No one wants mosquitoes hanging around their garden. No one says, “Hey, let’s set up these plants so we attract as many of those little bloodsuckers as possible!” Quite the opposite, in fact. But so many mosquito repellants rely on chemicals to deter the itchy little bastards. Luckily, there’s a way to keep them away from your garden without spending too much money or risking your health.
If you haven’t noticed when you’re buying candles or sprays that are anti-mosquito, one of the main ingredients is usually citronella – which is one of the reasons why this hack works so brilliantly! This particular grouping of plants is enough to keep the bugs away on their own – no spray needed. All you need to do is plant some citronella geranium with marigold, lemongrass, thyme, and catnip. Bonus: your cats will love you for planting catnip – seriously.
Adorable DIY Hanging Storage
This hack requires a bit more muscle than some of the others on this list, and you’ll need some tools, too, including a shipping pallet, a hammer and some nails. Grab the shipping pallet and figure out where you want to hang it. Then, using a sharpie, mark the spaces on the wall where you’re going to hang your nails. Use your hammer to insert the nails and hang the pallet on the wall. Voilà, a rustic DIY storage unit!
The more rustic the colors, the better, but if for some reason you aren’t happy with the way your pallet looks you can always paint it before hanging it up. Just be sure to let it dry completely as to avoid getting any unwanted paint on your wall. Now, hang all of your tools on your new storage unit for easy access!
A Plastic Fork A Day Keeps the Critters Away
Okay, so maybe it takes a bunch of plastic forks, and there’s no guarantee that they’ll actually keep critters out of your garden, but some people still insist it works for smaller pests. The thing about inserting a bunch of plastic forks upside down in the ground in your front lawn is this: it looks tacky AF. But hey, if you’re determined to try anything to keep the pests from crawling around in your plants, you can give it a shot!
If you think about it, the forks actually do make some sense. After all, they serve the same purpose as chicken wire – to deter and block pests from certain areas. They won’t keep everything away, but they’ll make it less likely for snails and some animals from treading on your garden. And let’s be honest, who doesn’t have a drawer full of extra forks from takeout restaurants just rearing to go for this project?
The Cinnamon Garden Challenge
Everyone should have cinnamon laying around the house. After all, you can do so much with it; make cinnamon sugar toast, sprinkle it on your coffee, put it in your oatmeal – heck, you can even cook chicken with cinnamon. But it isn’t just yummy, it’s also good for you, and – it’s good for your garden, too. Cinnamon’s anti-fungal properties protect your plants from several types of plant diseases, along with pests, such as ants and wild mushrooms.
Is it too late for your plants? Are they already wounded? Fear not, because not only is cinnamon good at protecting them, it’s also good at healing them! If your poor plants have been injured, sprinkle some of this magic red dust on them and watch the healing commence!
Make a Hammock for Your Melons
Yes, you did read that right. Considering how heavy watermelons grow to become, this tip keeps them from breaking off of their vines before they’re ready to consume. To implement this gardening hack, all you’ll need is a couple of old sheets, towels or t-shirts.
Slip the material under the melons and tie the ends to the sturdiest part of the vines, or the nearest tree or post. Bonus points if you use material that matches and makes your garden look even more beautiful! But hey, this trick is more about making sure that your melons grow to their full, juicy potential and less about how it looks getting them there.