Who says it's too early to start thinking about your garden this spring? Whether you have a lot of space or just a little window box, you can make something amazing grow this year. We've got a couple of hacks for you -- check them out below.
1. Use coffee grounds as fertilizer
When you're finished with your coffee, save the grounds! Your plants like them just as much as you liked your cup of joe. This is a great way to reuse grounds if you're a big coffee drinker.
2. Put sponges on the bottom of plant pots
Don't let water sit on the bottom of the pot -- it could rot away the roots of your plants. Adding sponges will help keep the soil airy and prevent water from sitting on the roots.
3. Turn a milk jug into a watering can
Want to keep a whole gallon of water ready to go in your garden? Just remove the cap from a milk jug and carefully piece it with holes. Fill it with water, and you've got a brand new watering can!
4. Or recycle a to-go coffee cup
Don't throw away that cup with a lid! Wash it out instead, and then you've got a mini watering can with a handy spout that you can use to easy water your indoor plants or window boxes.
5. Add a few forks to your outdoor garden
If cats, birds, or other critters are trying to eat up your hard-won plants, stick some plastic forks in the soil around your garden with the tines facing up. This will deter the unwanted guests without harming your plants!
6. Keep soil where it belongs with a coffee filter
If you're planting things in a terra cotta or ceramic planter, you want your soil to stay inside but the excess water to leave through the hole in the bottom. Lining the pot with a coffee filter will allow that water to drain without taking any soil along.
7. Seeds can get started in all kinds of things
Some extra nutrition goes a long way when you're a seed getting ready to sprout! Start seeds in eggshells or citrus fruit rinds and then replant them in your window box or raised bed when they begin to bud.
8. Replant like a pro
Pulling new plants that you bought at the garden store out of their flimsy plastic pots can be tricky -- you don't want to yank too hard and pull them apart! Instead, use a knife or scissors to carefully cut down the sides, leaving an intact plant that's ready to be repotted.
9. Don't waste water!
Did you wash potatoes or carrots off? Don't let that water go down the drain! Designate it for watering your garden, and your plants -- and the planet -- will thank you for doing so.
10. Protect seedlings under terra cotta pots
Maryland is known for having wacky weather, so things may suddenly get chilly again after your plants have started to grow. If the forecast is looking cold, put terra cotta pots over your seedlings to protect them from the wind and cold.
