Category Archives: Garden Tools & Tips

Garden Tools & Tips

Successful Gardening on a Small Scale

Comment

Trellis Box Planter  Kutstone Jumbo Roman Planters  Corsica Flower Bridge Planter Set

If you live in an apartment, condo, or other small space, you may feel that gardening is not a possibility. How can gardening be accomplished when there is no backyard in which to plant? Apartment dwellers can still reap the benefits of gardening because it can be done on a smaller scale. Container gardening allows you to create beautiful landscapes in miniature that can be easily tended on a balcony, next to a sunny window, or in a window box.

How to Choose Your Garden Planters

Choosing the right garden planters for your container garden depends on the space available. First, consider the size of the area where the garden planters will be located. Then, decide which shape would work best — square, rectangle, or circle. What material is preferred — natural wood, sturdy resin, metal, or clay? Be sure that the garden planters you choose are safe for growing edible plants, if that is your goal.

Planning Your Miniature Garden

Once you have selected your garden planters, decide what you would like to grow in your new garden. Containers can support a wide variety of plants, including herbs, vegetables, flowers, small shrubs, grasses, and vines. Not all plants like to live in containers, though, so be sure to select varieties that are known to be suitable container plants. Combining different plants in a container provides visual interest: choose plants of varying colors, sizes, and textures to give your container the feel of a “bouquet.” Be sure to choose plants with the same or similar lighting and watering requirements to ensure proper care for all of the plants.

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

Minimize the Messy in Gardening

1 Comment

Messy Garden Tools Need Organization

Gardening is messy.  Don’t make it messier by tossing garden tools into a corner of your shed or garage when gardening chores are done for the day.  Not only are tools harder to locate when they’re needed again, they can suffer damage easily and require frequent replacement.

To prevent hoes, rakes, shovels, and other garden tools from getting out of hand, keep them neat and tidy in a convenient place.  A sturdy, wooden garden tool holder makes an ideal garden tool storage solution.  With casters underneath and a dedicated slot for each individual tool, a garden tool holder is easy to move where it’s needed, and makes organizing tools a snap.  Your tools can be found where you left them, and they’ll stay in good working order for many years to come.

Cedar Garden Tool Holder

Garden Tools & Tips, Healthy Ideas

Simple Solution for Gardening Woes

Comment

Raised Planter Boxes for Back Pain Prevention

Gardening is an enjoyable pastime for millions of people, but for many, it can present challenges and hassles. Those of us who have issues with mobility, space limitations, or invasions by local wildlife may find gardening a frustrating experience. All of these challenges can be solved easily, though, with the addition of raised planter boxes.

Raised Planter Boxes

Raised planter boxes, which are available in square or rectangle shapes, are an easy way to keep plants and veggies contained, but they also offer a number of other advantages:

  • Cedar Rectangle Planter BoxesNo Bending Required — Planter boxes raised on sturdy legs are ideal for gardeners who may have difficulty bending down and working in garden beds on the ground.
  • No Critter Competition — Raised planter boxes are also appealing to gardeners who are tired of losing out to local rabbits and other critters. They keep tender plants and veggies out of reach.
  • Suitable for Small Spaces — For homeowners who lack yard space for planting a garden, planter boxes give them the opportunity to keep a garden on the patio or deck.

Thanks to raised planter boxes, gardeners can enjoy fresh herbs, veggies, and fruits without having to experience the problems that sometimes accompany traditional ground-level gardens.

Garden Tools & Tips

Do You Really Know Why You Use Compost?

1 Comment

Compost Bin

You’ve probably  heard that making your own garden compost in a home compost bin saves you money because that’s one less thing you need to go out and buy at the local garden center.  But, did you ever wonder exactly why you use compost in the first place?  Initially, that may sound like a dumb question, but it’s really not.  Gardeners use compost because it’s good for growing plants, but there’s more to it than just that.  Here are just a couple of reasons why you’re using compost in your garden:

Compost is good for soil.  As any gardener will tell you, not all soil is good soil.  Meaning, not all soil is ideal for growing and maintaining a hardy garden.  Because compost is rich in nutrients and helpful bacteria and fungi, it can improve the quality of existing soil and create a more inviting home for growing plants.

Compost prevents pests and diseases.  Compost “has also been shown to suppress plant diseases and pests, reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, and promote higher yields of agricultural crops,” according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Maybe it’s enough to know that compost is good for growing plants, but understanding why can help gardeners appreciate compost all the more.

The ThermoQuick® Compost Bins   Earthmaker Aerobic Composter

Garden Tools & Tips, Storage Solutions

The Proper Workspace Starts a Garden Right

2 Comments

Ready for Gardening

January is National Mail Order Gardening Month, and it’s the perfect time to peruse those fabulous gardening catalogs to find favorite plant varieties as well as new and interesting possibilities.  While you’re waiting for your seed order to arrive, gather the necessary potting supplies: soil, compost, seed pots, trays, and whatever else you like to use to prepare for the upcoming season of seedlings.

Where do you do your seed planting?  Do you have a designated space with room enough for working and storing yourCedar Potting Bench supplies?  The most efficient way to complete these early gardening tasks is to have a space dedicated to this work.  A potting bench offers the perfect location because it comes equipped with hooks for hanging tools, shelves for keeping pots and soil close at hand, and ample space for working.

Upping your gardening game this year means having the right tools and gear to make your gardening work easier and more efficient.  Treat yourself to a new potting bench and get the season off to a smart start.