40 best-kept secrets every serious gardener ought to know

If you’re into gardening, you’re probably familiar with the rewarding feeling of having your first crop or blossom. But you also know just how tricky growing plants can be. As a gardener, you’ll fight everything from pests to weather conditions to acidic soil while trying to get your first bumper crop. Even if you’re naturally blessed with a green thumb, you’ve probably worked really hard to get your garden to bloom.

It can also be, well, kind of an expensive endeavor. Gardeners have to buy tools, seeds, fertilizer, pots, weeding supplies, and structural supports. All of that stuff doesn’t come cheap, even if it usually pays off in the long run.

Enter the internet, the wealth of hacks from experts all over the world. They’ve got advice for everything from helping plants thrive to gardening in a thriftier or more eco-friendly way. Whether you’re struggling to keep rabbits out of your lettuce plants or you want to find ways to garden that are good for the planet, you can find everything you need online.

So, you can start right here with these 40 gardening secrets every gardener needs to know. Then grab your spade and some coffee filters and hit up your garden!

40. K-Cups make great seed starters.

Simmworks Family
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Simmworks Family

K-Cups can be a good way to get your morning caffeine, but they’re definitely not good for the environment. Fortunately, you can reuse them in the garden as seed starters, and they’re super easy to move around.

26. Milk jugs make perfect watering cans.

A Journey to a Dream
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A Journey to a Dream

If you’d rather upcycle than spend money on a factory-made watering can, all you have to do is puncture the top of a milk jug. It’s ideal for watering your plants in a sustainable way.

11. You can also upcycle egg cartons into seed starters.

Egg cartons are another great seed starter. They’re small, have tons of space, and the cardboard ones are biodegradable. That makes them a great choice for a garden!

30. Use wine bottles to make a self-watering planter.

Do you want to make caring for plants easier than ever? You can by using regular wine bottles. Simply turn them upside down to make self-watering planters that’ll eliminate a lot of work. Just make sure to rinse them thoroughly first.

15. You can also do this with a jug of water and some paper towels.

There are actually a couple of ways to make self-watering planters. This one is great if you’re going out of town for a couple of days. As the water soaks slowly up the paper towel, the plants draw it into their roots.

6. Coffee filters keep soil from seeping out of pots.

If you constantly have problems with getting soil all over the place, pop a coffee filter into the bottom of a pot. It’ll keep the soil from making a mess when the water drains out.

7. A shoe rack makes a great vertical herb garden.

Sometimes, you might want to have a garden but you just don’t have the yard space. The secret is to build up instead of out — and this super simple shoe rack makes it easy to do just that.

8. Plastic forks are a simple way to deter animals in the garden.

Your House and Garden
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Your House and Garden

If you have deer or rabbits that love munching on your garden plants, there’s no need to hurt them or even go to the trouble of putting up a fence. Just pop a couple of plastic forks upright in the soil and they’ll stay away.

9. The top of a milk jug makes a protective “greenhouse” for seedlings.

Are you tired of your seedlings getting exposed to the elements? The top of a milk jug makes a perfect miniature greenhouse. It protects delicate plants while also providing a warm, moist environment to help them thrive.

25. Toilet paper rolls make great biodegradable planters.

Why use plastic planters for tiny seedlings when you can use something that’s better for the earth? Everyone has a couple of toilet paper rolls on hand. Instead of tossing them in the trash, save them for the garden.

3. It’s easier to make a rain barrel than you might think.

Workbench Magazine
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Workbench Magazine

You might think it’s too hard to make a rain barrel. However, you can actually make one by attaching a regular trash can to your gutter. You can find easy tutorials online to help you with this project.

12. You can easily redesign your yard after your plants are mature.

The Family Handyman
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The Family Handyman

Many gardeners find that once their plants are in the ground, they suddenly reconsider how they want to lay out their yard. The good news is that you can easily transplant by first putting your plants inside individual planters and then into the ground.

13. Use old cans to aerate plant pots.

Putting empty cans in the bottom of planters not only helps you save on soil, but it also moves air into the bottom of the planters. That way, your plants receive more oxygen — as well as the moisture that the cans retain.

14. Use a regular wooden board to create even lawn edging.

Are you trying to edge your lawn? Use a regular wooden board or post as a guide. All you have to do is set it down and follow it to get the perfect shape.

5. Use PVC pipe to fertilize dense plants.

Dense plants can be a challenge to water. Why? Because their root systems are well-protected and difficult to reach. You can use a small bit of PVC pipe to help guide water all the way down to the roots.

16. Keep plants ultra-hydrated with kitchen sponges.

Are you having problems with keeping the bottom of your planters moist and hydrated? You can make it super easy by placing a couple of kitchen sponges in the bottom. This will keep water near the root system.

17. Make mulching easy by using a small container.

Mulching is a notoriously annoying and tiring gardening task, but you can make it simpler. All you have to do is transfer the mulch to a smaller container before starting. It seems like an easy step, but working from a bucket rather than a giant bag can make a big difference.

18. Use a plastic clamshell container as a planter.

Those plastic clamshell boxes you find at restaurants and salad bars are actually a pretty versatile tool. They make great planters for seedlings, which need a small, warm, and moist environment in which to thrive.

19. Use a to-go coffee cup as a watering can.

To-go coffee cups are actually the ideal size and shape for watering house plants. The hole in the top is an effective spout and of course, most of us can easily get our hands on these. As always, just make sure to rinse it well first.

20. Fertilize your garden beds with Epsom salt.

Epsom salt isn’t well-known these days for its uses in the home and garden. But it’s actually a highly effective fertilizer when added to soil in correct quantities because of its high magnesium content.

21. Use croquet wickets to keep a hose in place.

Do you have some lawn games that are sitting in storage? You can use items like croquet wickets to secure your hose to the ground. This ensures it gets where it needs to go but without tripping anyone walking through.

22. Use zip ties to secure your climbing plants.

Climbing plants like ivy and tomatoes are lovely, but sometimes, they need a little bit of help so that they don’t fall back on themselves and crush their own leaves.

23. Use a tarp as a multipurpose garden tool.

A tarp is one of the best tools you can have in the garden. It’s a great way to shield plants or waterproof structures, as well as killing unwanted plants. All you have to do is lay it over the top.

38. Use a mailbox as a gardening tool holder.

If you want a handy place to keep your gardening tools that’s also out of the way, install a mailbox in your backyard. It’s cute, stylish, and won’t look out of place. Plus, it’s a great way to make sure you can find all your hand tools in a jiffy.

10. Use a posthole digger to make vegetable planting easier.

Vegetable planting can be pretty tiring work but it doesn’t have to be. If you have a posthole digger, break it out when it’s time to plant your veggies. It’ll cut your planting time in half.

2. Use a knife to avoid yanking your plant roots.

Transplanting can be tricky work, and it’s easy to damage the plant roots when you pull them out. Instead of pulling, try cutting down the sides of your pot with a regular knife. It’ll be much easier to free the plant without damaging it.

27. Keep your tools in a pot of sand.

Do you want to keep your gardening tools sharp and clean? Gently rub them down with mineral oil and then store them in a bucket of sand. This will help sharpen and polish them so they stay in top condition.

28. Use citrus peels for easy planters.

If you’re looking for a small container to hold early seedlings, use hollowed-out citrus peels. These are a great way to give your seedlings a healthy start — and they’re simple to transplant. Just be sure the plants you use don’t mind acidic soil!

29. Get a five-gallon bucket for all your tools.

Sometimes, the best tools are the simplest ones. If you just want something straightforward, invest in a five-gallon bucket for all your tools. It’s easy to carry around and it’ll probably fit most, if not all that you need.

4. Use cinnamon to kill diseases in the soil.

Balcony Garden Web
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Balcony Garden Web

Did you know that cinnamon has some natural antifungal properties? That makes it a great choice to keep your plants safe and healthy. Just sprinkle it all around your garden bed. Bonus: your soil will smell like sweet cinnamon.

31. Coffee grounds help keep pests at bay.

You don’t need to hold onto coffee grounds and they’ll go in the trash anyway so why not sprinkle them around your garden beds? They’re a great way to keep pests away, including slugs that love to nibble on growing plants.

32. And so do eggshells.

If you don’t drink coffee, try using eggshells instead. They’re also a great pest deterrent and of course, they aren’t harmful to the environment. Just crush up some shells and sprinkle them liberally around the plant beds.

33. Kill weeds with vinegar.

You don’t have to buy store-bought weed killer to help get rid of those nasty buggers for good. All you need is something that you probably have in your kitchen cabinet right now — a little bit of vinegar.

34. Use a mounted pallet to hang your gardening tools.

Sometimes, the best way to store things is to build up, making use of your wall space. A simple pallet is all you need to have a super effective tool holder built straight into the wall of your garage or shed.

35. Hydrogen peroxide can help protect your seedlings.

Hydrogen peroxide is well-known as a way of killing an infection in a cut on your skin. But it can also be used as a way to fight infection in the soil. If you’re concerned about your plants picking up diseases from the dirt, add a bit of peroxide to protect them.

36. Honey helps encourage cuttings to thrive.

Believe it or not, honey is a great way to help your cuttings grow! This is because it contains growth enzymes that help them put out new roots. Since it also has antibacterial properties, it may protect your plants from disease.

37. Use cooking water to fertilize your garden bed.

The next time you boil water on the stove for vegetables or eggs, don’t toss it down the drain. Instead, use it to water your garden. It can serve as a great fertilizer for your plants.

24. Pinch your plants to help them grow.

There’s the old adage that you have to cut your hair to make it grow. It turns out, that holds true for plants, too. Pinch the dead heads off your plants on a regular basis to encourage thick and healthy growth.

39. Suffocate weeds with newspaper.

You could spend hours pulling weeds up by the roots — or you could just smother them. It turns out, it’s actually easy to do. Just throw some newspaper over the garden bed and they’ll wither.

1. You can check your soil pH with regular household items.

This handy infographic is a great way to check the pH of your soil so that you know what will thrive and what won’t. And all you need are a few things from your kitchen cabinet.

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Source: Your House and Garden, Family Handyman, Balcony Garden Web