8 Spring Gardening Hacks

TaskEasy is all about saving you time and money so it may not come as a surprise that we want to share some of our favorite spring gardening hacks with you. We love those clever little tricks that you can use to transform your garden into your own personal paradise. To make things even easier, most of these hacks involve everyday household items. Chances are you have everything you need in your home already!

Eggshells and Coffee Grounds

Combining eggshells and coffee grounds and mixing them into your soil as compost serves two purposes: it provides your soil with much needed nutrients and it prevents blossom-rot on fruiting vegetables. That’s a win-win!

K-Cups as Seed Starters

Why not reuse those K-Cups after your morning cup of joe instead of just chucking them into the garbage? K-Cups have a little mesh strainer at the bottom of each container which makes them perfect because the water will drain through but the soil will stay put. Simply remove grounds, add soil (you can mix some of the grounds in for extra nutrients), plant seed, cover with more soil, and water. We recommend covering your seed-starters with plastic wrap in order to block in the moisture. Make sure to put your seed starters somewhere where there is sunlight and you should see your seeds sprout within just a few days.

Protect Plants with Milk Jug Tops

Cold weather at night can kill little seedlings in your garden. Try covering them with the top half of a milk jug in order to create their own personal greenhouse. Start by cutting off the bottom half of a milk jug and place over plant and push into the soil so that it stays put. Remember, they will only need the protection when it’s cold so you’ll want to remove the milk jug when temperatures are above 40 degrees.

Save Your Cooking Water

Maybe you’ve never thought about saving your cooking water but think about it, that water is loaded with nutrients. Instead of dumping it, why not water your garden with it? By doing this, you’re giving your plants a little something extra to help them grow and stay healthy. If you don’t plan on watering right away, just save it for the next time you’re watering. Also, let that water cool down, let’s not scald our plants!

Soap Under Nails

This one is super simple but sometimes it’s all about the little things in life. Getting dirt under your nails is not ideal but it’s almost always bound to happen when you’re gardening. Try scratching a bar of soap before heading outside, the soap will prevent any dirt from getting under your nails and as an added bonus the washup is super easy.

Grow Roses in Potatoes

Early spring is a great time to plant your roses because it’s still early enough and the weather is mild. Here’s a trick for getting even healthier and more beautiful roses out of your rose cuttings -- Plant them in potatoes! This may sound strange but it’s super simple. Take your cut rose and push it into a small potato before planting it into your soil. The potato will help keep your rose moist in addition to regular watering.

Epsom Salt as Fertilizer

Epsom salt has many healing uses for people but did you know that it can also benefit your garden? For one, it can act as a fertilizer for your garden and eliminate the need for chemicals. All you have to do is sprinkle it onto your soil in addition to your organic materials and it will help improve nutrient absorption. As an added bonus, it helps deter pests too!

Water Plants with Paper Towels While Away

Don’t have anybody to water your plants while gone for a few days? No problem. Here’s a solution that’s almost too easy to be true. All you need is some paper towels and a glass of water. Take some paper towels, roll up as tight as you can, lay besides plants and leave the end in the glass of water. The paper towels will soak up the water and distribute evenly along the soil. Just make sure that the end of the paper towel hits the bottom of your glass.

There you have it! Our goal here at TaskEasy is to make your life easier so we hope you find these hacks handy. Remember -- if you are ever in need of help around your home and yard, we’re here for you.