Life is hard enough so anything that makes things just that little bit easier has to be a good thing. So here are 8 hacks for easy gardening.
8 Hacks For Easy Gardening
1. Banana Skin Fertilizer
If you have fruit that’s not ripening, maybe green tomatoes or figs and you don’t have any tomato food, (I usually use comfrey plant food). This is a quick and easy hack for making a great plant food.
All you need is an empty jar and a banana skin
Just place the banana skin in the jar and fill with water, replace jar lid and leave for one week. Then apply to plants as you would with regular plant food.
2.Keep Your Finger Nails Clean
All gardening is dirty, and if your like me and can’t get on with gloves then this one’s a must. To prevent dirty finger nails just take a Bar of Soap and rub against your finger tips making sure that the area up your nail is completely full of soap then go garden as usual. When you finish just wash your hands and gently rub a nail brush into the nail gap. As the soap goes you’ll see no dirt.
3. home Made Rooting Powder
The Hormone in rooting powder dramatically improves the chances of cuttings taking root. If you don’t have any rooting powder, raid the spice rack. Cinnamon is just as good if not better just dip the tip of the cutting you want to root in cinnamon powder then pot in the usual way.
Cinnamon is also a great anti fungal powder, sprinkle onto soil around seedlings to prevent fungal infections.
Cinnamon is also a great deterrent for ants it won’t kill them. Ants don’t like to walk over cinnamon so sprinkle cinnamon powder over the area that you don’t want ants in and they will leave that area alone. Remember that Cinnamon powder is soluble so will need replacing after rain.
4.Add Calcium To Your Compost
Simply crush egg shell and add to your compost bin as the waste matter breaks down the calcium from the egg shell will be incorporated to your compost.
Egg shell can also be sprinkled around plants as another obstacle for slugs and snails although I’ve had limited success with this method.
5.Porridge Oats (Oatmeal) As Slug Deterrent
This works by drying out the slime that slugs and snails need to travel on. Thus making it difficult for them to reach your plants. I have had some success with this however it doesn’t work in wet conditions so needs to be replaced often in wet seasons.
6. Handy Weed Killer
I like to garden organically, so I am always on the lookout for non chemical weed killers. This one is something most people have in their cupboards, Vinegar. Just pour into a spray bottle and spray all the weeds that you want to be rid of. Again this only works if applied during a dry spell and it isn’t permanent as it only kills growth above ground but it definitely works.
7. Simple Soil Acidity Test
Although soil acidity test kits are not overly expensive I never have one when I need it so it’s time to raid the kitchen cupboards again for this one. Simply collect a sample of soil to test and add :-
VINEGAR If the solution bubbles it’s Alkaline.
BAKING SODA- If the solution bubbles it’s Acidic.
8. Plastic Bottles Make Great Cloches
Empty milk containers, Lemonade bottles etc… All make great mini cloches. Just cut the bottom off and gently place over the plants you want protecting. If it gets too steamy inside the cloche just remove the lid, but remember to replace if frost is forecast.
So there are my 8 hacks for easy gardening I hope you find them useful. Have you any useful hints or tips please share in the comments below.