The Garden Hack That Protects Newly-Planted Seeds With A Common Kitchen Item

While keeping track of newly planted seeds can be challenging, you may also be wary of keeping them safe, especially if you struggle to see while weeding or remember exactly where you put them in your garden. If this sounds familiar, you may want to try a hack by @rugglesridgefarm on TikTok, which shows how you can use old can rims to encompass and help protect your young seedlings. All you have to do is place them down in the correct spot and use them as a visual reminder. What's more, protection isn't the only benefit of this hack. It can also help you to keep track of what you've planted, so you'll spend less time searching and more time tending to them.

As you're upcycling the jar rims, this hack is also kind on your wallet, as you won't have to spend a penny to get it done. (Of course, if you don't have any old jars, you may need to purchase a few, but they're luckily quite affordable.) Upcycling is also good for the planet, which is yet another benefit of trying this out for yourself. Without further ado, let's get into the deets so you can protect your seeds as soon as possible.

The first step of this hack is finding some old metal jar rims that you have lying around your home or garage. If you don't have some and want to try this out, you can purchase some on Amazon for $12.54. Once you have them, simply plant your seeds and place them down over the top, but if they're already planted, skip the planting part. Just make sure you plant your seeds deep enough. While Ruggles Ridge Farm recommends in its video spray-painting them a bright color, it might be better to avoid this, as paint can be toxic to the surrounding ecosystem, especially if you place it on the soil. Colorful, water-resistant tape might be a great alternative here, as you could wrap the rims in it without all the chemicals that come with spray-painting them.

Once they surround all your seeds, you can simply leave them to thrive and use the rim as a marker for future reference. As a result, you should find removing weeds from the surrounding areas without disturbing your seeds much easier since you'll know exactly where they are. After all, they're pretty small and can be challenging to see. To ensure the rings stay put, try pushing them down firmly into the ground, anchoring them but ensuring they're still visible (otherwise, you'd defeat the purpose of using them this way).

While this hack works great as-is for Ruggles Ridge Farm, there are ways you can make it more doable and useful for you and your circumstances. If you don't have any mason jar rims, you could always use other items you have around your home. For example, you could stick poles or sticks in the ground next to your seeds to use as a marker or create a small border around them. You could also use cardboard cutouts or anything else that fits the bill. In addition, if you want to make your seeds easier to find, you could also add some sticky labels to your rims and note down what seed type is where so you can easily keep track of them. To ensure the labels don't get ruined by the weather, apply some clear tape over the top of it to act as a protective layer. 

This hack works so well because the can rings act as a visual cue, making it much easier to avoid disturbing the area with the seeds. However, if the area is very windy, then there could be a risk of them blowing away. If you think this may happen, you can secure them by attaching some small rocks with string or putting a thin, small stick or pole in the ground in the middle of the circle. Then, with your hack completed and secured, your gardening days will be ever easier.