pot of course, but the depth of it can lead to the soil inside being deprived of air or moisture.
Raise It Up
Skip the backbreaking work of digging up the ground to plant your garden, and opt for raised flower beds instead. By building or purchasing raised beds, you can create a vibrant garden space above ground.
Spray Collars
We know that one of the most difficult things about getting rid of weeds, is that sometimes the weed killer we spray on them can also get on our beloved plants. Then the plants we actually want to protect, end up damaged!
Pebble Perfection
If you have an unused patch of land in need of sprucing up, we have a solution for you. By covering the soil with a layer of pebbles, you create a decorative and low-maintenance garden bed.
Make Weeds Old News
Another super easy home remedy for weeds is one you probably have never thought of! The best way to deal with weeds is to prevent them from appearing in the first place. An amazing way to do this is layer sheets of old newspaper actually within the soil before you plant your shrubs.
Spruce Up a Walkway
Anyone looking to give their walkway a charming floral makeover, listen up! Elevate your garden paths by planting small flowers between sections of pavement. Choose hardy, low-growing flowers like creeping thyme or moss phlox that can thrive in narrow spaces and withstand foot traffic.
Squeaky Clean
As well as weeds and slugs, another potential danger facing your garden is the attack of animals such as rabbits and deer. An unexpected visit from these furry not-quite-friends can really wreak havoc on your flowerbeds and undo weeks of hard work.
Wine Cork Labels
Don’t you love it when botanical gardens have those handy signs next to each plant saying what it is? You may not think you need it in your own garden at home, but you’d be surprised how easily your shrubs can get mixed up when they start growing and twining around each other.
Home Made Weed Killer
Even the best gardener in the world can’t rescue a garden that has been totally ravaged by weeds. These stubborn unwanted plants can pop up and tear right through your painstakingly arranged flower arrangements, and even after enough time can damage your patio and garden surfaces.
Slug Off
Gardening can definitely be tough, sweaty work from time to time. And if that isn’t enough, when you’ve finally got your garden in a respectable state, slimy slugs can start slithering in to try and ruin it. Well, there’s a very easy home remedy for this—beer!
Slice and Dice
We all know that feeling when we’ve potted a lovely plant and watched it grow, only to realize it’s probably best suited to one of our other pots. When moving a plant from one pot to another, a common mistake is to pull the plant out by its stems. This can damage the plant and separate it from its roots!
Cutting Edge
Everyone loves a perfectly trimmed garden or lawn with absolutely poker-straight edges and corners. When you are edging your garden beds at home, here’s a great tip to keep them completely straight and professional looking.
Tool Upkeep
Of course, we all know the saying “a bad workman blames his tools”. So that you don’t look like a tool for blaming your tools, make sure they are always in tip-top condition by storing them the right way.
Perfect Piping
Another of the biggest challenges involved with gardening is how to apply fertilizer to exactly the right spots on the plants that need it. A really handy homemade tip is to use a PVC pipe to help you control your aim and hit the exact parts of the plants that you need.
Bee Hive
Although we have already shared some top tips for protecting your garden from insects, there are in fact some that are quite nice to have around in the yard. Bees, for example, actually help plants and flowers thrive, thanks to the part they play in the overall pollination process.
Watering Can-Do
Spent all your money on seeds and fancy flowering plants, and no cash left to splash on a watering can? No problem!
Stud Muffin
All hail the mighty muffin tin. Not only does it provide a home and area for our favorite delicious snack to bake and grow into warm gooey goodness, but you can also use it to improve your garden arrangement!
Raise Your Game
While you may not necessarily have the materials for this one lying around in your house anyway, they are still pretty cheap and easy to purchase, so we count this pretty much as a household hack.
A great way to add some va-va-voom to your garden is to raise the flower beds. As well as looking great, this can also create a clearer and more organized area for your plants to thrive. Simply purchase a few cinder blocks and arrange them where you want to raise the beds. Fill the gaps in the middle with soil, and voila!
