20 Gardening Hacks That Will Save You Time and Effort
From innovative watering solutions to creative pest control methods, these tips and tricks will revolutionize the way you garden!
If you love gardening, you have come to the right place. Do you want to learn how to grow a successful garden while also saving time and effort? There is no need to look any further because this post is all about gardening hacks.
While gardening is fun and rewarding, let us be honest: it can also be a lot to handle at times. From getting rid of annoying bugs to remembering when to water, the problems can seem endless. But fear not! Gardening can be easy and quick if you know the right tricks.
I am going to show you some clever gardening hacks that will change the way you garden forever. These gardening tips and tricks will make your job easier and help you get beautiful results, no matter how experienced you are or how new you are to gardening.
Get your shovel and gardening gloves ready, because you are about to find a whole new world of gardening possibilities. Let’s dig in and unleash the full potential of your garden together!
My Top 10 Favorite Gardening Hacks
Gardening is a rewarding hobby, but it’s not always easy. It’s also not always cheap. I tend to enjoy my hobbies much more when I figure out a better way to do them. These are some of my favorite tricks that I’ve picked up along the way.
Need to Dry Herbs?
Lay them out on a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car. Leave them there with the windows up, and they will dry quickly and evenly. Plus, your car will smell nice. This works even better than using a warm oven, which often over-dries them. Just remember to close your windows when you drive with them.
Save Your Cooking Water
Oftentimes, it’s loaded with great nutrients, so why would you want to dump it down the drain? I keep a 5-gallon bucket handy in the kitchen to dump recycled water, and every morning I use it to water the plants.
Remove Salt Residue
1 part white vinegar/1 part rubbing alcohol/1 part water are all you need to get salt residue (the white stuff) off of terracotta pots.
Go Native
Choose native plants for your gardens. They cost less or may even be free if you can find cuttings or seeds, and because they are from the area and are accustomed to the local weather, they should require low-to-no maintenance.
Upcycle
Upcycle what you have for your garden. A screen door can be an excellent trellis. Fallen tree limbs make great bed borders. Old windows serve an excellent second purpose as a cold frame.
Keep Your Nails Clean
Scratch a bar of soap before gardening to prevent dirt from getting under your nails. When you come in to wash your hands, your nails will be sparkly clean.
Water at the Right Time
Water garden beds in the morning and potted plants in the afternoon. Potted plants tend to dry out quickly in the late afternoon sun. By watering in the afternoon, you are loading them up, so the water is handy during the worst of the temperatures. Garden beds need time to absorb water before the noon heat arrives. By watering in the morning, water has a chance to soak down to the root level.
Measure With a Shovel
Use your shovel as a measuring tape. Lay out your shovel next to a yardstick or measuring tape, and mark the feet and inches with a permanent marker. When you are working on a project, you won’t need to stop and go find the measuring tape, which is never where you left it.
Make it Rain
Create a rain barrel to help with watering. This is especially important if you pay for water. Be sure to check with local code enforcement before harvesting water. Some places can be weird about that stuff.
Keep Your Nursery Pots
Save nursery pots to protect small plants when you have an unexpected frost. Just put the pot over the plant, and it will help shelter it. Nursery pots are also great for marking the location of plants like hostas that die back, so you don’t accidentally disturb them in early spring.
My Friends’ Favorite Gardening Hacks
Make your own seed mats to save time on planting and remove much of the hassle of planting tiny seeds at precise distances.
Adding hose guides to your garden beds prevents you from dragging the garden hose across delicate plants when you’re watering.
Saving seeds from the previous year’s harvest is a great way to save money. It’s also really easy.
Who Knew? says bungee cords keep the bags in place when you’re using those big trash cans. This is brilliant when you’re raking leaves.
You can save a lot of time and energy by researching different ways to garden specific crops. This lazy bed method for growing potatoes is a great example.
Pre-sprout your seeds to save yourself the insanity of waiting and hoping.
If you’re allowed to play with fire (I’m accident prone), there is a tool to remove weeds that received great reviews.
Cooking spray is the answer to mowing a wet lawn. It helps keep the grass from clumping up and compacting under your mower.
Did you know you can make your own soil blocks? Soil blocks are a great way to start your seedlings.
Shower doors in the garden? They can be upcycled and used as greenhouses.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Applying these smart gardening tips to your routine can help you get great results while saving you a lot of time and work. These hacks will help you garden smarter, not harder. They range from easy do-it-yourself fixes to new ways of doing things. Try them out and enjoy your garden growing without any stress.
What gardening hacks have you found most effective in saving time and effort in your garden?