Gardening is one of the best physical activities you can do, as it comes with countless physical and mental health benefits. Moreover, fresh and home-grown produce is of much higher quality than the one we buy at a grocery store, and the taste is simply incomparable.

Yet, did you know that baking soda can be your magic wand in the garden?

This versatile agent is your best friend when it comes to the entire home, as it is an amazing kitchen ingredient, and excellent beauty care and cleaning product.

Baking soda, instead of the synthetic chemicals, is a safer and cheaper way to take care of your garden:

1. Insect repellent

• To keep the critters away, mix one tablespoon of olive oil, two tablespoons of baking soda, and a couple of drops of liquid soap with a gallon of water. Spray it in the garden every three days. Gently spray this mixture in the garden every three days to keep the bugs away.
• Mix flour and baking soda in equal amounts and dust any produce growing with Cabbage worms, and you will destroy them.
• Mix 5 tablespoons of baking soda with the same amount of powdered sugar, and a tablespoon of water, and pour the mixture into anthills. Add a bit of vinegar, and you’ll reduce the ant population around the garden.

2. Fungus, Mildew, and Weeds 

• To get rid of the fungus in the garden, mix 4 teaspoons of baking soda with one gallon of water, and apply the mixture to problem areas.
• To protect the fruits and veggies from mildew, spray them with a mixture of one tablespoon of baking soda, 2.5 tablespoons of horticultural oil, and one gallon of water.
• To get rid of weeds, especially crab grasses that grow between the cracks in your walkways, moisten the area, and add a thick layer of baking soda into the cracks to create a paste.

3. Compost and Soil

• To test the pH of the soil, you’ll need half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar. Next, get two samples of soil and place them into separate containers. Pour vinegar into one of the samples, and if it bubbles, its pH is above seven or alkaline. In case it doesn’t, add baking soda with half a cup of water to the other sample, and if it bubbles now, it is acidic.
• To decrease the intense odor of compost, sprinkle just a bit of baking soda on the top of the pile.

4. Taste and look of the plants

• Tomatoes are sweeter when grown in less acidic soil, so sprinkle a bit of baking soda in the soil around them.
• To stimulate the blooming of begonias, hydrangeas, and geraniums, water them monthly with a unique tonic made of two quarts water and one tablespoon baking soda.
• To make your lilies, iris’s, geraniums, and daisies grow healthier and brighter, before watering them, add some baking soda to the water.

5. Cleaning

• Use baking soda to clean the decorations in your garden. Wash them with a quart of warm water and two tablespoons of baking soda. Dip a brush into the mixture and scrub the stains away.
• Baking soda is excellent for cleaning the garden walkways as well. When they become covered in weeds and grimy, wash them with the same mixture, and they will become beautiful again.
• Clean and deodorize the garden tools with baking soda.

Sources:
homehacks.co
thegardeningcook.com
www.tipsbulletin.com