Whether you’re a green-fingered grower or stricken with black thumb, we can all use a little helping hand in the garden from time to time, and these age-old tips have been tried and tested across the decades. Handed down from our grandparents’ generation, we’ve rounded up the best hacks for planting, pruning and pest control to help you create a beautiful, blooming outside space. Click or scroll for more…
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Use plant markers
Whether you are planting bulbs or creating a delicious herb garden, it can be hard to differentiate your flowers and plants once they’re in the soil. Stay organised just like Grandma by sticking plant markers into the soil by each plant species. Whether you choose reusable shop-bought ones or make your own with biodegradable lolly sticks, they’ll be a godsend when it comes to reading up on plant care or keeping track.
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Get creative with containers
Our grandparents knew a thing or two about saving money. Instead of shelling out on expensive planters, get creative and invent your own containers by upcycling household items such as cracked sinks or bathtubs, broken birdbaths and more. Check out selling sites for bargains or shop your home. Remember to add drainage holes or substrate.
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Pull weeds early
Keeping on top of weeding is the most efficient way to protect your garden from dreaded weeds. Don’t wait for them to seed and bury deep into the ground. It’s safe to say not many of us like the chore of pulling weeds, but dealing with them early, like Grandma, is the way to do it.
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Time for tea
Our savvy grandparents knew the benefits of using traditional tea in the garden, but did you know that chamomile teabags are a source of seeds, prime for using in the garden? All you need to do is split open the bag and rub the contents between your hands to release the seeds. Scatter over soil and you should have a blanket of chamomile flowers in two to three months.
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Garden with the weather
Gardeners of old had to keep a close eye on the weather, and you should do the same. If you’re going to fertilise or add compost, it’s best to do it on a day when there isn’t any rain forecasted. Rain can wash the fertiliser away before it’s had the chance to become part of the soil. It’s also best to do planting on overcast days without a lot of wind.
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Plant vegetables in intervals
To help space out produce throughout the year, the generations before us would sow seeds in intervals. Also known as succession planting, this is a simple method that’s been around for centuries. Sow seeds roughly 14 days apart to maximise garden space, optimise quality and guarantee yourself a constant stream of harvestable goods. Plus, everything won’t be ready all at once, so they’ll be no need to freeze mountains of berries or give away bucket-loads of carrots!
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Lay straw to protect delicate fruit
If you remember your grandma laying straw beneath her berries, it was for a very practical reason. Delicate fruits can easily be damaged by soil and flooding, but by adding straw to the top layer of soil, you can stop them from dangling on the ground. Barley straw is ideal for this since it’s soft and easy to work with. This mulch layer will also protect certain plants from frostbite in cold weather and will hinder any bugs that attempt to climb onto the fruit. What a nifty gardening hack!
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Always cut the grass when it’s dry
Our grandparents knew that the best time to mow the grass is when it’s dry. When grass is wet it becomes weighed down, causing the blades to bend and skew, making it incredibly difficult to achieve a straight and even lawn. Wet grass also tends to clump, which can clog your lawnmower, while lingering water on your machine’s blades will quickly lead to rust.
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Create your own compost
A time-honoured garden hack, there are endless benefits to homegrown fertiliser. By recycling your food scraps you’ll reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills and limit the money you need to spend on plant food and water. Homemade compost is completely free and feeds the soil with much-needed nutrients. Find a warm, dark spot for your compost bin, fill it with old leaves, lawn mowings and fruit and veg waste, then wait 12 to 18 months until it’s ready to use.
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Add mulch to your soil in summer
Every seasoned gardener swears by this method. Adding a layer of mulch to your flowerbeds and pot plants has several benefits depending on the type you use. Biodegradable mulch, such as wood chippings or bark, can improve the nutrients in the soil, while other options, such as gravel and slate shards, aid with moisture retention and protect plants against extreme weather. Mulch can also prevent weeds from growing and gives your flowerbeds a neat finish.
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Create a DIY scarecrow
Anyone with lots of flowers or fruit trees in their garden will know how much of a headache birds can be – and our grandparents knew it too. They’re known to peck at petals and will eat every berry they find given half the chance. You may recall your grandma placing aluminium trays or strips of tin foil in the garden. Light reflects off the metal, dazzling the birds and frightening them away. Old CDs work perfectly for this and can be easily hung around the garden with twine.
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Control climbing plants with ties
Did your grandma use twine or bamboo canes to control her climbing plants? This method trains plants to grow in a certain direction, making for a happy and healthy shrub that’s far easier to prune. When controlling your climbers, be sure to leave a gap between the plant and the wall or trellis to ensure that rainwater can reach the roots and they have enough room to develop. Loosely tie the stems to your chosen support (string, twine or cable ties work) to give them space to grow and manoeuvre.
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Thin your fruit trees to boost your crop
Trees are extremely clever and naturally produce an excess crop. Some carry out an annual shedding, known as the June drop, but some trees, including types of apple, pear, plum and nectarine, may require a manual shed. Thinning removes the weakest fruits, allowing sunlight to penetrate branches for even ripening. This process should take place between late June and mid-July, removing any fruits that are misshapen, leaving one per cluster, resulting in a harvest of perfectly matured fruits – enough to feed the whole family!
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Swap cuttings with friends to get new plants
Many may remember their grandparents coming home with plant cuttings from neighbours and friends. Also known as propagation, you can simply snip a piece from an established plant, such as lavender or rosemary, and grow a new plant from it. There are various methods, but one effective way is to take a cutting just below the leaf node – the point where leaves appear on the stem – then place the stems in water. Leave in a bright place to take root for a few weeks, then pot with peat-free compost.
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The importance of plant companionship
While some plants compete with one another, others are friends that help each other out in truly amazing ways. Your grandma probably knew which plants worked well together and that placing certain species side by side can encourage growth, attract pollinators and deter unwanted pests. For example, lavender makes a great companion for leeks, while thyme will help you grow beautiful roses by keeping blackfly away.
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Remove deadheads for better flowers
It might seem obvious, but deadheading is one of the most fundamental ways to achieve a healthy garden. You may remember your grandmother taking a pair of secateurs to her roses and this is exactly why. Removing wilted flowers takes moments but helps to maintain the appearance and vitality of your plants. It also encourages new flowers to bloom since the plant can focus its energy and resources on healthy buds, plus it helps keeps foliage free of common garden diseases.
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Make your own fertiliser from banana peels
If you’re keen to make your own compost, then be sure you put your banana skins to one side. Filled with amazing minerals, including calcium, magnesium and potassium, banana peel can enrich your soil and give your plants a much-needed boost. Chop the skins up to release as many minerals as possible, place them in an airtight jar and cover with water. Leave the peels to soak for about a week, until you have a rich brown liquid. Pour over your soil and watch your plants thrive.
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Soak your seeds to speed up germination
Growing plants and vegetables from seeds can take weeks if not months, but crafty gardeners have come up with time-saving methods to speed up the process. Most seeds only need heat and moisture to germinate, so place your seeds in a jar with water up to 24 hours before planting. Keep them damp and warm – you shouldn’t typically leave them for more than a day. This should be enough to encourage the germination process. You can also place them in an airing cupboard the night before sowing.
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Water plants at night in the summer
If you water your garden at the peak of the sun’s heat in summer, your plants will likely become dehydrated. Our grandparents knew that the best time to water the garden during the hotter months is at night. This gives plants enough time to absorb the water before the sun rises again in the morning, while the lower humidity at night reduces the risk of disease.
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Add crushed eggshells to your soil
Just like banana skins, eggshells harbour a surprising quantity of nutrients, including calcium, that can benefit your garden. Grind your eggshells down finely and sprinkle the fragments onto the soil. A layer of shell is also said to help deter many pests and moderate the soil’s acidity, resulting in happy and healthy crops.
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Rid your garden of slugs using beer
Slugs and snails cause endless damage to gardens, mainly by chewing their way through your vegetable patch. Yet there’s an old fashioned tip that could well keep these pests at bay. Place a container in the ground and fill it with beer – the slugs will be attracted to the yeast and fall into the trap. If you prefer, you could also use a sugar and bicarbonate of soda concoction.
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Don’t buy seeds, create your own
Did you know that you can grow a plant from a single seed? Every fruit and vegetable we eat starts life this way and everything from an avocado pit to the seeds found inside a pumpkin can be replanted. For the most part, scrape a handful of seeds from your chosen veggie, soak in water, then rinse and allow to dry for a week before storing in an airtight container. When you’re ready, add them to soil and keep them watered.
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Recycle your rainwater
You may have spotted tanks of water sitting in your grandparents’ garden. Rainwater harvesting is a fantastic free resource for gardeners and it has multiple benefits. As well as reducing your water bills, collecting and reusing rainwater in your garden is fantastic for the environment and ensures your plants will never go thirsty, even during a drought. Today, you can buy purpose-made water butts, but back in the day it’s likely your grandma used old buckets or even a bathtub!
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Recycle your old floral bouquets
Just as you can grow a brand new plant from a cutting, you can also grow new flowers from old floral bouquets. Instead of throwing wilting flowers away, cut the stem just below the leaf node. Cover with a bag at first and keep hydrated while the stem roots down, then plant the stem in your garden. This will work for everything from roses to daffodils – they look best when planted in groups.
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Create a feast for pollinators
While you’ll want to ward some critters away, there’s nothing better than a garden that’s rich in wildlife. Take a leaf out of your grandparents’ book and encourage pollinators like bees and butterflies to visit your plot by curating a wonderland of strongly scented plants such as lavender and rosemary. Other scented plants also repel creatures that are bad for the garden. For example, coriander and garlic deter aphids, while marigolds repel greenfly.
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Don’t discard your coffee grounds
You may recall your grandad tipping his cold coffee over the plants – and with good reason. Coffee contains beneficial nutrients, such as phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen and magnesium. Coffee grounds can also improve drainage and water retention in the soil, plus they’re said to attract earthworms too.
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Protect and nurture your produce
While shiny objects and mulch may be enough to deter certain pests, others will find a way onto your plants. Over the decades, generations of families have turned to other means of protection. From handmade netting to plastic or fabric crop covers, your grandparents probably used this technique to shelter their produce from bugs. A lightweight, transparent cover will allow sunlight to reach the plants, while also protecting delicate crops from cold temperatures and excessive sunlight.
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But don’t coddle your tomatoes
Old garden wisdom says that despite your instincts you shouldn’t take too much care over your tomato plants. Leaving them to dry out a little between waterings will encourage the roots to grow deeper as they search for water and will create a strong plant overall.
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Make your own potting soil
As well as creating your own fertiliser, you can also make your own soil. Back in our grandparents’ day, before soil was packed in large plastic bags, gardeners simply made their own. A thrifty, budget-friendly idea, this technique can still be used today. A simple way to get started is to allow a pile of leaves and twigs to sit in the backyard all summer. To this, you can add peat moss, vermiculite, perlite and sand, which improve water and nutrient retention, leading to healthier crops.
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Look after your lawn
Even if you have a small garden, it’s important to care for your grass in the same way you care for your plants. Neglecting a lawn can lead to weed-riddled, patchy and dehydrated grass. It’s beneficial to feed your lawn in spring, summer and autumn with a specialist lawn treatment to ensure it stays healthy all year round. In the summer months, aim to water your lawn a few times a week and don’t forget to remove any weeds that crop up.
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Give your plants some space
It may sound obvious, but plants need space to grow. Grandma knew that overcrowding flowers and vegetables will never lead to a successful crop. Depending on the size and shape of your planting area, you may want to sow your seeds in a circle, a row, or a rectangle in order to maximise growing room. A finger-width apart is usually okay for small seeds, but do check the instructions on your seed packets.
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Invest in and maintain your tools
As the saying goes, we’re only as good as our tools. While it might be tempting to buy budget, investing in quality equipment is a time-honoured way to maintain a thriving garden. Start off with a basic kit of secateurs, gloves, a spade, rake, trowel and a cushioned pad for your knees. Add to your collection as and when you need and be sure to clean your tools regularly, keeping them indoors and away from the rain to prevent rust. Sometimes our elders do know best!
Love this? Check out these 33 thrifty homemaking tips we learned from Grandma
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