Gardening is more than just a sport, it is a lifestyle – one that helps you relax and unwind, while connecting with the nature that surrounds you, at the same time. Personally, I find myself at peace whenever I plant roses or prune the trees in my backyard, it is a type of calmness and serenity that I never experienced before. Besides, there is nothing more refreshing than watching the flowers you care so much about, growing right in front of your eyes! If you are just getting started with gardening, then here is a collection of 50 useful tips that will help you get the hang of this wonderful hobby and make it part of your daily routine!
1. The Do’s And Don’ts Of Growing Tomatoes!
Everybody loves tomatoes – fresh, delicious and very rich in lycopenes, tomatoes are not only a great addition to your salad, but they are also very healthy, this is why they should be incorporated in your daily diet. A tomato a day will not only protect you against certain types of cancer, but it will also provide your body with a wealth of minerals and nutrients – however, growing tomatoes is easier said than done, and if you have decided to stop buying them and grow your own, then here you will find a very useful compilation of 13 different do’s and don’t that you should consider before planting the seeds. If you pay attention to these useful pieces of advice, you will find it easier to grow and care for your tomatoes, not to mention that you will also be able to keep all the harmful pests at bay.
Source: bonbonbreak
2. The Art Of Growing Carrots!
Carrots are super rich in antioxidants and betacarotene, which is known to protect your eyes against macular degeneration, a progressive disease that can lead to blindness if you do not manage it carefully. However, if you have never grown carrots before, then now is the time to consider that – and there are several things you need to know first. It is essential to pay attention to the spacing between the carrots, as they all need a small space where they can get their nutrients and water from, and if you do not provide your carrots with enough room to grow and thrive, then the entire harvest may be compromised. Aside from that, this tutorial will provide you with several other useful tips and hints on how to plant and harvest the carrots, when it is the right time to pull them out, how to keep them healthy and so forth. These tips are gathered from professional gardeners!
Source: prepared-housewives
3. Very Practical Gardening Tips For Beginners
Have you ever heard about the concept of acidic feeding or about perennials? These are two of the most essential aspects related to gardening – and I learned the hard way that you must plant the perennials at a very specific time! I totally recommend this small yet useful and practical guide featuring tips and hints for beginner gardeners – one might say that you learn from your mistakes, but a gardener’s mistakes can cost him a lot of time, effort and money, so why not learn from other people’s mistakes instead? Here are 11 different tips on how to prepare the soil for planting, how to measure and adjust the acidity level in the ground, how and when you should plant your perennials (and which ones are the best when it comes to curb appeal) and so forth. Check it out and forward it to other gardeners!
Source: annsentitledlife
4. Citrus Peel Starter Pot!
This is certainly one of the most awesome gardening hacks you will ever come across! As you may already know, every gardener should have several starter pots where he can plant his seedlings and watch them grow – not only is the starter pot super useful for helping new plants and flowers get the root system they will so much need later on, but they can also serve as a temporary home for plants during winter, especially for those that are highly sensitive to cold. With that in mind, all you need for this awesome citrus peel starter pot is a large lemon that will be carved out – you basically need to turn the lemon into a small pot for your plants, and then allow the lemon peel to create the perfectly acidic environment for the seedling to thrive.
Source: myromanapartment
5. Organic Insect Spray
Insects and other pests are not only very bothersome, as they tend to bite you in the evening, but they can also wreak havoc on your flowers and plant cultures, unless you do something about that. From snails to mosquitos and other bugs that feed on your plants’ leaves, there are countless of bugs that you should keep an eye on, and here you will have the ultimate solution to keep all of them at bay – the DIY organic insect spray! Aside from the fact that it is highly efficient, cost-effective and very fast and effortless to make, this organic insect spray is free of chemicals, additives, preservatives or other irritants that may trigger an allergic reaction!
Source: hometalk
6. Awesome Diaper Hack!
Diapers are disgusting, even if they come from the most adorable people in our lives – our children. However, instead of throwing your little one’s diaper away, you can use it for your hanging pots. Yes, you heard that right – the waste is actually very rich in nutrients that will enrich the soil and help your plants and flowers blossom faster and more beautifully, therefore all you have to do is to carefully place them at the bottom of your hanging pot and then cover the diapers entirely with soil. Once you have leveled out the soil, plant the seedlings as you would normally plant any seed, and allow the diaper to work its magic on it!
Source: sandpaperandsillyputty
7. Rubbermaid Container Garden!
This is yet another awesome gardening tip that can be used either if you do not have enough room on your balcony to store all your favorite plants, or if you are trying to help your seedlings grow in the perfect environment before transporting them to your back garden. Either way, all you need is a couple of plastic containers – drill a few holes on the bottom to allow the excess water to drain, and then carefully follow all the instructions exactly as depicted in this comprehensive and easy to follow tutorial. I personally have a very small terrace and I like to make the best of it – nothing compares to having a small lavender or citrus pot on the balcony, and it would be a pity to waste that space, so I found this awesome rubbermaid container garden trick to be super helpful!
Source: backporchgarden
8. Reuse Your Eggshells!
If you used to spend a lot of time at the countryside as a child, then the chances are that you have already seen your parents or your grandparents do this – they took all the used eggshells, smashed them then combined them with the soil, in the backyard. Have you ever asked yourself why do they do it? The reason is rather simple: eggshells are super rich in calcium, and just as we need lots of calcium to keep our bones and teeth strong, so do plants and flowers. That being said, make sure to carefully store all of your eggshells from now on, in a separate container, then smash them until they turn into powder and your plants will love the new “fuel”!
Source: gracefullittlehoneybee
9. The Pot In A Pot Trick!
Have you ever seen the movie Inception? Well, this is like Pot-ception, because you basically need to place your gardening pots one inside the other one – and the reason why you need to do that will make your jaw drop! Check out this tutorial for a super useful tip that is usually reserved for professional gardeners, but everybody can use it provided that they pay attention to every detail described in the tutorial. Once you get the hang of the whole trick, you will definitely feel like recommending it to all of your friends and relatives who are passionate about gardening.
Source: floridafriendlyplants
10. Grow The Best Summer Squash!
If you are a fan of summer squash, then look no further than this amazing tutorial, for it contains everything you need to know about planting and caring for the summer squash. Contrary to popular belief, this is a rather complicated process, and perhaps the trickiest part of it all is making sure that the pests and other invaders do not ruin your summer squash harvest. Here is how you can naturally prevent pests from doing so, while making sure that your summer squash gets all the sun and nutrients it needs to thrive and grow beautifully!
Source: vegetablegardener
11. Rose Cutting Tips!
There are countless quotes about roses – and it is true what they say, some people choose to see the thorns on the rose, while others choose to see the beauty of the rose itself. No matter if you love pink, red, white or even yellow roses, it is important to say that pruning does not differ based on the color of the flower, and roses can be very demanding sometimes. One small wrong step is everything it takes to ruin the entire rose, so you might want to pay extra attention to that! With that in mind, here you will find some of the best rose cutting tips, provided by expert gardeners who specialize exclusively in growing and caring for roses.
Source: amateurgardening
12. Awesome Eggshell Seedling Pots Idea!
Do you remember the citrus seedling pot idea described above? Here is another awesome and even more portable and lightweight seedling pot that will help you make the best of your seeds – all you have to do is to empty several eggs and to use the eggshells as the pots. While in the case of the citrus pots, the citrus peel helpes regulating the acidity levels in the soil, the eggshell seedling pots will enrich the soil with high quality calcium, magnesium and other nutrients that are essential for the seedlings to thrive and grow. The stronger the root system of your seedling, the more likely the plant is to survive transporting it to the garden – that is the “real life test” that many gardeners are very afraid of.
Source: squawkfox
13. Eco-Friendly Paper Pots!
There are all sorts of eco-friendly and cost-effective alternatives to the plastic seedling pots that you can usually find at the local gardening store. As you may know by now, plastic needs thousands of years in order to decompose in the soil, and this can pose a real threat to the flora and fauna – so why not use an eco-friendly alternative to that instead? You already have two awesome ideas that you can try, such as the citrus peel seedling pot or the eggshell seedling pot, but if neither of those two actually appeals to you, then you can always try the eco-friendly paper pots. You can actually use coffee filters or even regular paper that you can easily shape into a pot, then all you have to do is to follow the steps as instructed in this simple tutorial!
Source: simplydiy2
14. Awesome Design Plans For Raised Garden Beds!
There are many reasons why gardeners would choose raised garden beds over the traditional beds – one of them would be the fact that it is a lot more difficult for pests to attack the harvest, if the garden beds are raised. Besides this, raised garden beds are also great for gardeners who suffer from arthritis or lumbar pain, as they would no longer have to bend in order to prune or to water their plants and flowers, given the fact that the raised beds are about the same height as they are. With that in mind, it is important to say that finding good raised bed garden plans is quite a challenge, especially if you aim for durable ones – this is why this tutorial will provide you with some of the best and most durable plans of this kind, completely free of charge! Sharing is caring, so make sure to forward these effortless DIY garden beds to other gardening enthusiasts.
Source: isavea2z
15. Make Your Own Weed Killer With Vinegar!
Vinegar is known for its very strong odor – and odor that keeps pests at bay and that, apparently, also comes in handy for unwanted weeds! If until now you used to manually remove all the weeds, then you certainly know how difficult and time consuming that task can turn out to be. Why not save yourself some time and effort and make a highly efficient, natural and eco-friendly weed killer based on vinegar? Vinegar has not only therapeutic properties that can heal a variety of conditions and ailments that people suffer from, but it can also heal your plants and flowers and keep them safe and sound, away from weeds that tend to rob them of their moisture, sunlight and, most importantly – nutrients!
Source: onegoodthingbyjillee
16. Make Your Own Compost!
You can, of course, buy readily available compost for your garden and your backyard, but then again, why spend money on something that is so easy to make on your own? You do not even need to invest too much time and effort into making your own garden compost, all you need to do is to become familiar with the green and brown products that can double as compost and that will keep your plants and flowers properly nourished. For instance, dead and rotting leaves are an excellent source of nutrients, and so are the green and organic products, such as eggshells, unused tomatoes, cucumbers and any other organic products that you can find in your kitchen and that you can no longer consume. Just put them all in the same container and allow them to slowly disintegrate, then mix them with the soil and there you have it, your own free homemade compost that your plants will love!
Source: dontmesswithmama
17. Make Your Own Elevated Flower Bed
If you are a fan of the elevated flower beds such as the raised beds mentioned above, then you will certainly get to love this tutorial – hassle-free and super easy to follow, this tutorial is designed for beginner gardeners who are just getting started and who want to make the best out of what the elevated flower beds have to offer. You would be amazed to see just how easy it is to make your own raised flower beds – not to mention that you won’t need any advanced tools or materials either, all you need is your own imagination and this detailed tutorial that will certainly come in handy!
Source: instructables
18. 5 Different Uses For Egg Shells In The Garden!
The numerous benefits of egg shells for the soil have already been discussed, and everybody knows that these shells are extremely rich in calcium – an essential nutrient that benefits not only the human body, but also the plants and flowers! However, you can use and re-use your old egg shells in countless of different ways, aside from mixing them with soil and using them to keep your plants properly nourished, and this comprehensive and highly detailed tutorial will certainly offer you an insight into some of the best ways to do so, therefore make sure to check it out! This is one of my all-time favorite gardening tutorials, especially since I am a big egg fan and I tend to put eggs in most of my dishes – I have finally found several useful ways to re-use the eggshells!
Source: premeditatedleftovers
19. Make Your Own Straw Bale Garden!
This tutorial is perfectly for those who live at the countryside and who have a cottage, a farm or a rustic house that is decorated in a shabby chic manner – if that sounds familiar to you, then you certainly want to make sure that your garden matches your house, and modern gardens are a no-no in this situation! Fortunately, here is a lovely tutorial on how to make your very own straw bale garden from scratch, without spending fortunes on material – as a matter of fact, this tutorial is so simple and useful that you can turn it into reality using nothing but scrap pieces and building materials that you would have probably thrown away anyway, so it is a win-win!
Source: homemade-by-jade
20. How To Grow Organic Food From Kitchen Scraps
Are you the type of person who always throws away the garlic and the celery scraps upon using the vegetables? If so, then you might want to stop doing that, for you can actually re-grow your own fruits and vegetables without any effort. All you need to do for that is to grab several seedling pots and to know which parts of the fruits and veggies have to be planted in order to be regrown. Then, you need to slightly enrich the soil with nutrients and carefully plant the seeds, and there you have it – you can care for your own little organic garden without having to go to the grocery store and buy veggies or fruits. Whenever you feel like eating a fresh tomato or an apple, you can just reach out to your own pot and grab it – as easy and natural as that!
Source: thehappyhousewife
21. DIY Raised Garden Beds
Raised garden beds are certainly becoming the norm amongst modern gardeners, and for a good reason – not only are the raised garden beds very easy to care for, but they are versatile enough to be installed both indoors and outdoors, which is great for seasonal gardeners. Besides, you will find it a lot cheaper and easier to make your own raised garden beds from scratch, instead of buying them from the local store. What are you waiting for? Check out this tutorial, grab your nails and hammer and get ready to make your own lovely mini-garden that everybody will love!
Source: thegardenglove
22. Use Old Pallets For An Outstanding Veggie Garden!
Pallets are great – they really are, and not just for making indoor and outdoor furniture that is lightweight, durable and quite easy to adjust, but also for enriching your backyard garden. If you have decided to invest more time and effort into your hobby (gardening, that is), then you should start with re-using your old pallets. You would be amazed to find out that there are many other uses to the old wooden pallets than fire wood – and this tutorial will change the way you look at garden furniture and other support systems for your flowers and plants. Besides, everything is done in an eco-friendly manner, without affecting the flora or fauna in anyway, given the fact that wood is 100% recyclable.
Source: ourlittleacre
23. Strawberry Support System Made Entirely From Pallets!
Strawberries are the most awaited fruits of the season, and that is a known fact – however, growing your very own strawberries is certainly a much more challenging task than you might think, and you need to take your time to create a sturdy and durable support system that will keep them in place. Strawberries, just like blueberries, blackberries and virtually all the other berries, are very rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, both of which are great for your health, the only problem is that they tend to be quite sensitive, even to the slightest environmental changes, this is why it is important to care properly for them and to make them a good support system. Here is how you can do that by simply using a strawberry pallet!
Source: lovelygreens
24. Awesome DIY Rain Barrel For Droughts
Weather can be extremely unpredictable sometimes – now it can rain for weeks or even months, flooding your entire vegetable garden and ruining your whole harvest, and a few weeks later your garden can be hit by the biggest drought the country has seen in decades. This is why it is essential to be prepared and to be safe rather than sorry – and this tutorial will show you just how easy it is to repurpose an old whiskey barrel and to actually turn it into a water barrel that will store the rainwater, so you can use it later on for watering your veggies and fruits, whenever you need it. Simple and efficient!
Source: tixeertne
25. Awesome And Simple Potato Towers!
Potatoes are super versatile, and they can be easily served both as a main dish and as a side dish – however, if you have ever grown potatoes before or if you know somebody who has, then you certainly know that caring for potatoes is anything but easy, as these are some of the most demanding, high-maintenance vegetables out there. As demanding as potatoes may be at times, they will certainly pay off and be more rewarding than you might think – culinary speaking, of course! Having said that, here is a very fast and practical way to make your own potato towers, without too much effort!
Source: growinglotsurbanfarm
