Homegrown: Gifts for gardeners

The following is by Linn County Master Gardener Jane Schildroth:

Many of us are shopping now for holiday gifts and there are many gardeners who will be the recipient of well-intentioned, but not terribly useful gift items.  Colorful do-dads and pretty hats are possibilities, but a “seasoned” gardener might appreciate something that will be functional and keep them active much longer.  Think of what your recipient needs now and also consider what may be useful in the future.  There is a huge range of choices and therefore prices, too.  Observation and creativity can go a long way!

 A gardener always needs gloves – lots of gloves.  Everyone has a preference, so if it's possible to snoop a bit, you'll learn if your gardener prefers cloth, leather or some combination – and what size.  Kneelers or kneeling benches are joint-savers and large-grip tools make the work so much easier.  These should be lightweight and some may have handles that make it possible to work from a standing position.  One example is a long-handled bulb planter which can also be used to plant small vegetable and flower plants while standing.  Check garden centers and on-line sources as well.

 Another idea is a two-way action hoe that has blades that cut off weeds under the soil on both the push and the pull stroke.  Rotating blades on another type of hoe will till the soil between the plant rows.  A row seeder will make planting much easier for your veggie gardener because it is pushed along, dropping seeds exactly where they are intended.  Tools that utilize two hands will spread the work over more muscles and joints.

 Raised beds would be a generous and thoughtful gift for almost any gardener because the kneeling and bending will be considerably reduced.  Any height is okay and the edges can be designed to sit or kneel on comfortably.  Maybe at the holiday you could present a picture of a raised bed and then show up in the spring to do the construction.  One of my own favorite gardening gifts is still my potting bench.  Having an area at the proper height to work on transplanting – a great investment that has saved my back hours of stooping.

 Ideas could go on and on – such as a 2012 Gardening Calendar that can be purchased at the Linn County Extension office or ordered online here: https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=4127.                      

 Whatever you choose to give, be sure it's something that will help the receiver keep gardening well into the future.  Think of it as the compost turning tool that keeps on giving…….year after year.