Last Updated on April 8, 2024 by Real Men Sow
Growing your own vegetables is fun! But that doesn’t mean it’s always easy, nor does it mean watering the garden, weeding it, fertilizing, and harvesting it don’t become chores at times. With these vegetable gardening hacks and tips, you’ll improve your gardening.
Vegetable Gardening Hacks
Planting French Marigolds
Aphids can be a problem for gardeners all year round. They infest plants and reduce their vigor. French marigolds can be planted nearby to repel aphids. You can also use nasturtiums to attract aphids away by planting them in vegetable plots as a sacrifice plant.
Garlic Sprays
If you have young seedlings that are being eaten by snails and slugs, spray them with garlic oil. Blend a bulb of garlic with a liter of water in a food processor. Let it stand for 10 minutes before straining the liquid and pouring it into a spray can. To repel snails and slugs, spray your plants with the liquid in the evenings.
Plastic Bottle Reservoir
It can be difficult to water vegetables in summer. Make sure you get enough water to the roots. Make a reservoir by cutting up a plastic bottle in half. Then, remove the cap and place the top half upside-down in the ground near the plant. The water will seep into the reservoir right at the roots.
Empty Wine Bottles With Potted Plants
Pots may dry quickly when it is hot. Make your own watering system by washing out an empty wine bottle and making a hole in its cap. Fill the bottle with water, then put the cap back on. The water will slowly trickle into the soil by placing the bottle upside-down in a container.
Coffee Filter
Before you fill your pot with compost, line the bottom with a coffee filter. This will allow water to drain slower from the pot, allowing the compost to absorb it and reducing wastage.
Plastic Milk Bottles As Cloches
You can make your own cloches simply by cutting a large plastic milk bottle in half. The tops of the bottles can be used to cover seedlings and young plants. Keep the caps open so air can circulate around your plants.
Growing From Kitchen Scraps
It is amazing what you can do with kitchen scraps. Leave about 5 cm of the white base when you use spring onions for cooking. You can place it in a glass filled with water and then on a sunny windowsill. The bulb will start to grow roots and new leaves if the water is changed every other day. After letting the tops of carrots dry for 2-3 days, they can be planted in compost to grow leafy tops. These tops can then be blanched or sauteed with leafy greens.
Epsom Salts as Natural Fertilizers
Using epsom salts are especially effective in encouraging growth of green peppers and tomatoes. Simply add a tablespoon or two of epsom salt to the hole where you’ll transplant your seedlings. You may also add them to water and spray to your plants. Tomatoes and peppers can have magnesium problems, and spraying epsom salt and water mixture would help them avoid this.
