Garden Supplies News » Garden Gadgets

Garden Gadgets,Topsy Turveys And A Weed Whacker

hughe — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 10:23:35 +0000

Garden gadgets always remind me of fishermens’ lures which often seem to be designed to catch the angler rather than the fish. But whenever I see a list of the latest garden gadgets I have to take a look to see if there is anything new and of practical use. Today I have found a short list containing five products. Lawn aerator shoes, soil test kits and a push lawn mower have all been around for ever, but the Wearable Gardening Stool is one that I have not seen before. The one product that did sound rather geeky was the High Tech Plant Examining Glasses which allow you to detect whether your grass or greenery is struggling long before it can be seen with the naked eye. Read more..

One gadget that has been around for several years is the upside-down tomato planter or Topsy Turvy which is the name that Linden Staciokas uses to describe them. The idea was that diseases and insects don’t attack upside down crops as often as right side up crops, but there are some downsides to this technique as this article explains. Read more..

September brings falling leaves which have to be raked up, bagged and sent to the municipal compost piles. Rather than disposing of your leaves, why not convert them into a fine mulch to use around your plants? I found this tip for a novel way to use your weed wacker. Read more..

15 Gadgets For Indoor Gardeners

hughe — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:12:22 +0000

As readers of this blog will know I am always on the lookout for new gardening gadgets and am constantly amazed at some of the weird and wonderful creations that are offered for sale. Today I found a list of “15 Gadgets To Keep Your Indoor Plants Alive”. Top of the list is the O2 Air Purifier which accelerates photosynthesis for more oxygen and so promotes optimal growth. It also lets you know when the plant needs more water.

A common feature of many of the gadgets on the list is the provision of information. For instance numbers two and nine monitor the moisture level in the soil and send a message to your cell phone when it begins to dry out. Surely a more practical approach would be for the sensor to activate an automatic watering system rather than just issuing a cry for help, but that would be less geeky.

Perhaps one of the more practical objects is number three, the plant robot which moves around your room to ensure that your plant receives the maximum amount of sunlight. Another is the Soil and Sun Probe which I have seen before. This is an electronic probe that you stick into the soil so that it can analyze the conditions for that particular spot. You then plug it into your USB port and it will suggest plants that will suit the conditions.

Further down the list you will find the expanding flower pot and the self watering umbrella stand. You can find the full list here.

One item that was not included in the list of fifteen is the “Grow Your Own Beer Garden kit”, surely far more useful than many of the above!

Source

Basil, Berries and De-Lawning Plus Gadgets

hughe — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:49:13 +0000

Just over a month ago I featured a report calling for us to scrap the lawn and today there is another. This comes from an article quoting Susan McCoy from the Garden Media Group who tells us what is trendy this year. “The rewards of growing your own—basil, berries or flowers—are boundless” she says “and people are looking increasingly to their plots of green, little or large, to recharge, and reap the benefits both aesthetic and, often, edible”.

Losing the lawn or de-lawning is the current trend “to reduce or eliminate a green pit of wasted time, money and space”. Recycle rainwater, think vertically, go native with plants are other directions in which we should be moving. Read more..

I love reading about garden gadgets, and enjoy pouring scorn on some of the complicated and expensive products that are produced to perform functions that are far easier if done in the traditional way. But today I have found a useful gadget, a folding wheelbarrow which is ideal if you have limited storage space. On the same page you will find some other interesting ideas including a wheelbarrow chair. Read more..

Then here’s the Gadget of the Week – “By sharpening the normally dull sides of a pruning sheer, the Fiskars Garden Multi-Tool ($20) brings Leatherman-like convergence to your prized plants. One side is serrated for tough wood, while the other is a plenty-sharp knife. While we love the added functionality, be warned: You may be used to grabbing regular sheers by the blade, but one squeeze of these could be enough to keep your hands out of the garden until harvest. fiskars.com.”

Source

And finally here is what I would describe as the ultimate geeky gadget – the Blossoming Garden Solar Light. “This motorized flower blooms every single morning and closes up at night”. Read more..

Forest Gardens And Talking Weeds

hughe — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:52:13 +0000

: Image via Wikipedia

Willie Chance who is now retired from UGA Extension in Houston County says that he knows of no reason not to talk to your plants, but suggests you stop if they begin to talk back. In fact he is making a serious point that although you will not hear what they are saying, if you use your eyes you will see that your weeds are giving you a clear message. For instance the appearance of certain weeds in your lawn can show you what you need to do to remedy the situation. Read more..

Many people are talking about a second Great Depression and Terry Johnson writes a somewhat gloomy article outlining the problems that may lie ahead. Although you can grow your own fruit and vegetables, he suggests that this may not be so easy as the cost of fuel and fertilizer rises to make this uneconomic. But he has the answer – a sustainable, self-renewing, low input food forest garden. Read more..

On a lighter note here is someone who is really into garden gadgets: “Gardening and lawn care is so much more fun when you have all the latest gadgets and tools. You know you are truly prepared when you step outside in your lawn aerator shoes and wearable garden stool, rolling your pecan picker upper, with your trusty power drill auger at your hip! If you are the type of person who loves gadgets and gizmos as much as you love gardening, then you are in the right place. Make sure you are not missing out on any new gardening equipment that you did not know you could not live without!” Read more..

Cuttings, Gadgets and Escargots

hughe — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:51:00 +0000

Why is it that whenever you take a particular fancy to a plant or shrub that you have read about or seen in a neighbor’s garden, you find that your local garden center does not sell that variety? In “Growing new plants from old” Maureen FitzPatrick suggests a way round this problem by reminding us of the gentle art of taking cuttings. This is a useful article full of practical tips. Read more..

Slugs and snails are one of the more annoying garden pests because of the damage they cause to flowers and vegetables. I listen to a weekly radio program where a panel of gardening experts answer questions sent in by listeners. Last week the panel were surprised to be asked how to encourage snails into the garden. It turned out that the questioner enjoyed eating escargots and wanted to be able to “grow his own”. In case you are interested here is the recipe for a snail farm. Take an old laundry basket and place inside some plant pots for cover and soil for the eggs. Provide water and feed your stock lettuce and paper. Bon apetit!

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk

I’ve found a couple more garden gadgets, both solar powered so with green credentials. Depending on your point of view the first one is either exceptionally cool or the height of tackiness. “The Amazing Solar Powered Whirling Sunflower” – when the sun shines it spins! Wow!
The second gadget is more practical. If these “Garden Solar Insect Zappers” work as claimed, then they sound like a worthwhile investment.

And finally the August issue of my monthly newsletter Garden Ramblings is now online.

Fashion, Gadgets And Green Savings

hughe — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 10:25:08 +0000

Every gardener needs tools and we all have our favorites, but we don’t all make an exclusive selection from around the world and list them for sale on our website. But this is what Dianne Benson from East Hampton has done. Her “Ten Garden Greats” include clippers from Japan, gardening shoes from France and hand made stainless steel shovels from Idaho. Number ten on her list is a garden tie called “Better-Than-Twine” which comes from the UK. Read more..

On a rather more high tech level are these “10 brilliant gadgets for your garden”. There’s an Alligator cordless powered lopper with Ni-Cad battery powered jaws that turn branches into wood chippings, with up to 150 3.5cm cuts per hour. The Toro 3-in-1 Recycler Mower gives you the choice of either spinning the cuttings in to a regular grass bag, or chewing them up and spitting them out as a mulch. And for relaxing there’s a gas barbecue and outdoor sound system. And perhaps the ultimate gadget, a completely autonomous robot mower with its own built in solar panel, enabling it to recharge itself when not in use. Read more..

Back to reality and Carol Oneal writing in the Mail Tribune has some suggestions on ways to save money in the garden. Recycle and save some “green” is her motto and she starts with a plastic gallon milk jug which can be used in four different ways. Using old pantyhose to make ties is one that we’ve all heard before, but I’m not sure if cutting up a discarded venetian blind for plant labels is really worth the effort. Read more..

Mowing the lawn is not everyone’s favorite task, so how would you like to give up your grass and be paid for it into the bargain? If you live in LA this is now on offer. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has begun a cash-for-grass program. Single-family homes served by the DWP will be eligible to receive $1 for every square foot of turf that they replace with less thirsty alternatives. Las Vegas has had a similar scheme for years and, as a result, has saved almost a tenth of its annual water supply. Read more..

Hanging Tomatoes and Cool Intruders

hughe — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:23:34 +0000

The upside down tomato planter is a gadget that I have mentioned once or twice before. It is a type of hanging basket in which the tomato plants grow out of the base of the container. The idea is that the plants require no staking and are kept clear from the ground and away from any pests. I’ve never tried this myself, but Sonja Smith
writing in the San Jose Gardening Examiner describes her experience of using a similar product called the Tomato tree. Read more..

Another gadget that caught my eye is this Garden Shower. Just what you need to cool off after a hot day in the sun. The shower consists of a 30 inch diameter disc that is completely portable. Just hook it up to your garden hose and step on the pad to activate the jets. Read more..

One gadget that would be really useful and would be the answer to every gardener’s prayers would be one that kept cats out of your garden. Numerous methods have been suggested but I have yet to find one that is truly effective. Listening to the radio the other day I heard of a novel suggestion that was said to be absolutely foolproof. Make a noise like an elephant and cats disappear in a flash.

Talking of four footed intruders a few months ago I found this cheeky fellow sunbathing in the flowerbed. He let me get quite close before he slowly strolled away.

Perhaps it wasn’t a “he” after all because look who came to show off her family.

I had to take the picture through the window so as not to disturb them and that is why the photo is rather fuzzy.

No related posts.