10 Simple Garden Hacks (Beginner to Pro)

We all love a handy hint, a thrifty tip, an inspirational idea, especially when they save us time, effort and money. Ben has quite a few tricks up his green sleeves and in this week's episode, he spills the beans as he shares some of his genius garden hacks.

For more ingenious hacks, watch these next:

Want to grow in straw bales?

If you love growing your own food, why not take a look at our online Garden Planner which is available from several major websites and seed suppliers:
and many more...

[catladycatlady]

I appreciate that after following you for YEARS, you haven't resorted to the clickbait junk many garden/YouTube channels do.🙌.
I see so many clickbait titles (10 things you have to stop doing etc with no details about content), or 20 minute videos with 10 minutes intro, 6 minutes of sales pitches, and a mere 3 minutes of information because they didn't think out their presentation.
YOU videos are ALWAYS quick, concise, helpful and interesting, and sometimes amusing too.
THANK YOU for what you do, & how you do it. Please don't change a thing.
I love your channel just the way it is and recommend it to others!
♥️♥️

[cherylhowker]

Thanks Ben, some we do already and some we can do…. Most definitely thinks to keep learning. 🙂

[yunusemresahin]

I do not even have a garden but hopefully one Love your videos!

[whatanitemare]

I seed whole swaths of things like Sweet William or California Poppy by putting the seed into spice shakers and then just shaking them over the area I've readied. I also harvest seed from these same plants every year and store the seed in the same lidded shakers. Saves a ton of time and stores really well.

[fareebug]

Your hack videos and the Millennial gardener's hack videos are some of the best hack garden videos!! I've learned so much from your channel.
Thank you for all the lovely information over the years!
My garden thanks you too! 🌱

[shelliehayden-sauer]

We recycle pill bottles. Especially the ones from the pharmacy

[jaytoney]

I just planted garlic cloves the other day. My Purple Top Turnip, Tokinashi Tunip, and golden beetroot seeds are sprouting. I have assorted lettuces, Nagasaki Cabbage, Pak Choi, and turnips ready to harvest, and I am still harvesting peppers and Seascape strawberries. The temperature finally cooled down to season normal temperatures here in Sylacauga Alabama, but it is on the rise again. Yesterday's high temperature was 81F (27C). Average first frost is in ten days, but no sign of frost in the fore cast. The deer aren't invading the garden and nibling away at my peppers—strange.

[jessicawalker]

Your tips & the graden planner have been Incredibly helpful! Thank you!

[artistlovepeace]

Thank U Ben. I'm commenting from MN. Our fall is shortly ending. You are a big influence to me gardening in the backyard. I love that you are honest. I love that you are truthful and advocate by showing real life gardening. I love your dog too. Science will always win.

[cat]

GREAT ideas Ben!!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I always look for ways to recycle ♻️ plastic especially. I love the ideas for the tic-tack seed storage. Thank you so much for your happy, positive and genuine energy. You’re like our garden cheerleader 😂. We love your videos.

[meagera]

I grow my carrots and parsnips in barrels and use a fine mesh drawstring waterbarrel net ( the kind used to stop leaves or small animals falling in) to stop carrot fly, used this for some years and never had any problems with carrot fly damage. Another thing that can be used for smaller pots is a mosquito head net 😊🥕

[Tommyr]

I save and use medicine pill containers for seeds. Also small coin envelopes.

[lorilumax]

I colect water in my rain buckets when they are getting low by filling with my garden hose.. but I also sometimes put weeds in the bucket to add some nutrition for the plants... sometimes I add spent coffee grounds too.. and maybe a pinch of fertiliser too .. maybe a bit of vinegar in a big bucket too.. the vinegar seems to help the roots grow.. ? the plants love it.. I'm from Saskatchewan, Canada btw.. I have been using the coffee filter trick for years now.. If I save my grounds for the garden... I often have used dry filters to use

[markhoward]

Great tips as usual. Idea for another tips video is can you do a top tips for stolen hairbands? 😂

[DownButNotOutYet]

Good morning Ben, so nice to share your gardening ideas and your enthusiasm is really contagious! Never knew I could use expired milk in the garden, makes sense really. We do not often have milk but when it happens again, better in the soil than down the outside drain. Thank you for sharing your garden tips, much appreciated. Have a peaceful Sunday today, kind regards.

[haikufarm]

Instead of using plastic water bottles as underground water helpers, I use terracotta pots. I cover the drain hole at the bottom with a coin (US $.50 or CAD $1 is the right size) caulked in place. Bury to the rim next to plants (especially tomatoes), and fill with water. The clay gradually seeps the water out into surrounding soil over a couple of days. Cover with a pot saucer to keep water from evaporating and keep small animals from falling in. Cheap and re-usable over many years, and best of all, NO PLASTIC.

For storing seeds, I followed the example of the local seed library, which repurposed a huge vintage oak card catalog cabinet to store and display seed packets for people to use. I bought a vintage 4-drawer card catalog online. It's pretty and practical--I even alphabetize the seed packets!

[peppermann]

Knowledgeable enthusiastic and humble. Ben, the perfect presenter. 😊👍❤️

[Oktopia]

We're coming up on Christmas. Last year I went around to surprised but gratified townies and dragged their trees into my garden. There, I removed the branches and kept them for use on top of beds for winter protection, but also in the bottom of raised beds as bottom filler and to keep my grow bags nice and dry. The stem of the tree is used as sides for beds or support for climbing plants. It's a free resource and most folks are happy to have you get it off their hands.

[bewoodford]

Interesting about the flour, but does it attract rodents to my garden? Brilliant hacks. Thank you Ben 😀

[Br]

Or if you have some old kitchen sponges, dont throw them away, using them in place of the coffee filter.