Give your tomatoes a boost with this tutorial.
Looking for vegetable gardening tips? This popular
YouTube video will teach you how to create a super starter fertilizer for your tomatoes. The ingredients are all common and affordable. You’ll notice some of the commenters complaining about the combined cost of the finished fertilizer mix, but keep in mind that this is a bulk batch for bulk tomato fertilizing. If you have an actual tomato farm, this makes sense, and might even save you money if it helps you to product a good crop. If not, just make a smaller batch! This will save you money!
Learn all there is to know about compost with a handy infographic.

Do you compost? If you don’t, this infographic will change your mind. As you’ll see, a single cubic yard of compost has an estimated worth of $562. That is what you would pay without it for fertilizer, organic matter, growth hormones for plants, and other gardening supplies. You’ll also learn the amazing benefits to the environment of using compost, which go far beyond your own garden. You’ll discover the optimum way to layer the ingredients in your compost bin, and finally you’ll get a quick guide which teaches you what you can and cannot compost. This is an incredible resource for a beginning gardener!
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: Fix
Find out if seeds are still good to plant.

If you have old seeds lying around that you’re thinking of planting, you don’t want to waste a lot of time if you’re not going to get them to grow. One easy way to check to make sure you are not wasting time is by using a wet paper towel. Place the wet paper towel somewhere warm, for example on top of your clothes dryer. Set a few seeds on top, and see what happens over the next few days. If you see sprouting, then go ahead and plant the batch! If you don’t, the window has probably passed. This is a great time saver, and it can be a cost saver too. You might be surprised which seeds are still good—some last for years!
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: Food52
Engrave stones for your garden.

Remember the painted river rocks that I shared with you earlier? Another great way to write on stones is to engrave in them directly. Look at these adorable family rocks (cute pun too!). You could engrave anything on your garden rocks, and could even use them as plant markers.
Repurpose toilet paper rolls for seedling starters.

These are awesome! Everyone has toilet paper rolls in their home. Start accumulating the empty rolls instead of throwing them away, and you will have a great material for seedling starters. It looks to be a simple matter of making a couple of cuts and folding the bottom part under and taping it. They are the perfect size!
Check out this amazing vegetable growing cheat sheet.

This amazing infographic will get you started with vegetable growing the right away! Find out which veggies are best to grow in a plot garden, and which are best for a patio garden. Scroll down and you will learn about common pests that threaten vegetables, as well as tips for growing specific veggies. Find out which plants require direct sun for sowing, what spacing they need, how long it takes them to germinate and mature, and much, much more. You will also learn the right time to plant seeds and harvest your vegetables. Finally, a guide to companion planting will teach you which plants to place together to make the best use of your space and discourage pests.
Label your plants with chopsticks.

Here is a fast, easy and cheap way to label your plants. Next time you head out to pick up Chinese takeout, don’t throw away those cheap chopsticks. Instead, wash them off and save them. You can attach seed packets to them and then stick them in the soil next to their respective plants. It really does not get any simpler than that.
Turn a pallet into a planter.

Pallets are
amazing things. You can use them all over your house or yard for a hundred purposes. One way you can repurpose them which is both beautiful and useful is to turn them into planters in your garden! This is a very easy project, and it’s delightfully cheap. Another great thing about it is that it is great for conserving space. The vertical design makes it perfect for any location. Even if you have a very small yard or patio area where you can garden, you can grow a large number of plants this way.
Use broken pots to create amazing fairy gardens.

You know those little fairy houses you can buy to put in your garden? If you want to create an amazing fairy garden in a pot, just start with a broken one. On
this link, you will see exactly how to do it. You just break off a large piece of the side, add some soil to the broken pot, place the piece inside at a slight angle, and then fill in and add some small chips of ceramic (say, from the same pot, or another) to form stairs. Then just add plants and fairy houses and whatever you’d like to your heart’s content. There are tons of incredible examples of what you could do on that page! As you will see, there are many variations on this theme. The idea is just to create a set of terraces and turn them into something magical.
Make a water sprinkler out of a plastic bottle.

Here is yet another use for an old plastic bottle in your garden. Make a line of holes around the length of the bottle with a thumbtack, rotate, and repeat several times. Push a hose inside, put some tape on to seal the connection, and turn the water on. Find out more by watching the
video at LifeHacker.
Amazing DIY birdfeeders.

Did you know it’s easy to make your own birdfeeder with stuff you probably already have around the house?
Here we have collected lots of beautiful and creative examples for you to check out. I love the first one with the teacup and the saucer. Very cute, and even provides a little shade. Other birdfeeders are made with teacups, kettles, shoes, and more! Some of these can also double as birdhouse ideas.
Transform an old wheel into a gorgeous mosaic planter.

The transformation in this project is just stunning! Look at the left-hand side, and you’ll see how this elegant mosaic planter started life as an old wheel. If not for the title and subject of the project, I probably would not have even made the connection and realized that the planter was made from the wheel! It looks completely different. What an amazing project, perfect for the artistically-minded gardener. What’s cool is that the wheel actually has a functional purpose beyond just serving as a vessel; the wheels provide perfect drainage!
Convert an old pair of jeans into a garden apron.

Wish you had something to wear out in the garden that would keep your clothes clean while you’re kneeling down in the dirt? If you have an old pair of jeans lying around, you can turn them into a garden apron in seconds, using just a pair of scissors! Check out the
video. What a way to save time and money!
Attract hummingbirds to your garden.

Hummingbirds are gorgeous and so much fun to watch as they hover and flit from blossom to blossom, but they can be elusive creatures. You could buy a hummingbird feeder, but a lot of gardeners don’t like them for the simple reason that the food inside attracts ants (being mostly made of sugar). Here’s another way to draw hummingbirds to your garden. Just plant flowers which attract hummingbirds!
This link will give you fifteen great options. These are all beautiful plants too, and will add color to your garden!
Beautify your planters.

Have some old planters which are still useful, but not a whole lot of fun to look at? This
project from The Sweet Escape is a fun, quick, and easy way to transform your planters into something beautiful. Instead of just spray painting them with solid colors (still, not a bad idea on its own), this project allows you to apply simple patterns and more than one color to each planter. The final result is stunning. The metallic paint adds some real sparkle and shine.
Stop leaking planters from getting dirt everywhere with coffee filters.

Don’t you hate when you pick up a planter to move it, only to have dirt leak out the bottom? Even if you have a tray to catch leakage, it can still be a messy process. One way you can stop this without affecting the drainage of your houseplants is to add a coffee filter to the bottom of each pot. This is mostly a problem with young plants that do not yet have highly developed root systems. You can use old coffee filters—not need to spring for new ones. They do biodegrade, but usually you don’t have to replace them, since the plant roots will finish developing, and then the soil won’t leak so much.
Easy watering hack with wine bottles.

Looking for an easy way to water your garden and keep the soil moist during those hot months when water evaporates the moment it touches the planter? Here’s a quick and easy hack. Simple grab an empty wine bottle or beer bottle, fill it up with water, flip it upside down, and then quickly jam it down inside the planter. The water will slowly transfer from the bottle to the soil; it could save you days of watering. Watch a video about it
here.
Turn a bunch of cement blocks into a raised garden bed.

Raised garden beds are awesome. They look nice, and they can be easier to work with if you have back problems and don’t want to have to bend over as far to tend your plants. One easy way to create one is using a bunch of cement blocks. This works great for square foot gardening too. Each block essentially is already serving as a planter, and then you can put whatever else you want in the middle.
Turn a hanging pocket organizer into a vertical garden.

This idea is genius! That’s a hanging pocket organizer, the same kind that you can tack to the inside of your closet door to store your shoes. You can purchase one at an organizing store for cheap, and hang it outside and use each pocket for plants. Not only is this a great deterrent to cats and other pests that like to disturb plants on the ground, but it is a wonderful space-conserving technique, and ideal if you want to have an herb or flower garden on a small apartment balcony.
Propagate succulents from leaves.

Succulents are among the plants which can sprout from their own leaves. So if you have succulents in your home, you can actually grow new ones using leaf clippings from the ones you already own.
Succulents & Sunshine will teach you step-by-step instructions. What a great way to grow your desert garden.
Find out what you can grow in the shade.

Frustrated by the lack of light in your garden? Does everything you plant wither and die, or simply refuse to grow in the first place? Get around that problem and make the most of the shady space you do have with these 15 shade tolerant vegetables. All of them require four hours of sunlight a day, or even less!
Build a water fountain out of plant pots.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have a little water fountain in your garden to create ambient noise? Have some old planters you don’t want anymore? If you have them in several different sizes, and don’t want to throw them away, you can convert them into a pretty little fountain using this tutorial. The supplies you need are pretty minimal, and the result is quite nice and easy to maintain. And it’s certainly less expensive than going out and buying a fountain. This project would be easy to customize.
Create an ongoing supply of green onions.

For this project you need a plastic bottle, which you cut the neck off of, and then add holes to the sides. Pop onion bulbs in through the holes when the bulbs are still small, fill the bottle with soil as you go, water it, and put it by your kitchen window. The bulbs will grow and start producing greens. You can cut the greens, and the bulbs will produce more. Note that this isn’t a method for creating endless onion
bulbs, just the greens.
Bury a freezer to preserve vegetables.

Joyful Home is an interesting blog if you want to learn how you can farm and raise thickens and seriously cut back on your grocery store! If you don’t have a root cellar or basement, this is a great alternative for preserving your vegetables. Mendy
describeshow she and her husband buried an old freezer to preserve their potatoes over the winter. By spring, only minor sprouting had occurred, and the potatoes were otherwise just the way they had left them. What a cool project!
Grow food from kitchen scraps.

You know those vegetable scraps that you throw away while you’re cooking? Don’t! A surprisingly large number of them can actually be re-grown into food. You either place them in water and then move them to a pot, or place them a pot to begin with. This infographic teaches you how to re-grow a variety of vegetables from kitchen scraps, including onions, lemongrass, fennel, leeks, celery, cabbage, ginger, onion, garlic, mushroom, potatoes, pineapple, and more. It does take a bit of work, but what a great way to cut down on your supermarket bill.
Build a house for bats.
Bats are absolutely fascinating creatures, and in some places they are a threatened species. You can help them out by creating a bat house. This simple carpentry project uses only basic tools and takes just a few steps to complete. Up to 300 bats can roost inside the house (depending on the species of course). Note that this is also a good idea if you want to discourage bats from roosting in your own house or shed. Give them a better alternative, and most of them will go for it.
Turn a bath organizer into a planter.

If you liked the repurposed pocket shoe organizer from before, you will love this idea. You know those bath organizers that you can put towels and soaps in? Try hanging one outdoors on your patio wall, and use it as a planter instead.
Bring plants back to life.

Okay, so you can’t
really bring plants back to life once they’re dead, but you can resurrect near-dead plants. Lots of plants which look brown and limp are actually still alive.
LifeHacker recommends that you trim the dead stems and leaves away and reduce the plant’s sunlight by about half and water it lightly. If you scroll down and check the comments, you will find other good advice for revitalizing dying plants as well.
Put a diaper in your potted plants.

… What? A diaper? Yep, you read that correctly. Try putting a diaper in the bottom of each of your potted plants. Why would you do such a thing? Diapers retain moisture—it is what they are designed to do! They will do the same job in your planter. They prevent potted plants from dripping. This is especially helpful for your hanging plants. You might need to water them a little more than usual though, since the diapers are soaking up moisture.
Build a bucket similar to Earthbox®.

If you are familiar with Earthbox®, you know it’s a great system you can use to grow pretty much anything. It’s a great solution if you have a small yard or one with paltry soil conditions. They are expensive, though, and if you are on a budget, it may be better for you to build the equivalent on your own at home! Global Bucket is a low-cost project, fun to make, and very effective for growing a huge range of fruits and vegetables. Click
here to watch the how-to video!
Grow a living structure.

This isn’t a how-to, but it is a great list of ideas with some amazing pictures! A lot of them are pretty standard living structures—beautiful arbors and the like, but a couple of them are really unique, like a living chair or a succulent statue. My favorite one is the grass sofa. Since that would essentially involve nothing more than shaping the dirt and planting the grass, it would be easy to create, produce no strain on the plant, and be effortless to maintain. It’s probably pretty comfortable too!
Easy homemade wasp trap.

Need to get rid of some pesky wasp buzzing around your home or garden? It’s a good idea to take care of this problem quickly before it turns into a bigger one! This easy home made wasp trap uses a plastic bottle and some sugar water. Judging by the photograph, it’s plenty effective too and will do its job quickly and thoroughly.
Make a watering can out of an old milk jug.

Looking for an easy way to water your plants, but don’t want to buy a watering can? If you happen to have an old plastic milk jug, all you need to do is heat up a needle and use it to poke a lot of small holes in the lid. Voila, you have a working water can. This is a great way to recycle.
Grow wisteria in a pot.

Wisteria is a gorgeous climbing vine that adds beautiful color to a trellis or a wall. Did you know that you can also grow it in a pot? Learn how in
ten steps. I actually think these look like little bonsai trees. It looks like a challenging but fun project with beautifully rewarding results.
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: ehow.
Sharpen your old gardening tools.

Don’t want to throw away your old, dull gardening tools that you’ve had for decades? Well, why should you? With a little sharpening up, they’ll be as good as new, and you’ll be ready to make good use of them again.
This post will teach you how.
Turn hydrangeas blue or pink.

When hydrangeas come in nicely, they are a bold, beautiful color, usually bluish-purplish with a touch of pink. When they don’t come in well though, they are usually a pale, watered down blue with a yellowish tinge—not nearly as impressive. If you want to get your hydrangeas back in all their colorful glory, it turns out it’s just a matter of fixing the pH of your soil. In fact, if you add garden lime, you will turn them pink. If you add soil acidifier, you will turn them blue. There are even products you can purchase to do just that, which makes it super easy! Add the right kind of fertilizer, and you will get the effect you are aiming for.
Build a clay pot lighthouse.

If you love all things nautical, I think you will agree that this is just about the most adorable thing you could do with old clay pots! When I first glanced at it, for a moment I didn’t even realize that what I was looking at was just a few pots stacked one on top of the other—it is very convincing! What an adorable way to light your porch or garden at night and share our love of lighthouses with family and friends.
Make a butterfly feeder in 6 easy steps.

One of the joys of maintaining a garden is the colorful flowers that come into bloom throughout the year—but the flowers are not the only splash of color to be seen in a garden! Butterflies can also make a dazzling display—but only if you are able to attract them. One way you can do that is by making a butterfly feeder from scratch. The only materials required are common ones, and the whole project only takes 6 simple steps. Check it out
here.
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: Hometalk
Learn your succulents.

Succulent plants are amazing. They can thrive in extremely dry, hot conditions, which makes them relatively easy to care for, and the perfect choice if you live in a desert climate. Check out this chart to learn about lots of different types of succulents which can go great in your own garden.
Turn a wine bottle holder into a wall planter.

This project uses the IKEA Vurm, which is a wine bottle holder. Pint glasses turn out to fit perfectly in the rack, and work great for growing herbs indoors. You could also hang this outdoors on a patio. What a fun and easy project!
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: Curbly
Stencil a pattern on an apple.

Here’s a cool tidbit. If you have red apples growing on the tree which are still green, you can use a sticker to cover up part of the apple, and that part will remain green after the rest turns red. You can then peel the sticker off and you will have a design on the apple. This is a very cute and clever idea which is perfect for growing apples to give as gifts or to sell or use for any creative purpose.
Repurpose gutters for strawberries.

If you want a great way to grow strawberries, try hanging old guttering from welded re-bars. The strawberries grow very nicely from the guttering, and are easy to pick from overhead. There is unfortunately no how-to on this one, but it should not be too challenging to figure it out. Punching some holes underneath would help with drainage.
Make a unique, round garden trellis.

If you are looking for a fun DIY project that you can build in an afternoon, you will love this idea for making a garden trellis with a unique round shape. The cylinder is just a couple of bike rims, an upright, plus a little garden twine and wire. It is a fast, easy, and fun project with fast results. I would love to see what it looks like once the plants have grown clear up to the top. I bet it has a gorgeous effect!
Make a cute topsy-turvy stack of gardening pots.

Check out this super cool stack of planters which seems to defy gravity! At first, looking at this, I was pretty baffled, until I noticed the pole going through the middle. This tutorial will tell you step-by-step what you need and how you can assemble all your supplies to recreate this cool and whimsical effect in your own garden. I imagine that if you grew some draping plants from the pots, you would be able to conceal the pole completely, and the finished look would be even more convincing.
Make a beautiful tiered herb garden.

Need a way to save space on a small deck or patio? This tiered herb garden will help you make use of vertical space and free up some room. Frankly, though, even if you had plenty of room to spare on your patio, I think this tiered herb garden would be a terrific project. Just look how gorgeous it is!
Use glass bottles to edge your garden path.

Here is a very simple idea that is actually very pretty. Have a bunch of glass bottles lying around, waiting to be recycled? Instead of sending them off to the recycling plant, why not instead use them to edge your garden path? As you can see in the photo, you just push them into the soil upside-down. They probably look even prettier when they catch the light.
Learn the best tips for growing summer squash.

Summer squash is very tasty and filling and works great in a lot of recipes. How can you grow the best summer squash with the most success? This blog will teach you the best practices from planting to harvesting so you can enjoy delicious results.
Get 48 gardening tips which will help you save money.

Empress of Dirt is an excellent gardening resource, and
this post will provide you with a wealth of amazing ideas for saving money! You will learn how to keep your soil healthy, how to collect rain water and make the best use of it, how to make your own compost, and more. Tips for mulching, planting, and propagation are next. You’ll then learn how you can extend your growing season, repurpose broken junk around your garden for useful and beautiful purposes, and imitate nature for efficiency. You will find so much great information in here. This is a wonderful starting resource for anyone who wants to cut their costs while honing their green thumb!
Grow your own herbal tea garden.

Lots of people grow herbs to add to their food in their gardens, but have you ever thought of growing herbal tea? This
blog will get you started out right designing your garden and picking herbs. You will also learn tips for harvesting them when they are ready to use as tea. You will learn how to dry them (if that is what you want to do) and store them.
DIY Instructions and Project Credit: Blommi
Create a worm composting bin.

If you have a plastic storage container and want to learn how to compost at home, this excellent detailed
tutorial will teach you all about it. You need about a pound of red worms per two 8-10 gallon plastic totes (you need two totes to make one compost bin). You can mail order the red worms. Why red worms? Earthworms often do not thrive in compost bins, but red worms do.
The blog will teach you the detailed procedure for drilling holes in the compost bin, filling it with the right ingredients, and setting it up in the right spot. You’ll learn what you need to do in order to maintain it and how long to wait before the compost is ready. You’ll also learn what to feed and not feed your compost worms. Very high-quality blog, and an excellent tutorial that could get anyone started on composting!