Weird And Wacky Gardening Hacks To Make Neighbors Green With Envy

If you don’t have a compost bin in your garden, it’s actually pretty simple to build one yourself – and with just a few materials, too. To start with, you need some 2x2, 2x4 and 2x6 wooden planks. Then, after getting hold of some hinges and chicken wire, you can finally put the box together, creating a cover at the top and a hatch at the base.

Don’t worry if you think you may eventually need to relocate flowers in your yard. All you need to do is to first place your plant in a pot that can fit inside another container. Then, once you’ve inserted your greenery into the soil, you have the option to alter its position by digging the first receptacle out.

If you’re looking for an effective way to kick-start your seeds’ growth, citrus peel could be just what you need. After making a small opening in your peel, add some dirt and the seed itself. The fruit skin will also provide your plant with nutrients once it rots beneath the earth.

While edging your lawn isn’t the most enjoyable job in the garden, there’s a way to make it easier. Take a 2x6 wooden plank and place it in your desired position. That way, you can use it as a guide to cut into the grass. And when you’re done, you should have a perfect line across the perimeter of your yard.

If you don’t have a watering can handy, try not to fret. After all, you can create one from a plastic milk pitcher. Simply make some holes in the lid with a hot needle before filling the pitcher up, and you’ll be ready to give your thirsty plants a boost.

As any gardener will tell you, pests can become a huge problem if you’re not too careful. Fortunately, though, you can shield your flowers using a sprinkling of eggshells. By placing the crushed fragments around your blooms, snails and slugs will be put off, as the terrain will be too jagged for them.

Not everyone has the space in their garden for a fully fledged greenhouse. However, if you’ve got a tiny yard – or just don’t want to spend more of your hard-earned cash – you could turn to a smaller alternative. Clear plastic boxes can serve as “mini greenhouses” for your flowers, soaking up the heat and sunshine.

Repotting your flowers can be tricky – not to mention messy. Adding coffee filters to your containers can eliminate a lot of the hassle, though, as this should stop any drainage holes from getting blocked by soil.

If you’ve got any spare rose cuttings in your garden, then you may want to hear this. You see, you can grow even more blooms by sticking those stalks into potatoes. Handily, the vegetables provide hydration when the roots of your roses start to come in.

If you’re concerned about the safety of your seeds prior to planting them, then help them out by placing them in old eggshells. This will give your fledgling plants access to calcium, which in turn can aid their growth. And as your seedlings come up, this makeshift pot can be buried beneath the soil.

When watering your plants, you need to be aware of one potential danger. Simply put, any excess fluid could result in so-called “root rot.” Adding sponges to your pots can help, though. The absorbent material will let water soak in – and it has the added bonus of keeping soil damp for a longer period.

Mosquitoes can be a big problem in the summer, but you can easily fend them off – especially if you have particular plants in your garden. You see, the insects hate lemongrass, lemon thyme, catnip and citronella geraniums as well as ageratum “Artist Purple” and marigold “Lemon Gem.”

If you’re reluctant to use your garden hose, you can still create an alternative watering system. To do this, you need to grab a good-quality garbage can and some tubing. The can will act as a rain barrel and collect moisture when the weather turns. Using the pipe, you can then funnel the liquid out to water your plants.

Before plants can flourish, you naturally need to look after the seeds first. And cardboard tubes could be a big help in that regard. Just place seeds into the tubes ahead of planting. You don’t have to disturb this set-up, either, as the cardboard will eventually decompose into the earth.

If space is an issue in your garden, Rubbermaid boxes could be the answer. Apparently, you see, they’re great for cultivating vegetable seeds. To pull this off, you just need to pierce some holes into the base of a box before scattering foam peanuts inside. Then, after covering the bottom of of your container with soil, you’re ready to go.

Enthusiastic gardener Taylor Peterson explained this hack to Family Handyman magazine. He said, “Like store-bought fertilizers, Epsom salt contains magnesium, which aids in seed germination, chlorophyll production and absorption of vital nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus. Most plants grow better with a ratio of two teaspoons to one gallon of water per month.”

To help your yard stand out, why not try creating some unique planters? And a wooden log makes for a particularly striking feature. After hollowing out the center of the log, all you need to do is to add soil and either seeds or cuttings.

Sometimes it’s easy to lose track of what you’ve planted in the garden – especially without labels to guide you. Don’t put those broken pots in the trash, though, as they could serve as handy markers for your flowers. You just need to write the names of your blooms on the shards before sticking them into the ground.

Vinegar may be an acquired taste, but it can be a big help in the garden if you’re struggling with weeds. Yes, the acidic solution is more than capable of wiping out any troublesome plants. To avoid getting vinegar on the flowers you actually want to grow, though, shield the targeted area with a dog cone.

Even if you’ve managed to get slugs and snails away from your greenery, there’s often other animals to contend with. But, yet again, you can easily keep unwanted visitors at bay. If you partially bury plastic forks around your plants, the tines should dissuade any critters from getting up to mischief.

As anyone with a green thumb knows, snails and slugs can be a real pain. If you’re willing to give your beer up, though, the beverage could distract these pests. How? Well, the mollusks are drawn to the beverage’s yeast content. Just add the drink to a pot and place this just under the soil to lead the creatures astray.

After heavy use, garden tools can become pretty dirty. Luckily, there’s a unique way to keep your important implements in pristine condition. All that’s required is a bucket full of sand to store them in. You should consider spraying your shears and spades with mineral oil when you’re done in the yard, too.

Growing your own fruit and vegetables can be a pretty delicate process. And even if you come out with a decent crop, they may not always be to your liking. Tomatoes, for instance, can often end up tasting pretty acidic – not a good match for a salad. If that sounds familiar, then try sprinkling baking soda into the earth next time, as it should help your tomatoes come out a little sweeter.

Fungal ailments or root rot can blight any flower if you’re not too careful. The solution? Just hydrogen peroxide. Specifically, you should apply a 3 percent solution of the stuff once every day to growing seeds in order to keep them healthy.

Weeds can be hugely frustrating when they start to pop up everywhere. You can stop them from wreaking havoc pretty simply, though. Newspaper apparently blocks any troublesome growths from coming through – a handy tip once you’re done with your daily edition.

Some plants have roots that can grow out of hand – which may be problematic for any surrounding flowers. To shield your blooms, however, just use standard containers. Slice off the edge of a plastic pot and insert it into the ground around any roots that threaten to spread too far. This should essentially act as a makeshift barrier.

If you’ve run out of room in your garden but still want to add more flowers, then worry not. The added levels of a ladder plant stand can ease the strain. You can even make your own if you’re feeling creative – or simply want to save a few pennies.

After drinking your coffee in the morning, don’t throw the grounds away – especially if your garden’s attracting slugs, ants and snails. Handily, the dregs of your beverage will deter pests and so protect your flowers.

Believe it or not, but you don’t necessarily need lots of soil to fill deep planters. Just add used cans and old plant pots to the base of your container. That way, you won’t have to use as much dirt, while there’s still decent drainage, too.

Before you plant any new seeds in the garden, know that you can improve their chances of growing by placing a used plastic bottle around them. After trimming the bottle’s base, you have a makeshift greenhouse that handily shields your budding flowers from the elements.

Like fully grown flowers, seeds too run the risk of nasty fungal conditions. But you can protect them with one simple move if you’ve got ground cinnamon in your house. A sprinkling of the spice over the soil should hold off any threats, as cinnamon has nifty anti-fungal properties.

Insects can run rampant during certain times of the year – and threaten the safety of your flowers to boot. So, if you’ve been battling against pests, why not try a DIY bug spray? A combination of mint leaves, garlic, dish soap, water and cayenne pepper does the job nicely when misted onto your blooms.

It’s absolutely crucial to keep your hanging baskets hydrated throughout the summer months, as the heat can take its toll. Weirdly enough, though, placing a diaper into your receptacles before you plant anything will make the job a lot simpler. As anyone who’s had a baby will know, the fabric will retain water for quite a while – and this helps both the soil and the flowers.

Without a doubt, weeding is one of the most annoying jobs that you’ll face in your yard. But you may be able to cut any pesky growths off with a bit of creative thinking. And, in fact, the solution is pretty simple. Just a layer of cardboard across your soil should hopefully prevent any weeds from thriving.

Cuttings can save you a lot of money if you treat them correctly – not least when it comes to growing your own plants. To get the best results, though, add a dash of honey. You see, the amber nectar contains enzymes that help it act like a “rooting hormone,” and this in turn should promote your greenery’s development.

To make your own garden pond from scratch, you first need to grab an old tire. After that, dig a hole big enough for the tire to sit in before adding some sand to the bottom. Then, once the tire is in the ground, trim the top off, wrap it in foil and surround it with gravel and larger stones to stop this covering from coming off.

If you cook vegetables in a pot of boiling water, don’t just drain the liquid down the sink after dinnertime. Instead, let it cool down, then use it to water your plants as a makeshift fertilizer. It’s not only very practical, but also ecologically sound.

When you pick up a salad on the go, it’s usually housed in a plastic container. Rather than getting rid of this bowl once you’re done, though, use it to create a home-made greenhouse. And provided that you pierce some air holes into the lid first, your protected seedlings should thrive as a result.

To explain why chimney flue planters are worth looking at, gardener Nancy Belmont told Family Handyman, “You can put them on a deck or patio, or accent your yard wherever you like. [Just] fill the liners with gravel for drainage. [And] since the water can drain, the liners won’t crack if they freeze.”

Banana peels are rich in nutrients and they actually make one of the best fertilizers that you can get your hands on. Whether you put them in the compost pile or add them directly to the soil, they can do a world of good for your vegetable patch. What’s more, peels apparently have the added benefit of keeping aphids away.

When you’re away for a long period, your houseplants usually pay the price. So, if you don’t have a neighbor willing to keep an eye out, just dip absorbent paper towels into some water and leave them on top of the soil. This should help keep the earth moist until you return home.