76. Build A Trellis Out Of PVC Pipes
Materials Needed: Twine, PVC pipes or pruned limbs from a tree
Cost to Make: $20*
It’s common knowledge that beans and cucumbers fare better when they have a trellis to support them as they grow. Trellises can be expensive to buy (they cost between $30 and $40 at Home Depot), but you can make one on your own property without spending one cent.
Build A Trellis Out Of PVC Pipes @kuhn4725 / Pinterest
First, prune limbs from a tree or use materials like PVC pipes or saplings. Lay the limbs in a grid or ladder shape and tie them where they cross with a sturdy piece of twine. Not only will this create a cheap trellis for your plants, it’ll also cut down on yard waste.
77. Crochet Baskets for Your Garden Produce
Materials Needed: Crochet materials
Cost to Make: $15-$20*
If you like to crochet and garden, this is definitely the tip for you. You can crochet little baskets, such as the one in this photo, to hold watermelons and other produce up on the vine. This crochet hack is especially handy if you are growing plants in containers or another small space.
Crochet Baskets for Your Garden Produce @vanessacrafting / Pinterest
Crocheting a little produce basket will also help keep heavier plants from rotting at the bottom, a common ailment when they’re sitting in the same spot in damp soil. A plant basket might be just the thing that your fruits and veggies need to grow perfectly.
78. Use Irish Spring To Repel Deer
Materials Needed: Irish Spring, cheese grater
Cost to Make: $15*
Deer love eating peoples’ plants, but they’re not too keen on the smell of soap. Irish Spring has one of the strongest smells around. Some people love it, while others prefer unscented. If you’re looking to get rid of deer, try picking up a bar at your local drugstore.
Use Irish Spring To Repel Deer @navajopa31 / Youtube.com
Take a cheese grater and grate the soap into slivers, so that you can scatter it in your garden, flowerbeds, or whatever else deer are eating. Deer won’t approach your garden anymore, as the smell will ward them off. Reapply the Irish Spring every few weeks to keep the smell strong and fresh.
79. Make A Hidden Fort Out Of Beanstalks
Materials Needed: Bamboo/wooden poles, twine or string, soil, pole bean seeds, climbing flower seeds
Cost to Make: $50*
If you’re feeling daring and want to grow an all-natural fort for your kids to play in, consider making one out of beanstalks. This teepee fort took a while to grow, but it appears to be worth it, as not only can the kids get some shade, you can also get free beans from your garden.
Make A Hidden Fort Out Of Bean Stalks @anamarapucchere / Pinterest
Courtesy of Artful Parent, you’ll need bamboo or wooden poles that are six to ten feet tall, twine or string, soil (if necessary), pole bean seeds like Kentucky Wonder, and climbing flower seeds if you want a pop of color. Set up the poles in a teepee structure, and plant your bean seeds one inch deep and three inches apart. Cover with soil, water them well, pat the soil down firmly, and wait for them to grow.
80. Regrow Lettuce From Scraps
Materials Needed: Lettuce stems
Cost to Make: $1-$2 per stalk*
Lettuce not only is healthy and great in salads, it is also very easy to grow. If you don’t feel like spending a few bucks on lettuce at the store, just re-grow it using the stems. Before you eat your store-bought lettuce, cut the leaves an inch from the bottom.
Regrow Lettuce From Scraps @diythrill / Pinterest
Then, place those remaining stems into a dish of shallow water. The water should be around a half-inch deep. Then, place the stems under grow lights, if you don’t have a windowsill available. Change the water every one or two days, and watch the lettuce grow. Repeat the process continually to have consistent lettuce.
81. Compost Kitchen Scraps
Materials Needed: Food scraps (greens) and carbon-rich materials (browns)
Cost to Make: $0*
Contrary to popular belief, just food scraps won’t actually make compost. Compost is an organic material that you can make and add to soil. It helps plants grow more efficiently and healthily. Kitchen scraps can be recycled into compost, but you have to include both browns and greens.
Make A Homemade Bird Treat @feminahu / Pinterest
Greens are food scraps and kitchen waste, while browns are carbon-rich materials. Browns can include straws, sawdust, tiny wood chips, or dead leaves. From your kitchen, toss things like vegetables, fruit, dairy products, bread, grains, coffee filters, unbleached napkins, meats, eggshells, and newspapers into your bin. It will likely take a few weeks to compost, depending on the materials used and how big the pile is.
82. Make Homemade Bird Treats
Materials Needed: Birdseed, oats, whole wheat flour, honey, water, millet
Cost to Make: $15-$20*
Birds love delicious treats, and, if you have some time on your hands, don’t be afraid to make them yourself. These treats take just a few minutes, and your feathered friends will thank you for them. You’ll need whole wheat flour (it contains more nutrients), birdseed, honey, millet, water, and oats.
Make A Homemade Bird Treat @midnightstars77 / Pinterest
Mix two tablespoons of birdseed, two tablespoons of oats, and one tablespoon of flour. Then, add your millet and start mixing. Add half a teaspoon of water and mix again. Add one tablespoon of honey, and incorporate that fully until the mix is like a dough that’s easy to work with and not overly-sticky. Roll the dough into small bowls, place them on a baking sheet, and bake them for thirty minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. When you pull them out, let them cool before putting them in your birdfeeder.
83. Place Old Sponges In Planters to Avoid Soil Leaks
Materials Needed: Old sponge, scissors
Cost to Make: $5*
Planters leaking is a common problem, along with what to do with old sponges. If you want to avoid soil leaks in planters, you can solve two problems at one time. Take your old sponge and thoroughly rinse it, getting rid of any soap residue.
Place Old Sponges In Planters to Avoid Soil Leaks @family_handyman / Pinterest
Cut the sponge to fit over the holes of the planter, and then cover them with potting soil and plant as normal. Other ways to prevent planters from leaking include using pieces of broken pottery or squares of mesh. You can also put a folded newspaper or paper coffee filter over the hole.
84. Clean Your Brush And Use Your Hair To Deter Pests
Materials Needed: Unwashed human hair
Cost to Make: $0*
If you’re thinking of a way to deter garden pests, here’s a hack you might not have tried. Go to your hairbrush and remove any hair that might be tangled in the spokes. Hair is a deterrent to animals like deer, rabbits, rodents, and snails.
Clean Your Brush And Use Your Hair To Deter Pests ©Daniel Di Nardo / Shutterstock.com
It has to be human hair, so don’t think you can give your dog or cat a brush and do the hack with their hair. Sprinkle your hair in your garden. You can also fill cheesecloth or nylon bags with the hair and hang them on posts or branches. Sorry to say, but unwashed hair works best for this hack.
85. Make Fertilizer Tea From Grass Clippings
Materials Needed: Large bucket, grass clippings, water
Cost to Make: $10*
This tea isn’t for you to drink, but for your plants. Fresh grass clippings are high in both potassium and nitrogen, two things that plants need. The next time you mow the lawn, don’t toss the clippings into a yard bag.
Make Fertilizer Tea From Glass Clippings @mordenfarmerus / Pinterest
Instead, gather them up, fill a bucket two-thirds of the way full of them, and add water. Let this “tea” steep for three days, stirring it daily. Apply the tea to your plants when they need a jolt, but don’t give them the tea more than every couple weeks, or you’ll risk giving them too many vitamins.
86. Make Yourself A Milk Jug Watering Can
Materials Needed: Clean empty milk jug, drill or sharp knife
Cost to Make: $3.68 per jug*
If you’ve misplaced your watering can, check your recyclables before you run off to the store and buy another one. It’s easy to use what you have around the house. An old milk jug works well for this hack. Just make sure it’s clean and free of any dairy residue before you use it.
Make A Milk Jug Watering Can @HelenDCronin / Pinterest
After you rinse out the jug, drill some holes into the cap. You might be able to do this with a sharp knife as well. Then, fill the jug with water and pour. It’ll work as a DIY watering can, even though, eventually, you’ll have to buy something sturdier.
87. Make A Raised Garden Bed With Cinder Blocks
Materials Needed: Cinder blocks, soil, tape measure, cardboard/newspaper (optional)
Cost to Make: $50-$75*
Raised gardens are all the rage in gardening. They’re stylish ways to grow your favorite plants, and they’re cheap and easy to make. If you have some old cinder blocks lying around, you’re halfway there. Even if you don’t already have them, these blocks are usually just one dollar each at your local home improvement store.
Make A Raised Garden Bed With Cinderblocks @amaurialfredo / Pinterest
For this hack, you’ll need concrete cinder blocks (measure the area first so you know how many you’ll need), soil, and a tape measure. Just arrange the cinder blocks into a raised garden shape and then get to planting. You might want to use thick cardboard or newspaper as the base, if you’re putting your raised garden on the grass.
88. Use Wine Corks As Cute Garden Tags
Materials Needed: Wine corks, wooden dowels, markers, clear polyurethane paint
Cost to Make: $10-$20*
If you’re a fan of wine and gardening (who isn’t?), then this hack is right up your alley, as it combines both of those favorite hobbies. Garden markers are important because they let you know which plant is which. You can upcycle old wine corks and turn them into plant markers with just a few materials.
Use Wine Corks As Cute Garden Tags @homebncdecorideas / Pinterest
You’ll need wine corks, a poker, wooden dowels, markers, and clear polyurethane paint. Drill a hole into the base of the wine corks and insert the dowels. Then, write the names of your plant onto the corks and paint the entire marker with polyurethane to protect against the elements. Plant your garden cork markers, and admire your handiwork.
89. Peony Stems Can Keep In The Fridge For Months Before Blooming
Materials Needed: Peony stems, ziploc bag
Cost to Make: $15*
Peonies are a lot of peoples’ favorite flowers. These colorful blooms are always in demand, particularly around Mother’s Day, and they’re popular because they’re beautiful and have a long shelf life. These perennials consist of thirty-three known species.
Peony Stems Can Keep In The Fridge For Months Before Blooming ©Serhii Brovko / Shutterstock.com
Depending on which variety you have, you can make them last for weeks or even months. If you cut peony stems, store them in the refrigerator while they’re dry. Cut peonies when they’re budding but haven’t bloomed, meaning that the buds are beginning to loosen (but they’re not too loose). Store them in a large Ziploc bag. Keeping them dry and cool is the key; otherwise, they might mold.
90. Add Rocks To A Water Dish So Butterflies Don’t Drown
Materials Needed: Rocks or pebbles
Cost to Make: $4-$6 per bag*
If you want to make a waterer for bees and butterflies, that’s great! However, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure that your waterer is safe. Though butterflies can fly, they cannot swim, so you want to make sure they have a place to land.
Add Rocks To A Water Dish So Butterflies Dont Drown @rachel3vino / Pinterest
Add rocks or colored pebbles, like the kind you buy at a craft store, and pour the bag into a shallow, wide container. Fill the container with a few ounces of water, but not so much that you risk the bees and butterflies drowning. The pebbles will give the bugs a place to land.