For example, everyday household items or some great time-saving tricks will help take care of your plants without costing anything in supplies!
21 Surprising Uses for Your Home’s Everyday Items in the Garden
MILK CARTONS
Give your empty milk cartons a quick rinse and put them to work! They can be used as upside down planters, seed starters or bird feeders.
If you need to dust diatomaceous earth around the garden for pest control simply poke holes in the cap of any dry ones before shaking out all of its powdery goodness onto affected areas.
NEWSPAPERS OR CARDBOARD
Paper is the perfect material for an organic weed killer or natural mulch. Simply lay newspapers around your plants and they will soon start choking out weeds, leaving earthworm activity in its place!
This method also works well on grass – just make sure you wait one month before moving them onto other surfaces like cardboard sheets with ease.
To take things a step further consider adding newspaper into compost to eliminate unwanted smells while simultaneously providing nutrients that are enriching soil quality.
FORKS AND SPOONS
Investing in new cutlery is always a good idea, but don’t forget the old ones! Forks can be stuck among flower beds to deter pests and spoons turned into vintage plant markers.
And both will come in handy when you want dig around plants’ roots for delicately-trodden ground that may not yet have been fully established by nature – especially if it’s sandy soil or mineral rich dirt found outside your home or garden area.
VINEGAR
Vinegar is an all-rounder in the home and garden. It can be used to remove rust from gardening tools, add shine to dull plastic patio furniture, kill weeds on sidewalks or patios without using harsh chemicals like trichlorphenol (a type of weed killer).
In addition vinegar also has uses for cleaning, like getting rid of berry stains from your hands after you’ve spend a good amount of time harvesting them, or it can help cut flowers last longer if you add 1 spoon of vinegar into their water.
EGG CARTONS
Egg cartons are an easy and eco-friendly way to start your seeds. The best part about them? They’re free!
WINE BOTTLES
Upcycle old wine bottles in the backyard by transforming them into a flower bed border or bird feeder – and 20 fantastic outdoor décor ideas!
Do you want plants that require constant care, but don’t have time for watering? Make automatic waterers out of empty bottles.
Not only can these be used anywhere from containers to large beds, but they blend perfectly with landscape design because green or brown glass blends so well against other leaves on trees (or bushes).
BAKING SODA
Baking soda is a fantastic home remedy for getting rid fungus from your favorite flowers and shrubs.
It’s easy to use it too, just mix three tablespoons with warm water in a gallon container then spray onto the infected area once each week!
PLASTIC BAGS
Re-using your plastic shopping bag is the best way to keep pests away from fruit on trees and protect shoes when you go outdoors.
You can even use it as an apron, protecting clothes in between uses!
STOCKINGS
Using nylon stockings for tying tomato vines, tall plants or young trees to a stake is an excellent choice.
They won’t damage the stem and will expand with growth as needed! Store onions in old nylons too- they’re breathable but durable enough so that you can help them stay fresh longer while preventing wilting from occurring naturally before its time.
PENNIES
If you have old pennies or foreign copper coins lying around, it is time to put them to use.
Copper plants are known for their anti-fungal properties and can keep your garden free of fungal infections by strategically burying a few in various parts throughout the landscape!
ESSENTIAL OILS
There are many ways to use essential oils. Some people enjoy applying them directly onto their skin, while others prefer diffusing the natural aroma through fabric or using a vaporizer pen for an all-around better experience!
The possibilities with these amazing substances seem endless: from attracting pollinators in your garden (they even make great bug repellents!) as well deterring vermin such pests and fungus; it’s been scientifically proven that certain types can kill off infections on humans too–so keep some in handy!
GLASS JARS
Forget relegating your empty glass jars to the recycling heap – they can be used in many different ways.
– You could use them as bird and butterfly feeders, planters or candles; and if that’s not enough for you creativity try using them into stunning outdoor dining centerpieces.
COFFEE GROUNDS
Coffee grounds are an amazing natural resource for landscaping. They can be used as earthworm food, to kill microbes in the soil and nourish acid-loving plants; they even change color when mixed with sodium nitrate (a commodity that helps create pink hydrangeas!).
Give your garden some extra love this year by using these fascinating items!
ALUMINUM FOIL
Aluminium foil can be recycled, but many programs won’t accept it as food waste may still remain on the surface. If that’s the case in your area put used aluminum along with other recyclables to work for you!
Protect fruit trees from birds by twisting strips of this material around branches – reflecting light and making a noise will both keep them away while also deterring some animals such at deer who eat these tender plantlife items when they come looking for leftovers.
The best way to keep deer, mice and rabbits away from your plants is by wrapping them in aluminum foil. This will stop the pests from feeding on these greenery as well!
SPICES
Certain spices, like chili powder and cayenne pepper can be fantastically effective pesticides.
Just sprinkle the powder around your garden or mix it with water in a spray bottle to apply pests-free plants!
SHOES
Worn out shoes make for brilliant bird feeders! Any type of shoe also works as a quirky and stylish planter, whether it’s old leather boots or spiky new stilettos.
EPSOM SALT
Think of the Epsom salt bath as an investment in your home. Not only does it have health and beauty benefits, but this magnesium-rich muscle relaxer can also be used outside to inhibit weeds from growing thanks for its weed killer properties!
Gardeners should keep an epsom salts handy if they want their flowers (or vegetables) last longer–and even better than that? You’ll get higher germination rates when planting seeds with some help from this natural salt too.
TEA
A strong brew is a great way to water acid-loving plants, speed up the breakdown of compost and nourish rosebushes.
Open used teabags with damp leaves around your plant’s base for fertilizing soil as well keeping mice away!
PLASTIC CONTAINERS
If you’re looking for a way to store your small tools, plant markers and seed packets, or if you want an easy-to-clean container that can be used as the starting point of new plants in case there are pests on them, then consider using old yogurt pots.
You could also put these under each chair at your picnic with friends so when they sit down they won’t have ants crawling up their leg!
EGG SHELLS
If you happen to have eggs in the fridge, don’t throw away those shell pieces! The nutrient rich eggshells are perfect for gardens and can be used as a deterrent against pests.
They also make great fertilizers with their high calcium content (just add some lime). You’ll be surprised how many uses there really are when it comes down these little miracles from nature called “bone meal.”
PLASTIC BOTTLES
Get creative with your plastics! Use them to make an A-frame greenhouse, bird feeder or mosquito trap.