“gadgets for the gardeners on your list - Los Angeles Times” plus 1 more |
| gadgets for the gardeners on your list - Los Angeles Times Posted: 01 Dec 2009 03:55 PM PST "Our kitchen compost crocks are big – including the new bamboo one," Gaetani says. The stylish Bamboo Crock, right, with a 3-1/3-quart capacity removable pail is made from "earth-friendly" bamboo and has a snug-fitting lid. It measures 11 inches high by 7 3/4 inches in diameter, $39.95. Just in time for the rainy season are two rain barrels that appeal to water-wise California gardeners. Made from 25% recycled content, the brown or green Deluxe Rain Barrel stores up to 75 gallons of water. It measures 36 inches high by 28 inches in diameter, $169. The English-Style Rain Barrel, pictured at right, inspired by an English washtub, collects 40 gallons of water. It measures 25-3/4 in. high x 25 in. diameter, $149. Perhaps because of poor soil in many Los Angeles backyards, raised bed kits are big sellers. The Forever Raised Bed, pictured lower at right, is made from a composite of recycled wood and plastic, with 10 1/2-inch high sides and concealed aluminum corner brackets. Sizes range from 3-by-3-foot ($150) to 3-by-6-foot ($225). The Grow Bed, made of 100% recycled black plastic, features 10-inch-high sides that interlock at the corners to hold soil and plants neatly in place. Sizes range from 18-by-36 inches ($39.95) to 3-by-6-foot ($89.95). Use Gardener's Supply's online kitchen garden planner to determine a planting plan and calculate how much produce your raised bed will yield. Southern California's abundant supply of sun makes solar-powered products appealing. "The solar string lights are great in summer or in winter to light up a patio or a holiday tree," Gaetani says. Each 36-foot string has 102 LED bulbs that glow for 8 hours when fully charged. Available in white, blue and red-and-green, $75 each. People worried about indoor and outdoor flower pots drying out are snapping up a water-smart gadget that works in any round pot. Place the reservoir system, pictured bottom right, in the base of a container, add soil and plants, and water through the filling tube. Roots stay moist without daily watering. A 1-quart kit fits 10- to 14-inch pots ($12.95); a 1-gallon kit fits a 16- to 20-inch pot ($16.95). Photo credits: Gardner's Supply This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| Nancy Szerlag - The Detroit News Posted: 04 Dec 2009 12:55 AM PST Nancy Szerlag: Gardening If you have green thumbs on your holiday shopping list, finding that perfect gift is a snap if you shop the gardening catalogs and their Web sites. Here are some of my favorites for giving as well as getting: • From Renee's Garden, www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/beginners.html, (888) 880-7228, come two Easy to Grow seed collections, each containing five packets of reliably easy, colorful and delicious veggie varieties chosen for folks new to growing a garden from seed. Priced at $13.95 plus shipping, choose from the Easy to Grow Rainbow Kitchen Garden or Easy to Grow Container Kitchen Garden set. • Kinsman Company gardeners' gifts catalog, (800) 773-4146, www.kinsmangarden.com, has pre-packaged gift baskets that take the mystery out of shopping. My favorite is the Pamela Crawford Pre-Packaged Gift Basket, which includes a planting basket, Dynamite Slow Release Fertilizer and a copy of Crawford's best-selling "Instant Container Gardens" book. It's a $56.85 value, priced at $49.95. Other great Crawford books include "Easy Container Gardens," and for snowbirds, the new "Easy Gardens for the South." In these books, Pamela Crawford shows how a rank beginner can create bodacious, stunning containers that will knock his or her socks off. • Not all gardeners need new tools, so if the green thumb on your list has a full tool box, check out the Gardener's Supply Christmas catalog, (800) 427-3363, www.gardeners.com. Along with garden tools, it features 186 gifts under $30. There's something here for everyone. Advertisement • Real trees make fabulous lasting gifts and the Gardener's Supply 24-inch potted Alberta spruce decorated in your choice of tiny birds or garden tools will delight any homeowner. After the holidays, plant the tree outdoors and it will grow 8 to 10 feet high. Order before Dec. 20 for Christmas delivery. • Along with garden tools, the Lee Valley Tool holiday gift catalog, (800) 871-8158, www.leevalley.com, contains an eclectic collection of gifts. Looking for quality yet inexpensive stocking stuffers? This is the place to shop. An old-fashioned Balsa Wood Glider Kit priced at $2.50 is fun for all ages. A hard maple muddler/pestle priced at $6.50, used to mash fruits, spices and herbs, is perfect for the Mojito maker in the family. At just $9.50, the pocket microscope with a 20-40x zoom lens is useful for plant pest hunting, or use as a beginner microscope for kids. Lee Valley Tools has lots of goodies for gardeners, woodworkers and cooks they don't even know they need, so I assure you they will be thrilled with your choices. Nancy Szerlag is a master gardener and Metro Detroit free-lance writer. Her column appears Fridays in Homestyle. E-mail her at szerlag@earthlink.net. Visit her Web site at www.nancysgarden.wordpress.com. This content has passed through fivefilters.org. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from gardeners supply - Google News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment