There is always something to do in the garden: tidying up, sowing, clearing, connecting … With so much work, you can really make life easier with these lifehacks. The good thing about it: You often have the tools at home or you can get them quickly and cheaply. Here we want to show you the best tips and tricks that you can use yourself at home.
Table of Contents
Tip 1: push-load cart
With three meters of rabbit or rabbit wire, six glue clips and cable ties, you can turn a commercially available wheelbarrow into a true open-air freighter for leaves, leftovers or lawn cuttings. The wire basket may seem shaky, but it shows its true potential under load: You can tilt, tilt and theoretically even put it in front of a tree: The wire sits securely and, above all, keeps its load.
Tip 2: climbing aid
With wire clothes hangers (e.g. from cleaning) you can create a unique climbing aid with little effort and thus help green walls. Since climbing plants can be quite heavy, you screw the brackets to the wall with dowels in one place, with cork pieces serving as spacers.
Tip 3: pull seed grooves
For even seed grooves in the bed, put cut pieces of tubing over two rake tines and then pull them evenly through the loosened soil.
Tip 4: cut protection
With the remains of old garden hoses, you can “cushion” sharp blades of tools such as axes, hoes or saws. So you can easily store the devices in the shed and do not accidentally injure yourself. Cut the hose to size and cut lengthways with a sharp knife. Guide the knife away from the hand holding the hose, because you can slide off quickly! Then push the slotted piece of hose over the blade.
Tip 5: cord dispenser
Tying plants, marking rows of seeds or hanging bird feed – tear-resistant cords are used in every garden. Good if you always have it ready. Nothing can get tangled in this dispenser. Pull out the required length and cut it off. For such a dispenser, cut off the top third of an empty PET bottle. Punch or drill two holes on the side; a wooden popsicle stick prevents them from fraying. Push two screws from the inside through the handle and holes and fasten them to a pre-drilled wooden strip with nuts. Then you can put your construction where you need it.
Tip 6: Sowing aid
Attention wine drinkers: Please collect the next cork! Because several corks glued to a wooden strip at regular intervals result in effective sowing aid. Simply press into the earth and put the seeds into the holes.
Tip 7: cohesion
Whether roses or perennials, many tall plants are grateful for a support. The rings of shower curtains or some curtains result in great plant clips that are not impressed by gusts of wind. Simply guide the two ends around the plant stem and a support rod.
Tip 8: rain protection
Tomato plants shouldn’t get too much rain. If you don’t have a roof for your vegetables, you can stick a long, stable stick in the middle of the pot and tie a transparent umbrella above the plant. The height should be adjusted to the growth.
An umbrella is also good sun protection for indoor plants that can finally go outside again after the winter. Pin the handle securely in the wind and, if possible, wait for days with probably little wind!
Life Hack 9: fertilize
With nettle slurry you quickly produce an environmentally friendly, cheap and highly effective fertilizer that also sells pests.
Life Hack 10: frost protection
Until mid-May night frosts can still occur, which can damage delicate plants. To protect your seedlings, simply put a suitably sized terracotta pot over the plant at night. The earthenware protects the plant from frost during the night and releases the stored heat over a long period of time. Your young plants will survive the cold nights!
To protect potted plants from frost in winter, simply place the pots in the middle of an old car tire – ideally on a piece of wood to protect the roots from below – and pad the space in between with newspapers, wood wool, straw or jute sacks.
Life Hack 11: mini greenhouse
An empty PET bottle quickly turns into a mini greenhouse if you cut off the bottom with a cutter knife and put the bottle in the ground directly above the plant. Ensure air supply by simply unscrewing the lid.
Tip: You can also plant bottles with a sufficiently wide neck directly. Pierce additional holes in the bottle neck here so that a gas exchange can take place. But keep in mind that it will be more difficult to repot the plant later!
Life Hack 12: Pour
If you are often unsure about how much water a plant needs or if you cannot water for a few days, build an irrigation system from an old plastic bottle.
To do this, drill a few holes in the cap and screw it back onto the bottle.
Then use a sharp knife to remove the bottom of the bottle with a cutter knife.
Put the bottle upside down close to the plant and fill the bottle with water.
The holes in the lid give the plant exactly as much water as it needs.
13. Life hacks for sowing
In order to pull seed grooves evenly apart, you need a trained eye – or a trick: put two pieces of an old garden hose of the same length at the desired distance over the tines of a rake and easily pull even seed grooves.
Life hack 14: planting
If you want a garden that grows splendidly even without care, it depends on the selection of the right plants. For example, zucchini are known to bear fruit without fertilizer. Many raspberry, gooseberry and currant plants also bring rich harvest with little care.
There is also a large, easy-care selection of flowering plants. Many perennials are very easy to care for and do not need to be dug up in winter and replanted in spring. Even among roses you have a large selection of frugal varieties: Roses with the ADR seal are considered to be particularly robust and sometimes form new flowers well into autumn.
Life hack 15: weed
Tired of weeding? Cover the soil with mulch or fleece to prevent the weeds from growing. For areas that are difficult to plant, for example in the shade, ground cover is ideal. These can be evergreen plants, mosses or even wild strawberries.
Vinegar is also an excellent weed killer: mix 100 ml of brandy vinegar with 300 ml of water and spray the mixture directly onto the weed plants in the bed.
Life Hack 16: Smart Garden
Whether mowing or watering: With smart helpers, gardening is made easier. An irrigation system provides water to beds and lawns without you even having to think about it or even being present. An appropriately programmed lawn mower robot will also do its laps on the lawn while you relax in the shade with a cool drink.
Life Hack 17: Gardening in an environmentally friendly way
A near-natural garden with wildflower meadows, piles of leaves and logs is not only easy to maintain, but also offers valuable retreats for animals such as hedgehogs, bees and birds. Choose native plants whose location requirements your garden can meet. This not only saves you time, but also water or expensive fertilizers.
With the right know-how, it grows more relaxed. This includes not only the knowledge of plants and lawn, but also the creative mindset with which do-it-yourselfers always find new solutions.
