SEARCH
MENU
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
Creative & Frugal Home & Garden Ideas

Empress of Dirt

  • Grow
  • Make
  • Ideas

New here?

Dig in!

Start here

12 Odd But Useful Garden Tips & Solutions

Published on March 1, 2023 â™› By Melissa J. Will

This post contains affiliate links.
Read full disclosure statement here.

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on PinterestShare on Email

It is so satisfying when a garden tip is simple yet solves a problem or makes things easier. Have a look at these ideas and see what could help with your gardening.

For more helpful solutions also see 5 Smart Uses for a Dollar Store Waste Basket where this one simple item has several handy uses.

Roll of paper towel and seeds germinating.

Simple Garden Tips That Really Work

Seeds germinating.

While some of these ideas may sound odd to beginners, we gardeners are a resourceful lot and if there’s a neat trick to speed things up or make things easier, we’re in!

These are all simple hacks I use in my own garden.

1Germinate Seeds in a Crock Pot or Instant Pot

If you want to speed up seed germination or check if old seeds are still viable, you can use a crock pot or Instant Pot to encourage them.

  • How to Speed Up Seed Germination
  • How To Check If Seeds Are Viable (Home Germination Test)

2Make Seed Tapes With Toilet Paper

Seed tapes are handy for controlling where seeds grow. I use them for tiny seeds that otherwise might blow away. They are also handy for sowing seeds in a sloped garden bed to keep the seeds in place while roots are forming.

  • How to Make Seed Tapes From Toilet Paper

3Convert Grass Lawn to Garden Beds With Cardboard

It takes several months, but a layer of cardboard really can get rid of grass lawn without having to dig up the turf.

  • The Cardboard Method for Turning Lawn into Garden Beds

4Start Unpredictable Seeds in Paper Towel

Start any slow-growing seeds like avocado or mango in paper towels (or scraps of cotton fabric) instead of soil. The advantage is, you can check on them to see if they are indeed sprouting or abandon ship if they’re not. Once they’ve got some roots, you can plant them in containers confident your new plants are off to a good start.

  • How to Grow Avocado From Seed
  • How to Grow Mango From Seed

5Dry Herbs in Microwave

It takes some trial and error to get the timing right, but a microwave oven is handy for drying herbs for cooking and teas. It’s also a fast way to create instant pressed flowers and leaves for crafts. While a food dehydrator is ideal for this, an oven or toaster oven can work too.

  • How to Dry Herbs For Storage
  • How to Press Flowers & Leaves (Including Microwave Method)

6Pick The Right Pen For the Job

If you want a marking pen for plant tags that will not fade in the sun, use an oil-based marking pen. They are often sold as “paint pens.”

If you want a somewhat temporary marking pen, choose a water-based one. These will gradually fade in the sun.

Brands like Sharpie sell both types.

  • Learn more about Marking Pens for Gardeners

7Use Sticky Traps to Catch Fungus Gnats

It’s such a relief when something simple solves a problem without doing other harm. If you have fungus gnats leaping out of your houseplant potting mix, yellow sticky traps can catch them.

  • How to Deal With Fungus Gnats

8Grow New Tomato Plants From Cuttings

You can take cuttings from tomato plants any time during the growing season and root them for new plants. Because they are cuttings, the new plants will be clones of (the same as) the original plants. I do this at the end of the summer and grow the plants indoors over the winter.

  • How to Grow Tomato Plants From Cuttings

9Use Your Fridge and Freezer to Cold Stratify Seeds

If you have struggled to germinate hardy wildflowers and other native plant seeds, have a look at the fridge-freezer method shown here. It seems to fast-track the freeze-thaw cycle many of these seeds need prior to germination.

  • See the video instructions here: Best Delphinium Germination Method

10Use Organic Yard Waste to Fill Large Planters

If you are growing in large planters or raised beds, there is no need to fill the entire container with (expensive) soil or compost. Depending on what you’re growing, the plants may need just 6 to 12 inches of root space up top. Use yard waste like grass clippings and pruned branches to fill the rest of the space. They will gradually decompose and further enrich your soil.

  • How to Inexpensively Fill Large Raised Beds

11Don’t Dig If You Don’t Need To

For years we’ve been told to till and turn our soil before planting. Turns out, this may not be necessary and could harm the soil structure. And, ultimately, why do the extra work if you don’t need to?

  • Learn more about No-Dig Gardening
  • Meet Ruth Stout – An Inspiring No-Dig Gardener

12Know Your Growing Conditions

We get to know our gardens with time and experience. We can also do simple assessments to better understand our growing conditions.

  • Full Sun To Shade: How To Assess Light Conditions In Your Garden
  • Well-Draining Soil: How to Check If You Have It
  • Simple DIY Soil Type Test

Resources

Ebooks

Seed Starting For Beginners ebook cover.

Seed Starting for Beginners
Sow Inside Grow Outside

by Melissa J. Will

NEW EDITION | Everything you need to get started with indoor seed starting for indoor and outdoor plants. Grow what you want—any time of year!

About This Ebook | Visit Ebook Shop

This ebook is a digital file (PDF format) you save to your device. It is not a physical product.

Buy Now
$8 US

PayPal, Credit Card, Apple Pay

Garden Art Projects & Ideas book cover

25 Garden Art Projects & Ideas

by Melissa J. Will

Grab the top garden art DIY projects and tips from Empress of Dirt

About This Ebook | Visit Ebook Shop

This ebook is a digital file (PDF format) you save to your device. It is not a physical product.

Buy Now
$6 US

PayPal, Credit Card, Apple Pay

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt â™›

Seeds germinating.
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on PinterestShare on Email

FREE NEWSLETTER

EVERY TWO WEEKS

Creative, frugal home and (mostly) garden ideas in your inbox!



Privacy Policy


Melissa J. Will - Empress of DirtWelcome!
I’m Melissa J. Will a.k.a. the Empress of Dirt (Ontario, Canada).
Join me as I share creative + frugal home & garden ideas with a dash of humor.
More: Contact/About
New here? Dig in!  |  Our Podcast
Free tools: Soil Calculator | Garden Name Generator

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

Some articles on this site contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Affiliate and Ad Disclosure | Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Empress of Dirt Creative + Frugal Home & Garden Ideas