28 Gardening Hacks That’ll Change the Way You Garden Forever

These clever and easy Gardening Hacks are so useful that using them can change the way you garden forever. We have the best ones for you!

Have a look at some amazing Gardening Hacks that will help you in a lot of ways, both in the home and yard.

Check out some space-saving genius hacks for small kitchens here

Best Gardening Hacks

1. Self-Watering Wine Bottle Planter

The terracotta stakes are fitted with a water-filled wine bottle stuck in the plant’s soil. As the terracotta absorbs the water, it will slowly leak into the soil and keep the plant’s roots moist.

Check out the best wine bottle uses in the garden here

2. Cinnamon Powder on Seedlings to Prevent Diseases

Cinnamon has some anti-fungal qualities and smells great as a bonus. Use it to prevent and stop diseases on seedlings. Find out more about it.

Check out our article on Cinnamon uses in the garden here

3. No Watering Can? No Problem!

This super simple hack of an old milk jug is perfect for a new gardener. Upcycle your old plastic milk jug by heating a needle and poking holes in the lid so water can flow through it freely. Check out the tutorial here.

Have a look at DIY Watering Can ideas here

4. Use Coffee Grounds to Keep Pests Away

Use coffee grounds to keep pests like ants, snails, and slugs away. It also benefits acid-loving plants as an effective fertilizer.

Check out the coffee ground uses in the garden here

5. Use the Citrus Peel to Start Seeds

Poke a hole in the bottom of the peel for drainage, fill it with potting soil, sow the seed and sprinkle some water. When the seedling is ready for transplant, plant it directly in a garden or a container with the peel.

The peel will decompose and nourish the young plant as it grows. Learn more about it.

Have a look at our article on Citrus Peel uses in the garden here

6. Use Eggshell to Prevent Pests

Coarsely crumbled eggshells form an effective barrier against soft-bodied garden pests like snails and slugs that eat your plants. They do not risk through these sharp and uncomfortably jagged shells.

To do this, encircle roughly crushed layers of eggshells around the plants sensitive to such pests. Check out some brilliant eggshell uses in the garden here.

Learn how to prevent slugs in garden here

8. DIY Self-Watering Hack

If you’re going on a vacation for a few days and don’t have a way to keep your indoor plants watered, keep them alive with a clever gardening hack.

Roll up some paper towels as tight as possible without tearing them, dunk the ends in a glass of water, and lay the remaining across the soil so that each plant is at least a few inches away. Get the details here.

Check out Self-Watering container gardening ideas here

8. Use Coffee Filters in Flower Pots

Next time you’re repotting a plant, use a coffee filter to ease your work. Lining the pot keeps the drainage holes in the bottom free from clogging up — and soil from sneaking out after watering. Find out the details here.

Here’s how you can use coffee in your garden 

9. Use Herbs to Deter Mosquitoes!

Make a mosquito control pot by grouping these plants to prevent mosquitos and flies. Don’t miss reading about this scientifically proven mosquito repellent plant here!

10. Broken Pot Plant Marker

Plant label is a quick and easy way to recycle broken planters. To make it, bat the pot into desired pieces. Take the potsherds and write the names of the plants with a permanent marker on them, or you can use a sharp object to carve names to give a rustic look.

You can also decorate them with colors. When done, bury them half into the soil.

Check out some brilliant ways to use broken pots in the garden here!

11. Kill Weeds Using Vinegar

Vinegar acts as an active pest repellent and benefits your garden in different ways. To get rid of those pesky plants in your garden that pop up again & again, use vinegar.

Here are the best weeds you can eat

12. Hang Pallet on a Wall to Store Garden Tools

Shipping pallets can be found for free at many hardware stores, furniture stores, or even construction sites.

Using a recycled pallet, recycled bow rake heads, and a few carpentry tools, you can easily carve one to wrangle all your garden tools in one place. Get the tutorial here.

13. Use Hydrogen Peroxide to Help Plants

Hydrogen peroxide can save your plants from root rot and many fungal diseases. It also helps to sprout seeds for new plantings.

Use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution once a day and spritz the seed every time you re-moisten. You can also use a mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 32 parts water to improve your plants’ root system.

Check out some amazing hydrogen peroxide in the garden here 

14. Use Honey to Propagate Cuttings

Honey contains enzymes that promote root growth, and you can use it as a ‘Rooting Hormone.’ Honey helps plant cuttings in setting roots, and they propagate easily. It also saves them from fungal problems.

Read about how you can use honey to propagate cuttings here

15. DIY Self-Sharpening Garden Tool Holder

Make a tool holder from a terracotta pot and add abrasive sand and mineral oil to that. It will not only hold your garden tools as you thrust them in but the sand and mineral oil mixed in it also clean and sharpen them at the same time. Read more of this ingenious idea on One Good Thing.

16. Use Diapers to Improve the Moisture-Retaining Ability

Quirky idea but useful. Lay diapers with the absorbent sides up, and they will retain moisture for a long time.

This gardening hack is useful for hanging baskets, shallow pots, and especially if you live in a really warm climate. If you want to know more about this idea, click here.

Here’s how you can use Diapers for gardening

17. Epsom Salt When Transplanting

Use Epsom salt when you transplant your plants to save them from transplant shock. When planting seedlings or new plants, dig a hole and place about 1 tablespoon of Epsom salt in the bottom of the hole and cover with a thin layer of dirt, place the plant in the hole and finish planting.

Check out Epsom Salt uses in the garden here

18. Use Cooking Water to Fertilize Plants

When you boil or steam some vegetables on the stovetop, don’t pour the water down the drain. Once the water has cooled, pour this vegetable water into your plants to fertilize them instead of wasting it. You can also do the same with your boiled egg water.

Learn how to use pasta water for plants here

19. Pinching, Deadheading, and Pruning

Pinch the tips of young plants for bushier growth. Deadhead spent flowers from your plants to promote more blooms and remove top shoots and emerging flowers of your herbs to help them have a healthy growth and prevent bolting.

Also, most of the new gardeners avoid pruning their plants, but it is important too and helps in rejuvenating the growth of plants.

Learn all about deadheading roses the right way here

20. Smother the Weeds

If weeds are surfacing in your garden, do this: Before you put a layer of mulch on your planting beds, cover the garden bed with newspapers and then drop a layer of mulch to smother the weeds. Read more about this ingenious idea on A garden for the house.

21. Check Soil pH at Home

Check the soil pH at your home. It’s true you are not going to find out the exact value from this test, but it will tell you whether your soil is acidic, neutral, or alkaline.

Here’s how you can test the pH of garden soil at home

22. A Ladder Plant Stand to Create More Space

Get a ladder plant stand like this to put your plants on it and to create more space. It can be a good addition to a limited space container garden.

Check out ladder plant stand ideas here

23. Use Vodka For Germinating Seeds

Simply dip the cut ends in diluted vodka-water solution, it will act as a fungicide and also promote the callusing process.

Here’s all you need to know about using vodka to propagate plants

24. Try Vaseline

Keep your gardening tools in top-notch condition by using Vaseline. Just apply a layer of petroleum jelly on blades and edges after working with tools to protect them from rust.

Check out vaseline uses in the garden here

25. Seed Starting Pots from Old Newspapers

Take 2-3 pages of old newspaper and make a 4-sheet stack. Cut the newspaper into three parts and roll each one to form a round ‘cup.’ Fold the edges at the bottom for closing the end. Your biodegradable seedling pot is ready!

26. Muffin Tin for Spacing Out Seeds

Use muffin tins for marking holes in the soil at an equal distance–simply press the tin in the garden soil for making an impression. You will have equally spaced-out holes for planting seedlings.

27. Fork For Harvesting Herbs

If plucking individual herb leaves irritates you, then use a fork to ease this task. Push the fork at the bottom of the stem and pull it towards the upper end. The fresh leaves will be trapped in the fork, which you can simply drop in the bowl.

Here are the best tips and tricks on harvesting herbs

28. Anti-Pest Hack with Orange Peels

Rather than using harmful chemical pesticides, repel nasty pests by placing citrus-scented orange peels in the pots. The chemical is known as d-Limonene in the orange peels, which helps in deterring ants and aphids.