7 helpful tips you should read before starting your vegetable garden

Vegetable gardening is an enjoyable pastime for many people and continues to grow in popularity. Having the ability to grow your own food means you know exactly what fertilizers and chemicals have been applied during the growing season, while providing you and your family with a local source of fresh produce!
If you're a new gardener, read below for seven great tips on how to make growing a veggie garden easier and less expensive. These tips get you started off on the right foot and up your chances of growing a successful garden!
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1. Use a seam ripper to open seed packs
Seed packs are notoriously hard to get open without mangling the package and destroying the planting instructions. Use a seam ripper to neatly slice the top of the packet open and keep the instructions intact.
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2. Start seeds in toilet paper tubes
Containers for starting seedlings indoors add an extra expense to your gardening project. Instead of buying them, save empty toilet paper tubes and make your own. When it's time to plant them into the garden, you can plant the tube and all.
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3. Use a muffin tin for seed spacing
Grab an old muffin tin and use it to "mark" your garden soil for perfect plant spacing! This is a great way to repurpose those old rusty muffin tins instead of tossing them in the trash.
4. Make your own seed tape
Small seeds can be tricky to plant because of their tiny size. Making your own seed tape makes this process much easier -- and it makes life much easier on your back by decreasing the need to thin seedlings. Greenview Fertilizer has a great tutorial on how to make your own seed tape.
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5. Use Epsom salt as a fertilizer
Give your plants a jump start by adding a spoonful of Epsom salt in the bottom of the planting hole. Mix gently with the soil, then continue to plant your plants. According to Salt Works, this is especially great for tomato plants. Epsom salt is a great source of magnesium, and adding it to your garden helps prevent deficiency later in the growing season.
6. Grow celery from kitchen scraps
A handful of veggies can be regrown from your kitchen scraps. Take a stalk of celery, plant the bottom 2 inches in a shallow hole and wait for your celery to start growing! Within a week or so, you should see new leaves start to peek out of the ground.
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7. Use a milk jug as a watering can
Instead of spending the money on a watering can for your new veggie garden, recycle an empty milk jug and make your own! After cleaning the container well, use a needle to poke holes into the lid. Change the size and pattern of the resulting spray by playing around with the size of the needle and the number of holes you put in the lid.
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