Easy Organic Gardening Hacks

These easy organic gardening hacks prove that having an organic garden doesn’t have to be hard.

Trust me, I know! I think I’m the laziest gardener out there!

I love my garden. I’ll walk through it over and over again, stopping to smell flowers or admire the beauty and getting lost in the moment. I spend WAY too much time taking photos of every single flower and interesting element of nature.

But, you know what? I hate taking care of the garden! I know a LOT of you feel the same way!

So that’s why it’s so important to share these simple organic gardening hacks that I’ve learned over the years. If it makes organic gardening easier for you, then you’ll be more inclined to do it.

Gardening has so many positive benefits, from lower stress levels to increased activity and calorie burning, that it’s a shame more people don’t have the time to garden.

So bookmark these organic gardening hacks. Write them down. And know without a doubt that organic gardening is possible and can be so easy!

Weed Control

Weeds = The need to kill and/or pull weeds. And no one has time for that.

I’ve spent lots of money on rolls of the black gauzy weed control landscaping fabric that promises that weeds won’t grow in your garden. I’ve spent hours rolling it out, cutting, clearing debris, and then buying more pins to keep the landscape fabric down because they never give you enough.

And you know what?

The weeds still come through.

I’ve had it.

That’s why these organic gardening hack are so brilliant. Simply reuse newspaper or cardboard underneath mulch instead of landscape fabric.

Trust me. IT WORKS!!!

AND IT’s FREE!!!!!

Both newspaper and cardboard are paper-based natural materials. They will decompose over time back into the soil (about a year in my garden). In the meantime, though, they will block weeds like a champ!

Weeds receive no light, so weed seeds can’t germinate. Yet water can get through and get into the ground.

It’s a WIN WIN.

Easy Insect Control

Bugs. They can be the death of the plants you’ve worked so hard to grow.

It’s frustrating. Sometimes you don’t even know what bugs you have to battle. You just wake up and find holes in the leaves or, even worse, the entire plant dead to the ground.

I used to be at the mercy of insects and bugs in my organic garden. I would just leave them there to let nature “take its course.”

I know, I know. It seems kind of silly. But I truly thought I had to live with the bugs no matter what came along and what they did.

I was wrong.

When I found insecticidal soap and spray neem oil, I tell you, it was like a light bulb went off. Literally, a whole new world opened up to me. I finally had a way to protect and preserve my plants without nasty chemicals!

Even better? The products are multi-purpose. So you can spray for one noticeable problem, and effectively prevent something else that might be brewing that you can’t see yet.

What’s the difference between Insecticidal Soap and Neem Oil?

Neem Oil:

Controls aphids, whiteflies and spider mites

Controls black spot, rust, and powdery mildew

Use on roses, flowers, fruits and vegetables

Insecticidal Soap:

Use indoor or outside

Kills aphids, mealybugs, mites, whiteflies, and other pests

Use on vegetables, flowers, fruit and houseplants

Seed Bombs

Planting seeds isn’t among my most favorite tasks. They’re tiny, hard to see, and fall through your fingers.

Add to that the fact that it’s getting harder for me to get on ground level and crawl around, and you’ll see why I rarely start plants from seeds.

That’s why seed bombs are genius!!!

Ever heard of a seed bomb? They are small balls of dirt and seeds that you can literally throw anywhere and they’ll start sprouting.

Sure, it’s not the most precise way of gardening, but it is fun and easy. And it lets nature take it’s course.

If you’d rather sit in a comfy chair or at a table and prepare your garden, then you’ll love this organic gardening hack of how to get seeds started.

Consider using this seed bomb recipe to make your own.

Easy Liquid Fertilizer

Boiling vegetables or pasta? Don’t throw away the water for this organic gardening hack!

Use the water that you strain off of the food and add it to your garden!

Think about it. All of the nutrients that come out of the vegetables and foods that you boil are locked up in the water. Throwing it down the drain is a waste of the natural nutrients.

Let the water cool, then use it to water plants inside or outside.

Free Fertilizer for Acid-Loving Plants

Drink coffee? Got coffee grounds? Then you’ve got a quick and easy fertilizer which is a perfect organic gardening hack!

Coffee grounds have just enough acidity to boost the growing power of acid-loving plants.

So sprinkle some around plants such as blueberries and roses. If you’re an over-achiever, then blend in the grounds into the soil.

Not only will it fertilize the plants, but you might just catch the whiff of coffee as you are walking through the garden. Every coffee lover will enjoy that!

My friend Lisa at Retro Housewife Goes Green has even more frugal gardening tips for a healthy garden!

Speaking of free fertilizer….. be sure to use the dead leaves in your yard to add nutrients to your soil. Here’s how to make shredded leaf mulch which is a great natural fertilizer.

Here’s how to prepare eggshells to use in the garden to neutralize the soil.