18 Proven Gardening Hacks to Simplify Your Life and Garden Smarter

If you have a garden or vegetable patch, you know maintaining a green thumb can be challenging. Fortunately, these smart, time-tested tricks make everyday gardening easier and more efficient. As seasoned gardeners, we've rounded up the top 18 tips to save you time and effort.

Here are 18 gardening tips and tricks everyone should know. Watch:

Contents

• 1. Use a plastic bottle to water your plants on vacation
• 2. Put a baby diaper in hanging flower pots to prevent water from leaking
• 3. Use a coffee filter to prevent soil from leaking out of your flower pots
• 4. Use eggshells to plant your seedlings
• 5. Use old ice cream cones as biodegradable planting pots
• 6. For tastier tomatoes, sprinkle baking soda around the plants
• 7. Sprinkle cinnamon around your seedlings to protect them from late blight
• 8. Use coffee grounds to keep slugs and other pests away from your plants
• 9. Use crushed eggshells to protect your vegetable garden from pests
• 10. Make mini greenhouses with plastic bottles
• 11. Turn an old plastic bottle into a watering can
• 12. To water your plants, reuse the vegetable cooking water
• 13. Use a blender to make liquid compost with kitchen scraps
• 14. Get rid of weeds with white vinegar
• 15. Make a seed ribbon out of toilet paper to space your plants like a pro
• 16. Make cheap little flowerpots out of plastic bottles
• 17. Make a vertical garden with a fabric shoe rack
• 18. Make great vegetable garden labels with old corks

1. Use a plastic bottle to water your plants during vacation

Use a small drill or nail to make 1-4 holes in the cap of a plastic water bottle. Note: more or larger holes mean faster water flow.

Fill the bottle with water and replace the cap. For larger plants, opt for a 2-liter bottle.

Quickly invert the bottle and bury it in the plant's soil. If needed, mound soil around it for stability.

Water will drip slowly from the cap while you relax on vacation. Awesome, right? Check out the trick here.

2. Put a baby diaper in hanging flower pots to prevent water from leaking

Water often drains through soil and baskets in hanging pots. Place a baby diaper inside to retain moisture and stop leaks. Discover the trick in #8 here.

3. Use a coffee filter to prevent soil from leaking out of your flower pots

Cover the drainage hole at the bottom with a coffee filter to keep soil in place. Find out how here.

To discover: 10 Amazing Uses For Coffee Filters Around The Home.

4. Use eggshells to plant your seedlings

When seedlings are ready, plant them shell and all. Simply crush the shell slightly so roots can emerge.

Eggshells provide calcium to support growth. The tutorial is here.

To discover: 10 Incredible Uses of Eggshells.

5. Use old ice cream cones as biodegradable planting pots

When the plant outgrows the cone, transplant the whole thing directly into the ground. A budget-friendly alternative to store-bought pots.

6. For tastier tomatoes, sprinkle baking soda around the plants

Sprinkle baking soda on the soil around tomato plants to lower acidity and yield sweeter fruit. Check out the trick here.

To discover: 13 Tricks To Grow More, Bigger, Tastier Tomatoes.

7. Sprinkle cinnamon around your seedlings to protect them from late blight

Cinnamon's natural antifungal properties protect against mildew and fungi on plants, just as it does for humans.

8. Use coffee grounds to keep slugs and other pests away from your plants

Click here to discover all the surprising uses of coffee grounds.

9. Use crushed eggshells to protect your vegetable garden from pests

Create a barrier of crushed eggshells around plants. Their sharp edges deter slugs and snails. Click here to discover the trick.

To discover: 13 Natural Tricks Against Slugs That Really Work.

10. Make mini greenhouses with plastic bottles

Large plastic bottles shield seedlings from frost. Remove the cap, cut off the bottom, place over the plant like a cloche, and push into soil for stability. Keep the top open for ventilation and watering. Remove after cold snaps. Click here for more great ways to reuse plastic bottles in your garden.

11. Turn an old plastic bottle into a watering can

Poke holes in the cap with a needle. Watch the easy tutorial here.

12. To water your plants, reuse vegetable cooking water

Let it cool first. Find out how to reuse cooking water so you never waste it again.

13. Use a blender to make liquid compost with kitchen scraps

Blend scraps with water into a puree for nutrient-rich liquid compost. Dilute if needed and work into soil. To discover: How To Make A Compost Bin With Pallets In 10 Minutes.

14. Get rid of weeds with white vinegar

Higher acidity works faster. A proven natural weed killer. Find out how here.

15. Make a seed ribbon out of toilet paper to space your plants like a pro

Skip pricey seed tapes. Use toilet paper, a ruler for spacing, and flour-water paste (2 tbsp flour to 1 tbsp water) to attach seeds. Dry, roll, and plant. Check out the easy tutorial here. To discover: 13 Surprising Uses for Toilet Paper Rolls.

16. Make cheap little flowerpots out of plastic bottles

Cut off the bottom for instant pots.

17. Make a vertical garden with a fabric shoe rack

Grab a fabric over-the-door organizer from a dollar store. Plant herbs and greens in pockets, drill drainage holes, and hang securely with a sturdy bar. To discover: Herbs: 18 Clever Ways to Grow Them Indoors.

18. Make great vegetable garden labels with old corks

Use a wine cork and wooden pick. Watch the trick here. To discover: 17 Surprising Uses for Cork Stoppers.