Garden Variety: Garden tools - A blog for the Mid-Atlantic gardener by The Baltimore Sun's Susan Reimer

October 31, 2009

Tool Time: FreezePruf

Like everybody else even vaguely associated with garden writing, I have received a bottle of FreezePruf in the mail.

The product, made by the people who produce Liquid Fence, is new this fall, and it is designed to increase the cold tolerance of your tender plants by 9 degrees. This includes annuals, ornamentals, fruits and vegetables.

According to its makers, the product strengthens the cell walls in the plants so that they stay in tact when the cell expands in the cold.

The goal here is not to have your tomato plants last until Thanksgiving. The goal is to protect your tender plants from one of those dreadful Arctic blasts that comes and then goes. And it is also designed to protect seedlings in the spring from a sudden cold snap.

"It is like moving 200 miles south," the manufacturer proclaims.

"Like anti-freeze for your plants," is a less appetizing claim.

The weather has been wet but warmish here in my part of Zone 7. But I am going to apply FreezePruf to a few of the tender plants on my deck and in my borders, and wait for that first frosty night. The application should last six weeks, according to the manufacturer.

I will let you know how it works.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden tools

October 6, 2009

"Reel" time update

I've updated my post on Fiskars new reel lawn mower, including a picture and the expected price.

Take a look.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

October 3, 2009

Tool Time: Fiskars Reel Mower

Fiskars reel mower

Photo courtesy of Fiskars

My advice to my married women friends has always been: Never learn how to use the lawn mower. Claim ignorance if you are simply asked to move it out of the way in the garage.

Touch the lawn mower once, and it will be yours forever. Mow the lawn once, and you will be the default lawn mower henceforth.

Not a danger, frankly, in my house. My husband loves to mow his lawn and takes great pride in the result.

The only arguments about the lawn come when I try to turn more of it into gardens. He thinks of himself as Chamberlain and the lawn as the Rheinland. You can guess what part I play in his little WW II analogy.

But what if the lawn mower is really cute? (The machine, ladies, not the young guy pushing it.)

That's certainly the case for the new Fiskars reel mower. It is a real mower. And very energy efficient. And no one - woman, wife or reluctant teen-ager - can claim it is too difficult to operate.

But it takes a regular lawn mower (a person as opposed to the machine) to evaluate it, and I clearly don't have the credentials. I asked Joe Lamp'l (aka Joe Gardener, PBS gardening host) to give me his assessment. He spent some time pushing it around at the recent Garden Writers Association meeting in Raleigh.

Here's his evaluation.

OK, there are a lot of fill-in-the-blanks for the following: You know you’re an adult when…
For me, this weekend it was the following: "you come home from several days out of town and the first thing you do is mow your grass…not because it needs it, but because you have this new awesome reel mower you just can’t wait to try!"
Yup, I admit it. I couldn’t wait to get home. I had driven to the annual Garden Writer symposium and was able to score one of the brand new Reel Mowers that Fiskars was unveiling to the 600 members of the media in attendance. Having an empty pickup truck bed made for an easy haul home.
Now for the record, I’ve been a fan of reel mowers for several years, but frankly, they’ve all had their share of limitations that have kept me from fully embracing them. That is, until now. This baby cuts as high as I need, is easy to push, doesn’t jam on small twigs and cuts like all the other Fiskars tools I’ve come to know and love.
So goodbye gas mower and other reel models. I’m a one-mower man now, and it was true love at first sight!"

Looks like Fiskars will roll out (forgive the pun) its new line of reel mowers in time for the next lawn season. Lowe's will be carrying them for about $199.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Garden tools

September 29, 2009

Leaf-raking made easy

Photo courtesy of Ames True Temper

New from Ames True Temper and just in time for leaf-raking season...the Rake 'n Go.

This was one of the "cool tools" I spotted at the exhibition of new products at the Garden Writers Association convention in Raleigh.

So light you can hang it from a tab on the handle on a hook in your garage, you simply flip it open, rake in the leaves and wheel it where you need it to go. Kick stand and wheel locks keep it securely stationed at the perfect angle for easy filling.

It holds about three 39-gallon leaf bags and costs about $55 and is available at Sam's Club.

It also looks ideal for collecting garden debris during the spring and fall, when clean-up is so daunting.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden tools

September 5, 2009

Tool Time: Potlifter

potlifter

Heavy lifting is a big part of gardening, especially when the seasons change. This is a gadget that looks like it can help.

Though it is called a "potlifter," it can lift other heavy objects, too, such as bags, tree root balls, firewood, rocks and whatever else will test your back.

You need a partner, but the flexible noose and straps can make their way around awkwardly shaped objects, with handles that look easy to grip. And it stores in a simple canvas bag.

You can buy a potlifter at Behnke's Nurseries stores in Beltsville and Potomac. You can also order on line at potlifter.com. It costs $24.95.

Photo courtesy of Potlifter

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

August 29, 2009

Tool time: Time to turn back your sundial

how to set a sundial

Photo credit: David Perry/Lexington Herald-Leader

Yes, I have a sundial in my garden.

Like a birdbath, a sundial is an essential piece of garden architecture.

Not that I know how to tell time with one. I mean, mine is even in the shade!

So, when I found these directions for "setting" a sundial, I thought I'd share.

Like Daylight Savings Time, the time for re-setting your sundial is approaching - Sept. 1. (And Dec. 24, April 15 and June 15.)

Here's what to do:

Choose a level spot, in full sun.

Place the sundial so the shadow arm (the gnomon) is pointed toward the celestial north, not the magnetic north of the compass. The simplest way to find celestial north is to position the sundial at noon. Turn it so that the shadow of the gnomon falls directly on the mark representing noon.

You are now on "sun time."

To maintain the accuracy of the sundial, recalibrate it on one of the above dates, when the sun time and the clock time agree.

(Special thanks to Weekend Gardener for their sundial tips.)

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden tools

August 15, 2009

Tool time: Haws watering can

kon-tent

Photo courtesy of Ross Svebak

Ross Svebak, a lifestyle blogger from Minnesota, pays tribute to the Haws watering can in a recent post.

You know these watering cans, even if you don't know the maker. They have the long arm and the upside-down watering head.

He says he resisted buying one for years because he thought they were the stuff of snooty gardeners, but then received one as a gift.

He writes a bit of history about the Haws company, too, which began with John Haws application for a patent in 1885. Check it out.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden tools

August 1, 2009

Tool time: rain barrels

Garden Variety

I love my rain barrel.

It saves time and energy - I don't have to drag the hose onto the deck to water my containers - and it makes me feel like a good person.

My rain barrel sits in the corner of my deck, collecting run-off from a cut-off downspout there. There is a screen over the top to keep the debris from clogging things up, and there is a short hose with a spigot that runs out of the bottom. I fill my watering can from there.

The rain barrel easily fills up from just a cloudburst or a drizzle. A 1,000-square-foot roof will give up more than 300 gallons of water with just a half-inch of rain. My rain barrel holds only about 75 gallons, so you can see why I think I should have one positioned at each corner of the house.

According to Kathy LaLiberte, writing for Gardener's Supply, plants love rainwater because it is soft and it doesn't have chlorine or other chemicals. She writes that just 10 inches of rain in spring and summer would yield 8,160 gallons of water. You'd need a swimming pool to capture all that water, and, indeed, that's what my neighbor Bob has - the hose from his rain barrel runs into his pond.

In Annapolis, where I live, my water bill is adjusted each summer to reflect the fact that any increased water consumption is probably going to the lawn and gardens and not through the sewage treatment plant.

That's a real saving - I pay the average of my fall, winter and spring bills - but not many municipalities offer that kind of break.

A good friend's father lives outside Denver, Colo., where drought is common and water is precious. He is charged a hefty penalty if he uses more than his allotment each month.

As a result, he and his wife collect every drop they use - from the kitchen sink to the shower - and use that to water their modest vegetable garden and their perennials. A rain barrel doesn't do much good when there is no rain.

That's the case at my house, too. During summer dry spells, the rain barrel empties quickly and stays empty. That's when the hose comes out.

And I have to drain it in the winter and keep it drained. I am afraid it will freeze and crack its plastic shell.

You can construct your own rain barrel, or you can purchase one from a catalog company like Gardener's Supply, which has several styles ranging in price from about $30 to almost $300. Some of the urns are downright attractive.

You might be able to get one from your local government or a "green" organization for free or at a great discount.

Get yourself a rain barrel. It will make you feel good about yourself.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Garden tools

June 13, 2009

Tool Time: Gel-e handles

OXO Gel-e garden scoop Any cook who knows her way around a kitchen is familiar with OXO, makers of ergonomically correct gadgets that are easy on the hands.

The OXO designs are so noteworthy that a couple of their products are in New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

OXO has made its way out to the garden with a new line of Gel-e garden tools. Like the kitchen gadgets, these are easy on the hands. And, in the case of the kneeling pad, easy on the knees.

The Gel-e tools use a gel material in the tools' soft, non-slip handle. The gel flexes to provide cushioning when digging. The blue tint of the gel helps the tools stand out in the garden.

OXO makes a Gel-e scoop, trowel, transplanting trowel, weeder and fork. Priced from about $12 to $14.

Photo courtesy of OXO

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

June 6, 2009

Tool Time: yard cart

In one of my spring garden columns in The Sun, I gave a list of my favorite garden tools, and I included a garden cart. Smaller than a wheelbarrow and easier to maneuver, it is perfect for carrying tools, something to drink and garden waste.

Here's a look at a couple of carts that you can find at Sam's Club this summer, or at Lifetime.com.

Sam's Club Yard Cart This Yard Cart (SRP: $179.98) serves as a heavy-duty wheelbarrow that converts to a towable yard trailer in a matter of seconds. It can be pulled behind all types of lawn tractors, and is great for transporting large loads of topsoil, lumber and building materials.

Continue reading "Tool Time: yard cart" »

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Categories: Garden tools

May 30, 2009

Tool Time: Watering Wand

I feel silly mentioning this - considering all the rainfall we've had - but it is time to talk about watering your gardens.

The best way to do this is to imitate the rain we just had - gentle and soaking. Watering this way prevents soil erosion and it will also limit the runoff of fertilizers that you may have applied.

A watering wand, like these made by Dramm, is the best tool for watering. They sell for between $15 and $25.

Gardeners complain, however, that wands aren't very durable, so it pays to be as gentle with them as you are with your plants.

The other bad news? You wouldn't want to sleep in a puddle, and neither do your plants. You have time to water in the evening, after work, but the time you should be watering is in the morning, before work.

So, set your alarm.

Photo courtesy of Dramm

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

May 23, 2009

Tool Time: garden work bench

Photo credit: Susan Reimer

You've seen them in fancy garden magazines and even fancier garden catalogs.

Garden workbenches, with drawers, a dirt sink, shelves for pots, and a latticework backstop on which to hang tools.

They can cost hundreds of dollars and take up quite a bit of space.

Or not.

A couple of years ago, my extremely clever brother-in-law, Jeff, was in town for a visit and crafted for me out of some old wood this garden bench.

No dirt sink. No drawers. No lattice work. Only one little shelf near the ground.

But it is all I need for potting plants in the spring and for the occasional messy chore. It keeps me from getting all sorts of dirt and junk on the picnic table on the deck.

I leave it out all winter and it has aged nicely. It is small enough to go almost unnoticed. Even my grass-loving husband doesn't need to make much of an arc around it when he mows.

Perfect.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden tools

May 16, 2009

Tool time: GardenHog

GardenHog and Garden Shark, courtesy of Amazon.com

When it comes to advice on the best garden tools, it pays to ask a gardener. Or, in this case, a garden blogger.

Two new rakes, the Garden Shark and it's half brother, the GardenHog, are getting good reviews from Genevieve Schmidt, author of the blog, North Coast Gardening, with a hearty second from Amy Stewart at Garden Rant.

The tines on the Garden Shark are curved, the better to hold onto material. It is recommended for dethatching your lawn and for smoothing mulch on garden beds.

The GardenHog has even longer tines and is recommended for raking wet leaves and small bits of brush.

Genevieve did some heavy duty testing of the second one spreading mulch and compost and liked it enough to say that it is going to replace her old iron bow rake because it is less tiring to use.

Here's part of what she had to say: "The rake head is also angled ergonomically and the handle’s lighter-weight, so I had to bend less and use less muscle when smoothing the mulch piles over the ground."

The rakes are made by Radius and go for about $28 on Amazon.

Thanks, ladies!

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden tools

May 9, 2009

Tool Time: OFF! Clip-On

For me, the gardening stops when the mosquitos start. And considering the heavy rains we've had and all the standing water, the mosquitoes have a running start.

I found this week's favorite tool in the grocery store. Off! has manufactured a clip-on dispenser that dispenses with applications of insect repellent to your skin.

It appears to work like one of those plug-in room deodorizers. A little fan circulates the repellent around you from head to toe. Clip it on your belt while you garden or sit it next to you on the deck. Each refill gives up to 12 hours of protection. Each refill has to be used within 14 days of opening.

Go to the Off! Web site and you can get a coupon for a free refill (which costs about $5) and see a video of how the clip-on works.

My only thought is this - if you spend lots of hours in the garden, this could get expensive. But if you have ever missed a spot with spray or liquid insect repellents, you can see the advantage of this little gadget.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

May 2, 2009

Tool Time: watering globe

This garden helper comes under the heading of pretty and practical.

It is ideal for keeping potted plants watered when you’re away or when you’re just too busy to check on them. It holds 24 ounces of water, enough to keep a large pot hydrated for a week. Simply push the 7.5-inch “smart pottery” ceramic stake into the soil. The ceramic stake slowly releases water into the soil as plants need it.

The hand-blown clear fluted globe has a decorative blue finial that allows you to remove the globe from the stake for easy refilling.

It costs $24.95 and is available from Logee’s Tropical plants, www.logees.com, 1-888-330-8038.

Photo credit: Logees

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Garden tools

April 25, 2009

Tool Time: EasyBloom plant sensor

Ask, and ye shall receive.

I wrote in a column in The Sun on my favorite garden tools that I was itching to try the EasyBloom Plant Sensor. Stick it in the ground, come back 24 hours later, plug it into a USB port on your computer and you get a list of plants best suited to that location.

But at $60, it seemed too rich for my blood.

Well, that column came to the attention of the EasyBloom people and they sent me one to test.

I need to know what I can put in place of my astilbe, which keep dying and leaving a big bare spot in my shade garden.

But the shade garden isn't shaded yet - the giant linden tree hasn't leafed out - and part of what the sensor records is sunlight.

So I passed the EasyBloom off to my friend Betsy, who is putting in a new bed under a towering pine tree. She has shade issues and acid issues and, probably, drought issues. I figured Betsy would give the EasyBloom a good workout.

Here's her report.

Continue reading "Tool Time: EasyBloom plant sensor" »

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

April 11, 2009

Tool Time: garden camera

I was working in the garden the other day and turned my back on the hostas.

When I turned back to them again, I swear the spikes had grown an inch and begun to unfurl.

That's how fast things grow in April in our Zone 7. A couple of warm days and you don't recognize your garden. My Japanese ferns have appeared out of absolutely nowhere!

Now there is just the garden tool I need to prove my point.

Elizabeth Licata, who blogs on the very popular Garden Rant, writes about a time-lapse garden video camera, and she describes it as a as a charmingly extravagant garden tool we'd love to have.

At $160, it certainly is!

Sold by Hammacher Schlemmer, it takes photos from as close as 20 inches, to show an individual flower develop, to as far away as a 54-inch field of view, to show your whole garden emerge.

It can take up to 18,000 pictures, every 5 seconds up to every 24 hours, for as long as four months.

Go to the company's Web site, and you can watch a video of what I think is an African violet emerge.

Photo courtesy of Hammacher Schlemmer.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Garden tools

April 4, 2009

Tool Time: EarthBox

It doesn't have the charm of an Italian earthenware container planted with a mix of, say, cherry tomatoes, basil and peppers, but it could be the answer for patio gardeners who just want results.

It is the EarthBox, a plastic container with a refillable water reservoir, a special fertilizing procedure and covers to protect the soil from disease.

It was developed by a Florida farmer frustrated by poor growing conditions and it has been so successful that the United Nations is distributed EarthBoxes in developing countries to help improve agricultural production.

It can be used to raise anything from herbs and lettuces to tomoatoes, peppers. eggplant and even corn - just about any vegetable you'd grow in the garden. Flowers, too.

The kit, which costs about $60, comes with a growing medium that requires less fertilizer and yet is reputed to produce abundant crops. The box cover prevents evaporation and protects the soil from contamination. The box also rests on casters so you can move it in and out of the sun on your deck or patio.

It appears to be ideal for the condo or apartment gardener.

For more information, as well as a video demonstration, visit the EarthBox Web site.

Photo courtesy of EarthBox.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

March 28, 2009

Tool Time

The editors at Garden Design magazine are recommending the first hand-held wire trimmer powered by a standard 16.4-ounce propane canister instead of gasoline.

Environmentally friendly with zero evaporative emissions, and this weed trimmer has no messy gasoline spills, with the resulting evaporating carcinogens. Propane also burns much cleaner than gasoline and has a much longer shelf-life than gasoline's 45 days.

And propane is produced domestically in North America, so it isn't necessary for the United States to import tanker ships full of liquid propane.

In addition, with this weed trimmer there are no messy mixing of oil and gas, no winterizing, lower maintenance and fuel costs. Standard propane containers are also readily available.

In addition, the company has a propane-powered leaf-blower/mulcher.

Learn more at golehr.com.

Photo courtesy of Lehr

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Garden tools

March 21, 2009

Tool Time

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a column in The Baltimore Sun listing my favorite – make that indispensable – garden tools.

Then I went out to work in the garden and realized I’d forgotten a very important one – my adjustable rake.

The steel tines on this 1½-pound leaf rake expand to 21 inches wide for yard-size cleanups or squeeze down to 7 inches for digging stray leaves out of tight spots around shrubbery. Its handle also collapses from 69 to 35 inches so you can tuck it neatly out of the way.

Made by Amleo, it costs less than $20 and is available in lawn and garden centers.

Tell the rest of us about your favorite garden tool. Or are you like me and use the same garden knife for just about every job, short of opening a bottle of wine at the end of a day in the garden.

I'll choose at random from among your responses and send you one of the cool tools that have come across my desk as The Baltimore Sun's garden columnist. The catch is, you have to send me your e-mail address so I can contact you. Don't worry. I won't share it with anyone else.

Posted by Susan Reimer at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Garden tools

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