Before smartphones and specialized gardening equipment, farmers and growers had to rely on time-tested techniques to nurture their crops.
In your garden, you can use your senses and imagination while being close to nature. Here are a handful of low-tech gardening hacks you should try.
Crop Protection and Pest Management
One of the major challenges we face is the threat of pests that eat our food before we even have the chance to harvest it. Slugs, insects, caterpillars, and snails are some of the most commonly encountered pests.
The two times our edibles are at risk are when they are young seedlings or ripening. Therefore, I have several strategies on my list to safeguard my plants with little cost, time, and effort.
DIY Upcycled Cloches
Newly sprouted seedlings and young, germinated seeds are susceptible to all sorts of insects. Since many homes already have one particular plastic container lying about, you might recycle it for use in the great outdoors.
Use bottles you no longer need to create “cloches” or other agricultural coverings. The bottom half may be buried in the soil after being cut off, and the top half can be slipped over the seedling. These keep moths and butterflies away. Also, it protects the young seedling from grasshoppers and katydids.
Bag It!
To protect fruits from predators, use inexpensive, recyclable gift bags with ties of varying sizes. This easy-to-use but effective technique keeps out rodents like mice and rats, fruit caterpillars, flies, grasshoppers, and rodents.
Fruits can be safely dropped into the bag when they are ready, preventing wastage and ensuring that the fruit is not wasted.
DIY Plant Supports and Garden Supplies
Building expensive vertical plant structures is a major investment. A long-term, low-cost answer might be right in your own backyard. When removed, branches from trees and plant trimmings are often discarded in landfills or municipal recycling bins. On the other hand, my favorite trellis material is a simple framework made from intertwined mulberry tree branches. The price is zero!
Electric Pollination
One of the difficulties in growing food is pollinating fruits and vegetables because there aren’t enough pollinating insects. This is a serious problem in urban areas because of chemical pollution and the absence of flowering species in many small gardens. Insects are also not able to pollinate food crops when they are grown inside or in a greenhouse. You can use your electric toothbrush to gently shake the plant – this will loosen the pollen.
Saving Water
Chemically-based polymer water crystals help container gardeners retain water. I like natural alternatives to keep my pots from drying out. Rehydrated coconut coir fiber is another alternative. It can hold 50% to 70% of its weight in water and survive for 5 years. Zeolite and vermiculite are water-holding minerals. These tips prevent planters from drying out.