Save time and effort in reviving your garden with our easy gardening hacks for spring and beyond.

Prevent root rot by cutting up old sponges and lining them in the bottom of your plant pots. This will prevent water pooling at the pot’s bottom and drowning plants from overwatering.

When tidying up your garden and raking up lots of leaves or debris, try placing some tarp or an old bedsheet onto the ground (or below where you are pruning). Sweep or rake any stray leaves onto it and you’ll find all the debris gathered in one place. Simply gather the corners of the tarp together and transfer everything to your garden bin or compost heap this way.

Use vinegar as an easy way to get rid of weeds. Spray vinegar on the plants to drain moisture from the leaves and the weed will soon shrivel up and disappear. Just be careful to not spray over any plants you want to keep alive!

Save coffee grounds and add them to your soil – the rich nutrients such as nitrogen and potassium can work as another natural fertiliser. Make sure to do some research first, however, as some plants (like tomatoes!) don’t react well to coffee grounds.

Use cooking water as plant fertiliser. After boiling eggs, pasta or vegetables, wait for the water to cool and simply pour it on top of your plants for a natural fertiliser. 
If you haven’t pruned yet this year, hold onto any thin twigs. They can be used as pea sticks to support growing peas. They can also be placed in soil like small spikes to deter cats and dogs from digging in that area.

Use zip ties when growing vines. They’re an affordable option that helps your vines grow exactly where you want them to. Be sure you don’t strap them too tightly though – they need to be able to move and grow.

Use mineral oil and sand to keep your tools clean. Fill up a small bucket or pot with clean sand and stick your most-used tools into the sand. They’ll stay upright and easy to grab when you need them. Once you’ve finished, spray them with a quick coat of mineral oil and place them back in the sand. The combination of the sand and oil will keep them clean and stop them from going dull.

Whilst we don’t quite have the long daylight hours of summer yet, hopefully these tips can help you save a bit of time (and money) in the few hours we do have in the evenings. Use these easy tips as you tackle your garden this spring and the rest of the year too.