Home Gardening: Easier Weeding and Watering

Home gardening gives peace and helps you develop plants; it transforms a plot of land into a bustling area with veggies, vibrant flowers, and a quiet location for you. Even hardworking gardeners frequently feel unmotivated due to two difficult, continual tasks: removing weeds and adding water. Weeds continue to grow, and it might appear to be an ongoing battle of weeding. It depletes your vitality and frequently causes back pain. Watering plants with the right amount without wasting it is time-consuming and often involves guesswork. The process might result in either dry or very damp soil.

What if these necessary tasks become easier and more natural in your daily routine? This story contains important plans and novel methods for dealing with weeds, as well as instructions on how to water effectively. Using these helpful tips, you will spend less time on tiresome garden chores. You’ll have more time to enjoy the beauty and greenery in your outside space.

Low-maintenance perennial garden

When you start home gardening with a new perennial border, spread non-woven polypropylene black landscape fabric over the soil. The fabric keeps weeds under control, holds heat in cool spring weather (giving your plants a faster start), and lets water soak through to the roots.

Jill Star from the Lawn Starter said, “No matter what you call it, landscape fabric is often promoted as the solution to the bane of every gardener’s existence—weeds. Not only does it supposedly block unwanted weed growth, but best of all, you don’t have to worry about weeding for what seems like years.”

Buy a non-biodegradable fabric that weighs about three ounces per square yard (about $10 for a 3 x 25-ft. piece). Use U-shaped metal stakes to hold down the fabric.

Laundry Jug Watering Can

Instead of throwing away empty laundry detergent containers, rinse them thoroughly and then recycle them for watering plants. Drill 1/8-in. holes in the top of the cap and a 1/2-in. hole just above the handle to relieve pressure so the water flows freely.

Sprinkler Socket System

When home gardening, use a PVC pipe to hold sprinkler spikes. If you use spike-type sprinklers, try setting them in permanent sockets made from a one-inch PVC pipe. These sockets will make it a snap to move the sprinklers, and they’ll keep them upright and shooting water where you want it.

Weedy Tip

Use paper collars to identify plants in home gardening. When you sow seeds, it can be challenging to tell little weeds from the young sprouts. Cut cardboard tubes from toilet paper into one-third sections to encircle the seed and keep you from plucking out your young plants.

Additionally, Ann Marie Hendry of Grow Veg said, “When sowing in rows, mark the beginning and end of the row so you know exactly where to expect seedlings to appear. You can use whatever you like for this—plant labels, sticks, pebbles, bits of broken terracotta pot—anything, in fact, that won’t blow or wash away.”

Space-Saving Hose Storage

Use galvanized pipe to corral your hose. If you have a small yard, don’t waste precious real estate on a bulky hose reel. Pound a four-foot length of galvanized steel pipe into the ground, coil up to 50 feet of hose around it, and top the end with a nozzle that hooks into the pipe’s end.

Drive-By Weeding

Spray weeds as you mow. Attach a spray bottle of herbicide to your tractor or lawn mower so that when you’re mowing your lawn, you can spray weeds right when you see them for weed control on the fly.

Use hook-and-loop tape to hold the bottle. Attach the bottle of herbicide to your lawn tractor or mower with a hook-and-loop strip (like Velcro) in a spot where you can easily grab it. Plus, check out these ten handy lawn-mowing tips.

No-Trim Wall Border

Bury stones to make a mow strip. If you’re building a fence, a retaining wall, or a planter, set a course of protruding stones in the soil beneath it. That way, your mower can cut all the grass, no trimming by hand needed.

The stones should protrude about four inches from the wall and stand at least an inch above the soil so grass doesn’t creep over them. You will still have to pull out grass from between the stones occasionally.

Homemade Soaker Hose

A sprinkler isn’t always the most efficient way to water your plants, especially if you live in a hot, dry climate. Soaker hoses ensure that the plants get most of the water, and you don’t need to spend $25 at a garden center to get one.

Give your worn-out hoses a second life by converting them. Just plug the end of the hose with a round stick and perforate the hose with a sharp nail. You’ll get a free soaker hose and conserve water at the same time.

Ice Cube Trick

Tired of water draining too quickly through hanging baskets? Try ice cubes. They’ll melt slowly enough for the plants to absorb as much water as they need.

Spray Herbicides on Calm Days

Herbicide overspray can damage plants. Apply liquid herbicides only on calm, windless mornings. When the wind’s blowing, you’ll not only waste material but also possibly kill nearby shrubs and flowers.

FAQ

Do I need a big yard for gardening?

No, a large yard is not necessary for home gardening. Many vegetables, herbs, and flowers grow exceptionally well in containers on a patio, balcony, or doorstep. Techniques like vertical home gardening, where plants are grown upward on trellises or in wall-mounted pockets, can produce a large harvest in a very small footprint.

What’s the easiest thing to grow for beginners?

A beginner in home gardening should choose plants that grow quickly and have few difficulties. Leafy greens like lettuce and spinach are excellent options. Bush beans, zucchini, and radishes are all excellent options for quick growth. For herbs, mint, basil, and chives allow for a lot of learning. These plants not only offer a quick, useful crop but also foster confidence, yielding a fast and rewarding harvest, which helps build confidence for future home gardening projects.

About the Expert

Jill Star is a writer and editor at Lawn Starter, a website that offers lawn care and landscaping advice. Her work covers a wide range of themes, from lawn care to practical gardening advice for homeowners.

Ann Marie Hendry is a horticulture specialist who writes for Grow Veg, a popular garden planning program and online resource. She specializes in writing articles and producing films about organic vegetable gardening and practical growing practices.