3 Easy Starter Garden Hacks for Beginners

Starting a garden can be tough at first. When you first start out gardening, you might end up just throwing seeds down on the soil and hope for the best. In the coming days you’ll either see a little sprout popping up or nothing happens at all. You may end up having a tougher time growthing certain seeds compared to others. Over the years, I have tried many different tricks when planting new plants. Here are three easy hacks to when you’re first starting new plants for your garden.

1.Use a paper towel

This gardening trick is pretty easy. All you need is a paper towel and a window with plenty of sunlight! If you have any seeds ready to be planted, you should try folding them into a wet paper towel and place it in front of a window for sunlight. The moisture and humidity over time will help the seeds germinate. Make sure the paper towel is moist and do not let it dry out! This may result in an unsuccessful germination if the paper towel dries. This gardening trick usually takes about a week for seeds to start sprouting. I normally wait until the sprouts start coming out of the paper towel before I transplant them into a planter or directly in my garden. While the sprouts are new and dainty you will want to check on the amount of sunlight the plants are exposed to. If you are getting a lot of sunlight, the heat may burn your plants and you may end up killing your new sprouts before they’re ready to transplant. To avoid this issue, try moving your paper towel to a less sunny area of your house during your hottest hours or if you have curtains just simply shut your window’s curtain. This trick is very simple and straightforward. It’s great for people who don’t have an outdoor garden and care for their plants in their home.

2.Soak the stem in water

This fun gardening hack works for people who already have a healthy plant and want to start the same plant without using seeds. That’s right, you don’t always need seeds to start a new plant. I first came across this gardening trick when I was learning about better ways to care for my tomato plants. I found that you can cut a tomato plant’s new growth at the stem and just simply transplant them in soil to grow a new tomato plant. I went further and tested it on my other plants like my dwarf magnolia tree, basil, and citronella. What I did differently from the tomato plant is that I put the new growth stem in a long shot glass full of water placed by a window for sunlight. This trick is a hit or miss. The new growth stem will either start sprouting roots in the water or it will just die. When doing this hack, I recommend taking several new growth stems from your plant. Like the paper towel hack, you want to make sure the cup is always full of water and you want to check on how much sunlight your plant is getting. If your plant is getting too much sunlight it can wither and die. Again, you will want to move your plant to a less sunny area during your hottest hours or just shut your curtain. I really like doing this hack because it’s just fascinating seeing the roots grow out over time. I normally wait a few days after the roots start growing before I transplant.

3.Soaking produce stalk in water

Just like the last hack, this one does not require seeds. When you're done cutting your carrots, celery, or you’re just left with an extra garlic bulb you can soak the stalk in water until roots or a sprout start to grow. This hack is a cool way to recycle your food waste as well as an easy way to start a produce garden. I normally use a long shot glass to soak my produce and place it in front of a window with plenty of sunlight. Like the rest of the gardening hacks you will want to check up on your plant project and make sure it is not getting too much sunlight. If you do have hours with intense sunlight, you will want to move your plant away from the sun or shut the curtains during those hotter hours.

All three starter gardening hacks are very low maintenance and will not break the bank. Perfect for anyone starting a garden or someone with limited space in their home. All you need are paper towels, cups, water, and sunlight. I have successfully used all three hacks for many different plants throughout the years and I would highly recommend it for anyone who gardens.