Spring Gardening Hacks

Spring is coming fast, which means it’s time to focus on getting your garden in tip top shape for the months ahead. You may already be a seasoned gardener who has an existing spring routine, or a gardening novice altogether. Regardless of your experience level, you should always welcome an opportunity to try something new. Get ahead of the game with these cheap, simple and clever gardening tips to get your garden ready for the upcoming spring.

Keep tidy

Unwanted clutter is the biggest obstacle when it comes to sprucing up your garden; throw away anything that’s been ruined by the effects of winter, such as discoloured fabrics or broken furniture. You should also look to tidy up the existing garden features. Examples include giving your (unbroken) garden furniture a wash with hot soapy water and polishing any wooden features as well. It may also be worth trimming your borders if they turned into a messy state over winter. 

Create custom gardening markers

Instead of just sticking a piece labelled cardboard in your soil to know what you’re growing, why not create your own which blend in to the surroundings better? You could use flat rocks which can be found outdoors and label them with a permanent marker, or pieces of wood and do the same.

Fight pests with coffee

The human race is wired on coffee, but did you know it’s a great way to deter pests? It might sound a little strange, but simply scattering coffee grounds across your soil will help fight away all unwanted guests that are eyeing up your plants; as a bonus it will also enrich your soil! If you don’t keep coffee in your home, other alternatives include fresh lemon and orange peel or a spray of citrus-scented fragrance.

Soap under nails

No one likes coming back in from a gardening session to find all the grit and grime that’s accrued under their nails. To prevent this, simply scrape your nails across a bar of soap beforehand; this will create a barrier against any dirt and will also make washing your hands afterwards a much easier task.

Wash glass with vinegar

If you have glass tables or windows, chances are they’ve built up a lot of dirt and muck over the winter months. You don’t need to invest in expensive and harmful chemicals to clean it; instead you can make your own glass-washing cleaning fluid just by mixing together water and white vinegar in a spray bottle. It’s also worth adding a few drops of dish water to the mixture if you’ve used pre-bought products on your glass before so it removes the residue that’s left behind.

Will you be following any of these tips this spring? Let us know on Twitter @haart_uk!