NOT the Last-Minute Gifts for Gardeners
A YBYG tradition at this time of year is for me to run a piece like this about five days before Christmas. By divine inspiration, I have been enlightened to revise, edit, add and subtract things from five previous years’ worth of suggestions in time for people to really act on them! (Don’t get used to it, people—it’s like being in the eye of a hurricane.) As always, some of the things I’ll mention can be purchased in stores (remember stores?) and online. Ready? Let’s go Kats and Kittens!
The new number one selection—up from number two last year is: Pruners! There isn’t a gardener alive who would not be delighted with a new pair or two of high-quality pruners. Heck, even I need new pruners! (Growing up I was told that I was {quote} “hard on clothes”, which continues to be true with my garden tools.) We’re talking high-quality ergonomic pruners, not a Dollar Store gift! They are more than worth the extra money; and besides you shouldn’t cheap out on gifts!) Your friendly neighborhood independent garden center should have them on display as they are open now for Christmas. And that neighborhood garden center is as endangered as small family farms, and deserves your support!
(Speaking of Christmas: please don’t decorate your tree until you hear next week’s show; if you already bought it, saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk and sit in a bucket of water for now.)
My number one gift idea for many years had been baseball batting gloves, now dropped to #2 on the Hit Parade—just like the great Louis Armstrong did to the Beatles in 1964. Not ordinary garden gloves; batting gloves fit so tight ‘you could pick up a dime’ while wearing them. (Maybe; I personally can’t pick up a dime without professional assistance.) They come in a wide variety of sizes, youth and adult in small, medium, large (and extra large for the adult version). Sporting Goods stores should have them in stock, and maybe even on display. Ask your gift recipient if you can trace their hand for a mysterious project you’re starting.
A Worm Tower. No, not a worm BIN. I can’t comprehend how people manage a bin. How do you know when stuff is done if you’re constantly adding new material? A worm tower has a base unit with a spigot and stackable trays. You fill each tray with kitchen waste (no meat, no bones, no citrus and go very light on things like bread, pasta, rice and onions). Then you simply add shredded newspaper (NOT junk mail) on top. New trays go on top and the worms below in the finished and half-finished trays migrate up. My unit is from Gardens Alive!, who now call it “the worm factory”. (Yes, they help support the show but that doesn’t mean they should get frozen out.)
Not sure if they or other online suppliers can ship the actual worms in winter, but you can get starter worms anywhere they sell live bait for fishing. Make sure you get Red Wigglers (“the Cadillac of Worms”) and not nightcrawlers. And no, it doesn’t smell and they don’t get loose; and kids LOVE feeding the worms.
No room for a Worm Tower and/or a little too squiggly for you? A device that has been around for a long time called the “green cone” is a simple plastic cone you sink into your soil and add whatever kitchen waste you can—including bones and such—into the top. The cone traps heat and turns your garbage into soil you can either use or leave in the earth when you move it to another spot. It has a cap, but I would spray it regularly with deer repellant if raccoons are a problem.
And I do NOT recommend it if you have bears. (In Colorado not that long ago I was invited to speak at a newly revived theatre in Cortez, and I stayed in a private house on a ranch. No outdoor light pollution, so I stood outside for an hour star-gazing. The next morning at breakfast the couple hosting me said “Did you see the bear? The tracks are right outside your door. Gulp. Ha. Ha.)
A rechargeable leaf shredder. Advances in battery technology have made rechargeable hand-held blower/vacs lighter in weight with a longer running time. Look for a unit that has a swap-out funnel for sucking up leaves (these will all come with a shoulder held collection bag). Look also for a good warranty and if you’re lucky you might find a package that has two rechargeable batteries inside. Note: Some units are sold without the battery; make sure it says, ‘includes battery and charger’. A great way to collect and shred your leaves without bending over. Santa says, “bending is for chumps!”
For deer, a motion-activated sprinkler for spring, summer and fall, and “The Wireless Deer Fence” for winter. Still sold by the inventor’s family at wireless deer fence dot com (write it down now and don’t email me for the name! You can also listen to this show again at WDIY,org and multiple podcast platforms to catch it. They’re sold in packs of three: A green stake with small electrodes at the top, and deer attractant pellets you place inside the electrodes. Install a couple of double A batteries and deer will come to the attractant, get a very mild shock and run off to eat the neighbor’s hostas. Wireless Deer Fence dot com.
The new number one selection—up from number two last year is: Pruners! There isn’t a gardener alive who would not be delighted with a new pair or two of high-quality pruners. Heck, even I need new pruners! (Growing up I was told that I was {quote} “hard on clothes”, which continues to be true with my garden tools.) We’re talking high-quality ergonomic pruners, not a Dollar Store gift! They are more than worth the extra money; and besides you shouldn’t cheap out on gifts!) Your friendly neighborhood independent garden center should have them on display as they are open now for Christmas. And that neighborhood garden center is as endangered as small family farms, and deserves your support!
(Speaking of Christmas: please don’t decorate your tree until you hear next week’s show; if you already bought it, saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk and sit in a bucket of water for now.)
My number one gift idea for many years had been baseball batting gloves, now dropped to #2 on the Hit Parade—just like the great Louis Armstrong did to the Beatles in 1964. Not ordinary garden gloves; batting gloves fit so tight ‘you could pick up a dime’ while wearing them. (Maybe; I personally can’t pick up a dime without professional assistance.) They come in a wide variety of sizes, youth and adult in small, medium, large (and extra large for the adult version). Sporting Goods stores should have them in stock, and maybe even on display. Ask your gift recipient if you can trace their hand for a mysterious project you’re starting.
A Worm Tower. No, not a worm BIN. I can’t comprehend how people manage a bin. How do you know when stuff is done if you’re constantly adding new material? A worm tower has a base unit with a spigot and stackable trays. You fill each tray with kitchen waste (no meat, no bones, no citrus and go very light on things like bread, pasta, rice and onions). Then you simply add shredded newspaper (NOT junk mail) on top. New trays go on top and the worms below in the finished and half-finished trays migrate up. My unit is from Gardens Alive!, who now call it “the worm factory”. (Yes, they help support the show but that doesn’t mean they should get frozen out.)
Not sure if they or other online suppliers can ship the actual worms in winter, but you can get starter worms anywhere they sell live bait for fishing. Make sure you get Red Wigglers (“the Cadillac of Worms”) and not nightcrawlers. And no, it doesn’t smell and they don’t get loose; and kids LOVE feeding the worms.
No room for a Worm Tower and/or a little too squiggly for you? A device that has been around for a long time called the “green cone” is a simple plastic cone you sink into your soil and add whatever kitchen waste you can—including bones and such—into the top. The cone traps heat and turns your garbage into soil you can either use or leave in the earth when you move it to another spot. It has a cap, but I would spray it regularly with deer repellant if raccoons are a problem.
And I do NOT recommend it if you have bears. (In Colorado not that long ago I was invited to speak at a newly revived theatre in Cortez, and I stayed in a private house on a ranch. No outdoor light pollution, so I stood outside for an hour star-gazing. The next morning at breakfast the couple hosting me said “Did you see the bear? The tracks are right outside your door. Gulp. Ha. Ha.)
A rechargeable leaf shredder. Advances in battery technology have made rechargeable hand-held blower/vacs lighter in weight with a longer running time. Look for a unit that has a swap-out funnel for sucking up leaves (these will all come with a shoulder held collection bag). Look also for a good warranty and if you’re lucky you might find a package that has two rechargeable batteries inside. Note: Some units are sold without the battery; make sure it says, ‘includes battery and charger’. A great way to collect and shred your leaves without bending over. Santa says, “bending is for chumps!”
For deer, a motion-activated sprinkler for spring, summer and fall, and “The Wireless Deer Fence” for winter. Still sold by the inventor’s family at wireless deer fence dot com (write it down now and don’t email me for the name! You can also listen to this show again at WDIY,org and multiple podcast platforms to catch it. They’re sold in packs of three: A green stake with small electrodes at the top, and deer attractant pellets you place inside the electrodes. Install a couple of double A batteries and deer will come to the attractant, get a very mild shock and run off to eat the neighbor’s hostas. Wireless Deer Fence dot com.
