Trying to buy a holiday gift for the gardener that has everything? WHAT do you buy them? We’ve pulled together popular gardening gifts for the 2015 year, and gardening products we love. This should make shopping easier and give you some gardening gift ideas. To make these … [Read more...]
Compost Bins: 7 Cool Commercial Composters To Consider
Compost bins aren't only those that magically transform kitchen and garden scraps into delicious food for the garden. We've sleuthed around for some that are a little different than the standard. Compost bins that are unique, but functional like a standard compost bin. These … [Read more...]
Compost Tumblers: 7 Great Spinning Composters, Including Two You Can Build Yourself
There's not a chemical concoction out there can deliver nutrition as handily as organic compost. But compost can be labor intensive enough to cause even the most patient and hard working of gardeners to run to the nearest nursery for fast food to feed their plants. To prevent … [Read more...]
Survival Seed Vaults: Our Top 3 Picks
Seed vaults are awesome for gardeners interested in self sufficiency or survival storage. They were created for the preservation of certain seeds. Heirloom seeds and other special seeds that have been kept for biodiversity purposes are stowed away in seed vaults. Seed vaults can … [Read more...]
How To Create Your Own “Black Gold” for Your Yard and Garden
Talk to any experienced gardener and they will tell you -- the easiest way to success with gardening is to have rich, healthy soil. And the best way to enrich your soil? Hands down, it is adding compost. Master gardeners call compost "black gold," because it is … [Read more...]
Best Self Propelled Lawnmowers for 2013: Our Top Rated Picks
By Stephanie Lezotte Looking for the best self propelled mower for your home? A self-propelled lawnmower is an easy-to-operate option for homeowners with a medium to large sized lawn who want something that is easier to push around. Here’s our list of the best self-propelled … [Read more...]
Best Gas Powered String Trimmers for 2013: Our Top Picks
By Stephanie Lezotte Looking for best gas string trimmer for weed eating? We're here to help. After looking at all of the available models for this year, we've come up with these models that are our favorites. Both curved and straight shaft trimmer models are represented, and … [Read more...]
Review: Fiskars Power Lever 28 Inch Bypass Loppers
The Fiskars Power Lever 28 Inch Bypass Loppers Model 9132 is a great low budget set of loppers. I used them to prune the flowering plum trees that line my driveway. These trees are gorgeous and have medium growth rate, but when the limbs are wet they hang low over the drive and … [Read more...]
Best Zero Turn Riding Lawnmowers for 2013: Our Top Rated Picks
Doing some research to figure out the best zero turn riding mowers? We've done the work for you, and gone through a massive list of available mowers, narrowing it down to these top rated mower picks. This year’s list of best zero turn riding lawnmowers is dominated by two … [Read more...]
Review: Union Tools 4 cu ft. Wheelbarrow
By Stephanie Lezotte After buying a new home and ordering 8 yards of mulch to repair neglected flowerbeds in my front and back yards, I quickly realized I lacked one major tool for the job: a working wheelbarrow. While my home’s former owners kept a decorative wheelbarrow in … [Read more...]
Review: Suncast Deluxe “Hose Hangout” Hose Reel
By Stephanie Lezotte Judging by the thin wood panel bolted to my home’s siding near the garden spigot, I could tell this was the spot the previous homeowner installed a garden hose reel. Although I preferred a rolling reel in which I could hide the hose or a stationary reel … [Read more...]
Review: Fiskars Bypass Hand Pruner
By Stephanie Lezotte After I retired my old hand pruner due to rust that had made them completely unusable, I purchased a Fiskars Bypass Hand Pruner as a replacement set. This affordable (under $20) yet exceptionally well-made tool has delivered hours of easy, clean cuts. What … [Read more...]
Review: Gilmour Master Series Heavy-Duty Zinc Spray Nozzle / Garden Hose Sprayer
By Stephanie Lezotte In less than two years, I have broken not one, but two, Gilmour garden hose spray nozzles. Both developed leaks in the same seam on the top of the nozzle’s plastic housing. I sought a replacement—specifically NOT a Gilmour—and what did I end up buying? A … [Read more...]
Review: Greenscapes Landscape Fabric / Weed Blocker
By Stephanie Lezotte When tending to existing flower beds that hadn’t been weeded or mulched for two years, I relied heavily on landscape fabric. The beds were both neglected and fruitful, and since I prefer a minimalist approach to my yard, my goals were to reduce and … [Read more...]
Review: Garden Weasel Garden Claw Gold Cultivator
By Stephanie Lezotte As an amateur gardener, power tools sometimes intimidate me. When possible, I prefer using a manual approach to first become familiar with the techniques, and then move onto power tools when comfortable. My small vegetable garden was ready to be tilled, … [Read more...]
Review: Gilmour Brass Garden Hose Connector With Shut-Off Valve 03V
I bought the Gilmour brass garden hose connector valve online just a couple of weeks ago. I have gotten a few good uses out of it already, so I am writing this review. First it is made out of very durable material -- brass. I bought this because I didn't want to go to the … [Read more...]
Review: Blue Hawk 25” Lopper
By Stephanie Lezotte The Good You can get this bypass lopper for under $20. The entire tool is 27 inches long, perfect for removing my neighbor’s tree branches that have steadily been creeping into my property. It features plastic grip handles that have a rubbery feel, and … [Read more...]
Review: Rubbermaid Resin Outdoor Storage Shed
By Stephanie Lezotte When I bought my home, the previous homeowner left behind two Rubbermaid Resin Outdoor Storage Sheds. These are medium-sized two-door plastic storage units that are advertised to stand up to the elements. According to Rubbermaid, the units are water-proof, … [Read more...]
Review: Kobalt Short-Handle Wood Scoop / Shovel
By Stephanie Lezotte I was introduced to the Kobalt line at my local Lowe’s about two years ago and have been satisfied with their products so far. I needed a tool for shoveling mulch—a lot of it—and I was pleased to see a Kobalt product choice: the short-handled wood scoop. I … [Read more...]
Best Riding Lawnmower for 2013: Consider These Mowers
By Stephanie Lezotte The year’s collection of the best riding lawnmowers is heavily represented by the European Husqvarna brand. If you’re looking to buy American, however, you’ll be happy to know that we found three American models that deserve to be ranked among the top … [Read more...]