Over the years, I’ve made hundreds of gardening videos with thousands of little tips and tricks tucked inside. But I realized I’ve never put my very best hacks together in one spot. So today, I’m sharing my 15 most popular gardening hacks—the ones I come back to year after year because they save time, grow more food, and make gardening feel fun and doable instead of overwhelming.

I’m on a Mission to Make Gardening Easy

Here’s the truth: gardening can feel complicated and unapproachable. There are charts to follow, tools to buy, and a million opinions out there about the “right” way to do things. But I believe gardening doesn’t have to be hard. In fact, it should be simple, enjoyable, and something you look forward to at the end of a long day. My mission is to take away the confusion and show you how to work with nature, not against it.

When you do that, you’ll discover that growing your own food is not only possible, but also deeply rewarding. That’s why I created these 15 easy gardening hacks—to help you feel confident in the garden, no matter your experience level. Whether you’re a beginner gardener or someone who’s been planting for years, these hacks will make gardening feel lighter, easier, and more fun.

So grab your notebook (or your garden gloves!) and let’s dive into my best tips.

Prefer to Watch?

Want to see these hacks in action? I’ve put together a video where I walk you through all 15 easy gardening hacks. You’ll get to see exactly how I set up my raised beds, plant intensively, and keep my garden thriving the natural way. Grab a cup of tea, hit play, and garden right along with me!

1. Skip the Weed Cloth

Here’s an easy gardening tip that will save you hours: I never pull weeds in my raised beds, and you don’t have to either. A lot of gardeners reach for that black plastic weed barrier, but that stuff just creates problems—it suffocates soil, blocks water, and leaves a mess. Instead, I lay down cardboard, ramboard, or brown paper. These natural materials smother weeds, feed the soil as they break down, and make your gardening life so much simpler.

2. Dump the Whole Seed Packet

Instead of fussing with tiny seeds and spacing them “just right,” here’s a simple hack: dump the entire packet into one bed. For leafy greens and root crops, I mix seeds with a little sand, scatter it evenly, and water well. In a couple of weeks, the bed is bursting with green. It’s one of my favorite easy gardening ideas for beginner gardeners because it removes the guesswork and guarantees daily harvests. Gardening doesn’t have to be hard—it can be as simple as shake, sprinkle, and water.

3. Line Your Beds with Herbs

When it comes to easy organic gardening, herbs are your best friends. I tuck rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil around the edges of my raised beds. These herbs aren’t just delicious—they also protect your veggies. Their strong scents confuse pests, while their flowers invite pollinators and beneficial insects. Think of it as a natural security system that makes gardening simple and chemical-free.

4. Trade Tomato Cages for an Arch Trellis

This hack makes gardening easier and more beautiful. Tomato cages just can’t keep up with vigorous vines, so I train my plants up an arch trellis instead. The tomatoes have space to stretch, I can harvest with ease, and the whole setup looks like a garden dream. For beginner gardeners, this is one of the simplest ways to take your tomato game to the next level without extra fuss.

5. Build Soil with Coarse Sand

Healthy soil is the secret to easy gardening success. Instead of relying on peat moss (which isn’t renewable), I mix coarse sand into my raised bed soil. My easy soil recipe is simple: topsoil, compost, coarse sand, and worm castings. It creates fluffy, breathable soil that helps plants thrive without synthetic fertilizers. Sometimes the easiest gardening trick is to focus on the soil, and everything else falls into place.

6. Overwinter Your Peppers

Why start over every spring when you can keep your pepper plants alive year after year? My hack is to dig them up before frost, trim the roots and stems, pot them up, and keep them indoors. Come spring, they bounce back quickly. This is an easy gardening trick that saves money and gives you a head start on harvests, proof that simple methods really do pay off.

7. Grow in the Shade

If you think you can’t garden because your yard is shady, I’m here to tell you—you absolutely can. Leafy greens like lettuce, arugula, and buttercrunch, along with herbs like thyme and chives, love a little shade. Growing in the shade is one of those easy gardening tips that surprises most beginners, but it can completely change the way you see your space. These crops are some of my favorite easy garden plants because they’ll thrive even where you least expect it.

8. Create a Living Fence

Instead of spending time and money building fences, let plants do the work. I grow a living fence of flowers, grasses, and native plants around my garden. It’s an easy garden fence idea that doubles as habitat for pollinators and a deterrent for rabbits. By creating this natural barrier, I keep critters out while also attracting butterflies and bees. Sometimes the best easy gardening solutions are the ones that mimic nature.

9. Grow Cilantro in the Cool Season

If you’ve ever struggled with cilantro bolting in summer, here’s the easy fix: grow it in spring, fall, or even winter in mild areas. Cilantro actually thrives in cool weather and can handle frost. Once you plant it in the right season, you’ll wonder why you ever tried to force it in the heat.

10. One Pot for All Your Herbs

This hack makes growing herbs as easy as it gets. Instead of managing lots of little pots, group them into one container. Trailing herbs on the outside, onion-family herbs in the middle, and deep-rooted herbs in the center. It’s simple, space-saving, and beginner-friendly—an easy gardening win you’ll love every time you step outside to snip fresh herbs for dinner.

11. Forget Companion Charts

Charts are overwhelming. My easy gardening method is much simpler: the Leaves, Roots, and Fruit system. Plant leaves around the edges, roots in the next row, and fruiting crops down the middle, always keeping same-season plants together. No charts, no confusion—just easy, effective gardening that anyone can remember.

12. Grow Endless Zinnias from One Packet

Want a low-maintenance flower that just keeps giving? Zinnias are it. Start with one packet, pinch plants as they grow, and save seeds from the biggest blooms. You’ll have armloads of flowers all summer long and seeds for years to come. This is one of those easy garden ideas that brings beauty, joy, and pollinators into your space without any extra effort.

13. Try Intensive Planting

One of my best easy gardening tips for beginners is to stop leaving bare soil. Fill every inch of your bed like a puzzle, and the plants will protect each other. Intensive planting saves space, reduces weeds, and increases harvests with less work. It’s proof that easy gardening doesn’t mean less food—it means smarter planting.

14. Root Cuttings in Sand

Want to grow free plants the simple way? Stick your cuttings in moist sand instead of water. They’ll grow stronger roots and move easily into the garden. This hack is a reminder that easy gardening isn’t about buying more—it’s about making the most of what you already have.

15. Never Use Synthetic Fertilizer

Here’s my final hack, and it’s the heart of easy organic gardening: never use synthetic fertilizers. They stress plants, pollute water, and hurt pollinators. Instead, rely on good soil, intensive planting, and lots of flowers and herbs in your garden. It’s the easy, natural way to grow a garden that thrives for years to come.

Final Thoughts

These 15 gardening hacks prove that gardening doesn’t have to be complicated. With simple, natural methods, you can grow more food, protect your plants, and enjoy the process without stress. Easy gardening is about working with nature, not against it—and once you make that shift, your whole garden will change.

Ready to start your own easy garden? My Easy Garden Kit has everything you need—including the 10 easiest seeds to grow—to set up your raised beds the right way and begin gardening with confidence.