Use Egg Shells To Keep Pests Out
It won’t keep out all kinds of pests, but egg shells can really help with keeping soft-bodies pests like snails and slugs out of your garden. The sharper edges of the shells will deter them from eating your plants, as they won’t want to risk injuring themselves. Just encircle any pest-sensitive plants with a roughly crushed layer of these eggshells.
Make A Self-Sharpening Garden Tool Holder
If you need to keep your tools sharp, this is actually a good method to keep them that way without needing to take the time to do it yourself. Take a pot, preferably terracotta, and add abrasive sand and mineral oil to it. Then, when you’re not using your gardening tools, thrust them into the sand. The mineral oil will also serve to clean your tools while the process helps to keep them sharp.
Use A Milk Gallon To Make A Watering Can
Need a watering can but don’t have one? No problem (as long as you aren’t also lactose intolerant). Take an old plastic milk jug, or any similar type of container, and poke holes in the lid. It’ll water just like a normal watering can. Just make sure you don’t mistake it for a normal milk carton or hold it upside down.
Prevent Diseases Using Cinnamon Powder
Cinnamon powder actually has anti-fungal properties. So spreading it on your seedlings will help prevent them from contracting any diseases. And as an added bonus, the cinnamon smells really nice.
Self-Water Your Plants With Full Bottles
If you’ve ever heard of the product Aqua Globe, you’re probably familiar with how they function. You put the water in the device then stick it in the soil. The plant will then only take water as its needed as its absorbed into the soil, preventing over and under-watering (as long as you refill the Aqua Globe when it’s empty). As it turns out, you don’t actually need to spend money on that. Filling an empty water, soda, or even win bottle can give you the same effect. And you’ll be saving money and the environment by recycling.
Use Old Newspapers To Block Weeds
You could spend money on expensive weed-blocking cloth, or you could just take an old newspaper and spread over it over the area that’s prone to weeds — a top tip from Pol Bishop, a gardening and landscaping expert from London-based Fantastic Gardeners.
“Cover the newspapers with dirt, mulch and grass clippings to keep them in place,” Bishop says. “With time, the newspapers will smother the weeds beneath them.”
Avoid Floods With A Rain Garden
If you live in a rainy area, protecting your lawn from flooding will be a top priority. Bishop recommends doing a bit of digging to create a slightly sunken area.
“Fill this area with perennial plants,” he advises. “Rainwater will flow toward that part of the garden and nurture the plants planted there. It’s a win-win situation.”
Spray Your Lawnmower With Cooking Spray
Tired of grass sticking to your mower’s blades? Bishop swears by cooking spray: just apply it to your mower’s blades before use.
“This prevents clumps of grass from sticking to your blades,” he explains.
Use A Cupcake Pan To Perfectly Space Out Vegetable Seeds
This hack from Derek Gaughan, owner of Pittsburgh’s Prince Gardening, will ensure your vegetable garden is beautifully ordered. All you need is a cupcake/muffin pan!
“When you’re ready to plant, simply press the bottom of the pan into the soil to make depressions,” Gaughan says.
About The Delite
Somtimes it can feel like the world is full of negative news. Luckily, there is still a lot of good in the world. There are amazing people doing incredible things. Our goal is to help showcase some of these positive, inspiring stories in order to bring a smile to your face.