You only have so much time in the day, and even when you’d prefer to spend all day with your garden, it can’t always be so. But no matter how much time you have, you want the time you do spend growing your garden to provide the best results possible. Here are 3 indoor gardening hacks to save time on those days when you want to cut a few corners without risking the health and growth of your plants.

Start cuttings and seedlings in used containers

If you know you’ll be transferring your plants after they grow, consider reusing empty tins or jars from your kitchen as potting containers. You already have these lying around the house, so you don’t have to spend time or money on temporary containers for young plants. Once they’re established, you can transfer to a more permanent container.

Use a timer for watering

You can set up a water drip system that works with a timer. That way you don’t have to worry about your plants getting enough water throughout the day, and you don’t have to take time to water them. It’s a lot like setting up a sprinkler system with a timer for your lawn.

Fertilize with cooking water

If you steamed or boiled vegetables, the water that remains makes a quick fertilizer spray for your indoor plants. Of course, you’ll need a quality foliar spray or compost tea from time to time to make sure your indoor garden gets all the nutrients it requires. But some of the nutrients that leached out of the veggies during cooking will remain in the water and you might as well not waste them when they can boost your plants’ growth instead.

Try vermiponics

Vermiponics is an easy way to fertilize the plants in your hydroponic system. Once you set up a worm bed, it takes very little effort to keep the worms squirming. Setting up your worm farm with your drip watering system gives you a repeating system that takes care of your watering and fertilizing needs.

Start composting

A compost bin takes little time to maintain. As long as the items inside are balanced properly, it’s just like throwing away garbage. You simply have to balance dry items with moister ingredients, and stick with plant-based waste in your compost. Once your pile is established, you have a permanently available supply of fertilizer for your indoor garden, saving time and money on going out to buy fertilizers.

Find the right ready-made products

If vermiponics and composting aren’t for you, you can still save a lot of time with ready-made fertilizers and compost tea. Our team at Indoor Cultivator can help you choose the right products so you get the mix of nutrients your plants need. We’re happy to offer our expertise so you can save time by not having to experiment with different products that aren’t right for your garden.