Learn how to make gardening easier with these gardening hacks for beginners.  Whether you're new to gardening or have been gardening for years, these gardening hacks and tips will help you save time and money while increasing your yield.

Gardening is hard work, but it's very rewarding.  Having a backyard garden used to be popular, and most suburban or rural homes had one.

It decreased in popularity for several years, but more and more people and turning to gardening and learning how to do gardening at home.  

We went big with our first garden.  And we made a lot of mistakes.  It took a few years to figure out what worked, what didn't, and how to maximize our time and effort for the best yield each year.  

We learned several gardening life hacks.  These tips for gardens help us save time and money, so we can get the most yield for our time.

Gardening Hacks for Beginners

Keep a Journal

Gardening is trial and error.  I recommend keeping a gardening journal each year.  Keep track of what you planted, where you planted it, when you plant, when you harvest and make notes.

This is one of the best gardening hacks for beginners,  yet not many people do it.  In fact, we didn't for a few years.  I ended up relying on my Facebook memories and time stamps from photos to see when we would need to harvest.

Don't be like me.  Use tips for gardens to create a journal so you remember what works and what doesn't year after year.

Use Vinegar in the Garden

One way to learn how to make gardening easier is to use vinegar.  Buy an inexpensive gallon of vinegar from a big box store and use it for natural pest control and weed control.

Vinegar's strong odor deters several pests, including deer.  It's inexpensive and safe for the environment and your family.  It's one of my best gardening hacks for beginners because it's easy to find and cheap.

Simply put vinegar in a spray bottle and spray around the perimeter of your garden every few days.  This deters deer and other critters from turning your garden into a salad bar.

You can also spray weeds with a vinegar and water solution.  Be sure to spray just weeds and don't get it too close to the plants because it can kill plants too.

When learning how to do gardening at home, buy a jug of vinegar or two.  You'll need it!

Pest Control

Depending on where you live, you can have different posts.  Nothing is worse than learning how to do gardening at home and losing your crops to pests.

Shred soap and sprinkle it around your garden.  This can deter deer and rabbits.  

Slugs don't like eggshells, so sprinkle crushed eggshells around the perimeter of the garden.  This is an easy and even free gardening life hacks.

Use Eggshells in Your Garden

Speaking of eggshells, they have a few gardening life hacks uses.  Not only do they deter some pests, but they also provide nutrients for your garden.

After you use your eggs, let the shells dry on a cookie sheet.  Then crush them and spread them on your garden.  

This is one of the best gardening hacks for beginners to help add more nutrients to fertilize your garden for free.

Soil Seepage

If you are container gardening, learn how to make gardening easier by preventing soil seepage.  You want excess water to drain out of your pots, but you don't want to lose soil.

The soil can drain out, which can put your plants at risk.  This also makes a huge mess on your patio or deck.  These gardening hacks and tips can save your plants and save you from having a clean up a mess.

Line your pots with natural unbleached coffee filters.  This lets the water drain out without losing soil.  This is an easy and inexpensive gardening hacks for beginners to keep your plants watered without making a mess on your deck or patio.

I like growing plants in grow bags because they can be used year after year.  Learn about growing tomatoes in bags to grow tomatoes and other vegetables on your patio without tilling a garden.

Protect Young Plants

When you are learning how to do gardening at home, you don't want to risk having your plants die.  If you start your plants from seeds or plant young plants in your garden, they will need some protection.  

One of the best gardening hacks for beginners is to cover your plants with a milk jug.  Simply cut the bottom off of a milk jug and set it over the plant.  This acts like a mini greenhouse and protects the plants from deer or rabbits.

Learn how to make a mini greenhouse to start seeds indoors.  This is perfect for kids too!

Make a Watering Can

Gardening can be expensive to start.  If your budget is small, you can make your own watering can.  This is a simple gardening hacks for beginners that can help out in a pinch.

Rinse out a milk jug or water jug very well.  Then poke holes on the cap.  This makes a quick and free watering can to use on your seed starts or young plants.

One of the gardening life hacks I use is to always use a waterer with a large spout with holes on the end.  This prevents water from coming out too quickly, which can damage young plants.

Keep Your Tools Sharpened

Your gardening tools take a lot of abuse.  They are expensive too, so you don't want to replace them often.  

One of the best gardening hacks and tips for gardens is to fill a bucket or large flower pot with sand and mineral oil.  Then place your gardening tools in it.  

The sand helps keep the edges of your tools sharp, and the mineral oil prevents rust.

Use a Bucket for Tools

You'll want to take your hand tools to the garden each time, so keep them together by storing them in a 5 gallon bucket.   Not only is this storage, but it makes it easy to take your tools to the garden.

Learn how to make gardening easier by grabbing one bucket instead of several tools to take with you.  Then you can also use the bucket as a stool when you're in the garden.

Your gardening tools can get bacteria and fungus on them.  Keep them clean with hydrogen peroxide.  Learn more in my how to clean with hydrogen peroxide tips.

Reuse Cooking Water

When you boil vegetables or other foods, there are nutrients in the water.  One of my frugal gardening life hacks is to reuse your cooking water.

Let it cool and use it to water your plants.  This another one of the free tips for gardens that can really help boost your yield.

Use Companion Plants

Some plants grow better next to each other.  This can help improve flavor or even help each plant grow better.  This is one of the best gardening hacks and tips to boost your garden with minimal effort.

Growing thyme near strawberries, for example, can improve the taste of your strawberries.

Learn about companion planting for herbs.

Epsom Salt

Epsom salt is inexpensive and easy to find in big box stores.  It's perfect for many uses in your home, but you can also learn how to make gardening easier with Epsom salt.  

One of the best gardening hacks for beginners is to use Epsom salt as a natural fertilizer.  It has magnesium, which can help seeds germinate and boost chlorophyll production.

Add 2 teaspoons of Epsom salts to a gallon of water.  Use this to water your plants to fertilize them. 

I hope this helps you learn how to do gardening at home.   These tips for gardeners will help you grow a garden and maximize your yield year after year.  Be sure to check out my frugal gardening tips and tricks.

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