Jon VanZile - Gardening Hacks: 300+ Time and Money Saving Hacks

Adams Media

An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

57 Littlefield Street

Avon, Massachusetts 02322

www.SimonandSchuster.com

Copyright 2021 by Simon & Schuster, Inc.

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Adams Media Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

First Adams Media trade paperback edition April 2021

ADAMS MEDIA and colophon are trademarks of Simon & Schuster.

For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Simon & Schuster Special Sales at 1-866-506-1949 or .

The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

Interior design by Julia Jacintho

Illustrations and Cover design by Alaya Howard

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBN 978-1-5072-1581-4

ISBN 978-1-5072-1582-1 (ebook)

Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book and Simon & Schuster, Inc., was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters.

Readers are urged to take all appropriate precautions before undertaking any how-to task. Always read and follow instructions and safety warnings for all tools and materials, and call in a professional if the task stretches your abilities too far. Although every effort has been made to provide the best possible information in this book, neither the publisher nor the author is responsible for accidents, injuries, or damage incurred as a result of tasks undertaken by readers. This book is not a substitute for professional services.

Always follow safety and commonsense cooking protocols while using kitchen utensils, operating ovens and stoves, and handling uncooked food. If children are assisting in the preparation of any recipe, they should always be supervised by an adult.

Do you struggle to keep houseplants alive? Want to expand your current garden to include a wider variety of plants? Or maybe youve scrolled through Pinterest boards of immaculate gardens or interiorscapes and felt inspired to re-create the look in your own home. Perhaps you long to eat your own homegrown vegetables or arrange a vase of flowers you grew from seed.

No matter what your gardening question is, Gardening Hacks is your answer! With more than three hundred simple hacks, this book is your garden gate to less work, less expense, and more creativity in your garden, whether youre maintaining a vast veggie patch outside or a few plants inside your apartment. Youll find tips for how to feed and water your plants, keep pests away, and simply make gardening easier. Youll also discover dozens of longer DIY projects that solve specific garden problems or offer new ways of doing old things. Interested in building a space-saving tower for strawberries, onions, or potatoes? Looking for the best way to produce healthy seedlings or directions on how to create a hanging moss ball? Want to learn more about the numerous ways you can transform old 2-liter bottles into everything from terrariums to hanging gardens to hydroponic watering systems? Gardening Hacks has you covered with simple, easy-to-understand instructions.

In addition to offering practical tips on how to save money and effort in your garden, Gardening Hacks also supports environmentally friendly gardening principles. Many of the hacks are focused on reducing chemical use, employing time-tested organic gardening principles, and working with your environment instead of against it to create beautiful, natural settings.

So, whether youre counting down the days to harvest or looking for ways to finally master houseplants, grab your spade and dig in.The garden is open.

If youre looking for time-saving ideas, money-saving tips, and tricks for avoiding common hassles in your garden, youve come to the right place. Packed with more than three hundred hacks, this book can help you do everything from planting seeds to building a vertical vegetable garden to interiorscaping your home.

The material is organized into five chapters, each covering specific topics:

• Seeds, seedlings, and cuttings
• Container gardening
• Outdoor gardening
• Indoor gardening
• Tools, pests, and harvesting

Throughout the book, youll find short and simple techniques that you can implement quickly, often with materials you already have around the house. Also included in each chapter are longer, DIY-style garden projects, which have been simplified so you can complete most in an afternoon. You might be surprised by how many ways you can use old 2-liter bottles in your garden, or the myriad uses for old newspaper and cardboard, glass bottles, old tires, extra building materials like cinder blocks or bricks, and even old appliances. Anything you dont have around the house should be available in a local garden center or big-box home-improvement store. This includes inexpensive materials like PVC, potting soil, fertilizer, all types of containers, garden tools, and almost anything else.

You can read the book from cover to cover, or browse and sample hacks here and there based on your interests and needs at any given moment. See what catches your imagination or sparks a new idea!

Here are a few tips to get the most from this book:

1. 1. Start with a general idea of what you want to work on. If youre looking for the most effective ways to sprout seeds for your spring garden, for example, focus on the hacks that will work with your growing environment and specific plants.
2. 2. Keep an open mind. Theres no single right way to do anything. This book is all about trying new things while making gardening easier, less expensive, and less strenuous, no matter how you do it. Even if youre an experienced gardener, you might find a new way to do something youve been doing for years, or perhaps a clever way to recycle materials you already have sitting around the house. If youre just starting out growing things, youll also be relieved to find that you dont need to know Latin to get the most from this book. The concepts and ideas presented here dont require an in-depth knowledge of horticultural concepts. The only limit is your imagination.
3. 3. Enjoy yourself! Gardening is a fun, relaxing experience, so make the most of it. Dont get bogged down with making things look perfect or worrying about that one seed that didnt sprout. Simply live in the moment and appreciate your connection to the earth and the many beautiful and nourishing forms it can take.

Happy gardening!

Chapter 1 SEEDS, SEEDLINGS, AND CUTTINGS