I never quite "got" the purpose of an almanac until I took up fishing as a sideline hobby. I invested in some decent rods and reels, bought tackle on a par with the groceries and spent copious amounts of time gazing into the bay. Some days were good while others ...well, they could have been spent more productively watching the grass grow.

Needless to say, guys who fish also talk. One of my fish-story-swapping-mates decided that I needed a fishing almanac and swore that it had helped him immeasurably and that I needed one too. Not wanting to miss out on the abundance that awaited me I made sure I picked up the latest copy with my next tackle order.

It was completely fascinating. High tides, low tides, full moons, no moons and the predictive "best" time to place a rod in the water. It even told you when to stay at home and put your feet up for the fishing that day was going to be ordinary at best.

As a newbie who had just discovered some ancient key I studied it dutifully. If the almanac showed that it was a bad day, I'd stay at home. If it were good, you would find me on the end of a rod somewhere facing into the ocean.

The question you're begging to ask is, "Did it work?" Yes, and no. Sometimes the predictions were right and sometimes they were wrong. Sometimes the fish weren't biting even when all the stars were aligned properly, my tongue was held the correct way and the moon couldn't have got any bigger. I even ventured out on a few of those "bad days" and caught a bundle.

So, do almanacs work then or are they just 'baloney'?

In a strict sense of what an almanac is, it is merely a forecast of prevailing conditions. Our study of the moon phases, tides, sunrises and sets and planetary movements has led us to understand some of the basic concepts of creation and an ordered universe that is fairly predictable. These events have helped us predict the weather, fishing times, plant growing conditions and even "presumably" relationship cycles.

However, an almanac is really just a best guess of what these events may affect. It's like looking on the horizon and seeing a rain cloud, expecting rain, and then finding that it dissipates before it reaches you. We can make assumptions of what may occur from these events but it's not pure science. Heck, the weather guy has a tough job forecasting what tomorrow may bring let alone what will happen over the next twelve months.

While a farmer's almanac may seem like the most crucial piece of gardening hardware it really is no better than a weathervane on your roof, a barometer in the shed and a calendar with the phases of the moon dispayed upon it.

I know that some gardeners swear by these almanacs but I'm sure if you were to ask them to show you a record of where they worked and didn't it would show that the almanac was not completely infallible. So, are they worth it? I think they have their place just as much as watching the weather guy try and explain his forecasts helps us plan our todays and tomorrows. But, I wouldn't let them control what I do, and don't do, in the garden.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

The humble garden hedge trimmer has come a long way since serfs shaped their privet hedges with a pair of oversized scissors. Even in that department the tools have adapted over the years and garden shears have morphed into something quite indistinguishable. Their ergonomic handles, self-sharpening blades and power-lever cutting action takes all the effort out of pruning hedges these days.

But, if that wasn't enough then came the advent of the power-tool generation where every tool had to come equipped with a motor - we're still waiting for Felco to power up their F-9's. The laborious job of hedge trimming was transformed into a sculptors dream when the new shears on the block took centre stage.

They first came in the form of a Gas Powered Hedge Trimmer (aff.) but have now started being manufactured as electric as well. While the electric versions are cheaper, and well within most budgets, they have their own set of cons as well.

Primarily the biggest problem with an electric hedge trimmer is it's mobility. If you have a larger than normal block size then trying to maneouvre your trimmer around it will send you off for some psychaitric counselling when you've finished. These trimmers are made for smaller suburban blocks, or units, where a power cord can easily traverse the terrain.

For those of us with larger properties the only way to go is a petrol hedge trimmer. As they don't require to be plugged in anywhere their mobility is greatly increased.

Tips on buying a petrol hedge trimmer

1. Size of the blade - most home trimmers offer a range of 19-22 inch blades. This is a useful size for most home hedges and means that the machine won't be too heavy to handle. Commercial models, or those that you may need for larger hedges, offer up to 30" blades. The more expensive versions offer dual reciprocating blades - meaning that you get two cuts with every action - while the cheaper options only offer a single action blade.


2. Size of the engine - obviously, these size of the engine needs to be in direct proportion to the size of the blade. Therefore, when your hunting for a trimmer compare blade sizes and the accompaning motor size. For instance, if the blade is 21 inches then you're usually better off with a 25cc engine than a 22.5cc motor. NB. This isn't always the case but it's certainly a good rule of thumb.


3. CARB Compliant - CARB stands for the California Air Resource Board whose stringent air quality standards have been adopted throughout many US states. If the hedge trimmer is CARB compliant then it means it meets these standards.


4. Noise Emissions - any power tool is going to make some noise so always wear earmuffs when working with them. However, great strides have been made in the home category of power tools and you may want to compare decibel (dB) ratings of different machines for your neighbours sake.


5. Price - the final, but probably the most important consideration, is price. If two machines stack up well against each other then paying more for it seems a little unwise. Unless, of course, there is some other perceived advantage - eg. brand, warranty, manufacturing country etc.

Once you've purchased your petrol hedge trimmer maintaining it then becomes the main issue. Drain any residual fuel when resting it over the winter months and oil the blades to keep them from rusting.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gardeners are very savvy when it comes to garden tools. We know which one performs the task the best and how hard a job becomes when you don't have the right one. We can probably even list the exact ones that our collection is missing.

Yet when a job just needs to get done it needs to get done. So we'll often substitute another tool in its place knowing full well the risks associated - from blisters to broken tools.

The concern now is partly related to the Financial Crisis that seems to be ebbing its way into our lives. While most times a substituted tool will perform a task quite well, the risk now is that gardeners may opt for improvising some of their collection to get even more "mileage" out of them. And nothing is more concerning when this involves power tools.

This concern became a reality when a UK man was killed after modifying his angle grinder. The man had fitted an angle grinder with a toothed circular saw blade in an attempt to remove a tree stump in his yard.

The inquest into his death finished this month with the coroner concluding, "He chose to use that circular saw blade instead of a chain saw, which would have been the more appropriate implement..." An even better tool for the job might have been a stump grinder with a professional attached to the control panel but when you're trying to save a few dollars it makes improvising your own tools a little more tempting, doesn't it?

And herein lies the concern - the temptation to save a few quid will often justify our actions to make our garden tools attempt tasks that they were never created to perform.

To avoid this the options then become;

• Take the most expensive route and hire a professional.


• Buy the tool that's needed.


• Borrow, or hire, the tool - provided it hasn't been compromised, or


• Leave the job for another day when you may be a little more flush with cash.

Considering the alternative - death or at least serious injury - the risk of improvising your garden tools takes a definite back seat to the options above.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

A vertical garden shed is one of those very logical storage systems that seem to surface every few years or so. You know the ones...once they start being advertised you begin asking yourself where they've been all your life.

For many home gardeners space is becoming a premium commodity. While you may have been accumulating all those garden tools over the years having somewhere to store them means parting with garden beds - and that ain't gonna to happen!

[Enter stage left the vertical garden shed] This storage facility (aff.) can easily fit under the eaves of your dwelling - a location where growing plants is almost impossible anyway - and can be kept tucked out of view away from the garden you want to display.

While the garden shed is still the ideal and there are ways to organise your garden tools without a shed, both have problems. The former takes up space while the latter may, over time, ruin your tools.

So a vertical garden shed seems to fit in the middle of these issues and presents a genuine option to remedy the situation. Depending on how much eave space you have may dictate how large a vertical shed you could accomodate. The larger the shed the more tools you can store.

Regardless of size, these sheds are perfect for storing the basic garden tools: hoes, rakes, shovels and spades, a mattock, plus a spot for your garden tool belt and even your garden clogs. Even the smallest of these vertical garden sheds could house a small push mower if you have a postcard lawn to tend.

These sheds are so versatile you could even locate one next to your allotment, if that's how you garden. They can be locked via padlock-able doors and secured to a concrete base through a few well-placed dyna-bolts. They offer gardeners many more options than constructing a garden shed and are much more portable should you need to vacate your allotment or rented premises.

What to look for when buying a vertical garden shed?

• Weather and Climate Tolerance - these sheds are predominantly constructed from high-density polyethylene which offers some great benefits when it comes to weathering the extremes of our climates. However, there are some cheaper alternatives made from less durable materials that won't give you the longevity you need.


• Vertical or Horizontal? - while vertical garden sheds are very versatile opting for a horizontal alternative may give the extra benefit of combining a garden seat at the same time.


• Actual usable storage space - if you get a vertical garden shed that is too short for your long handled tools then storing them at angles will take away some of your usable storage space. Check to ensure your tools will use this space as efficiently as possible.


• Colour - these sheds come in a range of colours so check to ensure that your preferred model gives you a colour range to match your home.


• Securability - does the shed offer lockable front doors and a way to secure it to the ground. The latter point is very important in areas where high winds can be a problem.

Now, you should be able to purchase your vertical garden shed with confidence, knowing that it will stand the test of time and provide a good option to protect your garden tools.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Apart from fighting a tangled garden hose, the next most annoying frustration for a gardener is dealing with a hose that's developed a kink. When a hose has kinked once it's more likely to repeat the problem over and over again until you throw your hands up in frustration, throw it away and go and buy a kink free hose.

Before you get to that point there is one solution that might just keep that budget hose hanging around your place a little longer.

The idea is to brace the kink much like you would try to do with a broken leg. If you can spare some of the current hose then cut of a length of about 10cm (4in) - preferably at one of the ends. Then, cut a slit lengthways along the shortened piece and slide it over the area that is kinked. This will then act as a splint for the hose and you should be able to keep watering without having to free your hose from that kink again.

If you can't spare a piece of your current garden hose, and there isn't an old one laying around the yard, then a piece of poly-tubing (black reticulation pipe) will also work just as effectively. And, if you find that neither solution has remedied the problem and the kink is far worse than expected, then a piece of PVC piping will solve the problem once and for all.

How to fix a tangled hose

Ok, now you're getting the benefit of 2 tips for the price of one!

At the start of this post, I mentioned how frustrating a tangled hose was for the home gardener. Well, there is a way to fix this too. But, before I do, I need to point out that the main reason a hose tangles is because it has been stored incorrectly. Leaving it laying on the ground in a piled up mess will certainly contribute to this problem. So, instead, go and get yourself a garden hose reel that will keep your hose in shape for the length of its natural life.

Once a hose has become tangled it's near-on impossible to revert it back in a way that's useful. But, the quickest way to make it malleable enough to put onto a hose reel is to leave it in the sun. Pull the complete hose out into an area where the sun is shining and leave for about an hour. When you come back the hose should be soft and pliable and much more willing to submit to your storage needs.

If sun isn't something you see a lot of, then try leaving the hose in a bath of hot water until it becomes just as pliable.

And there it is, a few ways to keep your garden hose working longer for you and with far less hassles. Do you know of any other tips that could alleviate gardener-hose-stress?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

Most of us gardeners have grown up using traditional pipe garden hoses - the round ones that resemble over-sized spaghetti. We've fought with the kinks, the wanton disobedience when trying to wrap them up and even questioned the amount of lead that some contain. They are the quintessential tool in our yards but they could be usurped by the growing demand for a flat garden hose.

Yes, the flat garden hose already exists - and have done so for a few decades. But their popularity has never taken off for a number of reasons. First, the initial options were cheap and of poor quality. They were very easily punctured and fittings and repair kits were either unavailable or hard to obtain. Most of the offerings were plastic and seamed with glue which meant they didn't take long to leak or rupture completely.

The second reason for their lack of market penetration as they were too darned hard to roll up. In the packet they looked "snug as a bug" but once you've used them it was like trying to get a tent back into it's original bag - not going to happen!

However, today's flat garden hose is a distant cousin - one that's less recognisable and holds fewer remnants of the family's genetic pool. Nowadays they're tougher, better constructed and have most of their problems ironed out. But can they compete with our round garden hoses?

What are the Pros and Cons of the Flat Garden Hose?

Pros:

• As their name suggests, they're flat. This makes it easier to pull out from a reel and also to pack up. Without a reel you're probably wasting your time as these will curl and contort better than a swami trying to escape a straight jacket. But their flat-ness gives them the benefit of saving space.


• They can handle being run over much better than their round counterparts. If you often have to cross a driveway with a hose and chances of it being straddled by the family car are common, then this is the hose for you.


• More resistant to kinks. They're not completely impervious to the odd kink especially if you let your children play with it but they seem to be less likely to contract this dreaded hose disease.


• Usually cheaper. For some reason it seems that the construction of round walls on a garden hose require more architecture and therefore increase the price. These flat alternatives offer just as strong construction but without all the fabric inlays that keep normal hoses round.

Cons:

• One of the big downsides of the flat garden hose is the ease in which it can be punctured. The prong of a garden fork may bounce off a round hose but it will always sink deep into the surface area of the flat option. Most hoses are becoming tougher these days but it still pays to be mindful where they in the garden.


• Flat garden hoses don't go around corners too well. Obviously due to their shape they're not as maneuverable as their round peers so meandering through garden beds, landscape features and the like can often be fraught with problems - and make them more vulnerable punctures. In a straight line these hoses are perfect but corners and curves seem to throw them a little.

Storing a flat garden hose

As mentioned earlier, trying to store a flat garden hose without a reel is almost not worth the effort. They are very difficult to keep in any orderly form without one but are much easier to store than a round hose when a reel is provided. Like any hose, the flat option is best stored away from harmful UV rays and out of the weather.

Provided you look after it well, a flat garden hose should last as long, if not longer, than the traditional round hose.

UPDATE:

I've added a new page completely dedicated to flat garden hoses at my Garden Hose Astore if you're interested in seeing what products are now available.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

When it comes to making compost I'm not the complete purist. Often my compost heap will incorporate a raft of objects that don't belong and have little, to no, chance of ever breaking down. Items such as; kids toys that are inadvertently picked up by the lawn mower, shards of plastic from numerous sources, nails and screws that got missed in the sawdust and a plethora of other bits and pieces.

Not only these but sticks that the electric chipper spat out instead of mulching, large blobs of paper that merged together instead of composting and hunks of manure that wouldn't separate, remain. The final compost heap, while perfect for the garden beds, can look unsightly and be hard to manipulate through the soil.

This is the reason I built my own compost screen and Sunday was the first day that I got to try it out. I built the frame months ago but trying to source the correct sized wire was a bit of a trick. It was available at our local big-box in 10m rolls (wasn't sure what I do with the other 8.5m!) at a price that could almost reignite the financial crisis. Fortunately I found a local salvage yard that sold it by the metre and at a price that would still enable me to put food on the table.

It's always a little disconcerting when you make something, having never tried it out, and are completely unsure as to whether it would do what I was hoping that it would. Fortunately my fears were allayed quickly as I tossed the first heap of compost onto the screen and heard the filtered material fall onto the tarpaulin beneath it. It was working.

Scoop after glorious scoop was thrown onto the compost screen with the refuse remaining unfiltered.

There are a couple of options that a gardener can take with this leftover material.

1. Throw it back into the next compost heap to continue breaking down. The refuse was already in varying states of decomposition so adding it to another pile would just continue the process until, over time, the larger sticks would completely break down. The benefit of doing this was that it also allowed the bacterias that had started decomposing this material to continue growing into the next heap, hopefully speeding up the process.


2. Some of this refuse could be taken as material for compost tea. It has all the trademarks of compost but just hasn't had the time needed to completely break down. Using it as compost tea material would enable the tea to still draw out the benefits and help speed up the decomposition process so that the refuse could be added to another heap for further breaking down.


3. It could also be re-shredded. I wouldn't recommend this if your chipper shredder struggles with wet material but if it can handle it then re-shredding will make it mush easier for your compost heap to break it down.

Needless to say, my refuse went straight back into the next compost heap and will continue the process there.

I only filtered half of my heap through the compost screen and ended up with a full wheelbarrow of this wonderful material. It was light and fluffy and obviously better for having been screened with the main benefit being that now it was available for a heap of other uses.

In this case, the whole barrow went towards amending one of my front garden beds, and the next one will probably go the same way. But, at this level I could quite easily use it for potting soil or even straight as seed raising mix. It would seem a waste to use it in compost tea but, as I mentioned earlier, the refuse from the screen would work great instead.

IMHO, the compost screen has certainly proved its worth and I'm glad I went to the trouble of building it. It will certainly become one of my best gardening tools.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Of all the gardening gadgets that I've seen over the years this one may actually have some merit. We've reviewed the SunCalc - basically a thermometer to gauge where the sun shines in your garden, the SunStick - a variation on the same theme; and even chortled over the garden wedge.

But this product, if it lives up to the hype, could surpass all of them as the must-have gardening gadget.

Created by PlantSense, EasyBloom is a gardening tool that precisely monitors every garden variable from sunlight to temperature, humidity to soil condition. It stores this data in its memory banks and can then be hooked up to your computer via a USB port. The data is then read, and analysed, by the included software and then advises what problems may be happening with your plant.

If starting a veggie patch you could place the EasyBloom in situ for a few days and then link it to your PC. The analyser will give you a report of the prevailing conditions and then advise which vegetables might work in your garden's conditions. Or, if you have a sick or struggling plant you can place the EasyBloom next to it and then have the data analysed to find solutions to remedy the plant's problems. It will even alert you when your plants are being under or over watered.

The technology doesn't detect airborne viruses or fungal diseases and it has no way of knowing if pests are your problem. However, if the issues are related to climatic conditions and soil variances then you should be able to obtain an accurate gauge of how your plants are growing and how they could grow better.

For those with indoor plants there is also a house plant monitor that works for them too.

Disclaimer: in these days of blog sponsorship deals I feel that I need to express the following;
1). - I have NOT been paid to write this post
2). - I did NOT receive a free version of the product to trial
3). - There are some links to Amazon that if you buy one from there I will earn a few bucks - but that's your choice!

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

There are many posts extolling the virtues of organising your garden tools but they predominantly focus around a central storage point - the garden shed. And they usually discuss storage containers like these that hold all your garden tools in the one location.

For the OCD's of this world, this makes perfect sense. Every tool has its place and if one is missing you can easily recognise its absence. But, is this the preferred way to work in your garden?

My garden is not huge by anybody's standards but I detest having to traipse to and from the garden shed when I need, or forgot to grab, one of my gardening tools. In many cases my laziness dictates whether I will use a tool readily on hand as an alternative or trot off to the shed to get the one I need.

So, I've started organising my tools a little more strategically. Rather than return and collect them from the shed I now leave them in situ where they are most likely to be utilised For example;

• The Compost Heap - previously I would lug my garden shredder from the shed to the compost piles and back. The distance is less than 40m(130ft) but the journey contains navigating a set of steps, uneven lawn and maneouvering between two trees. So, I leave it where it is and cover it up to protect it against the elements.

  The same goes for the garden fork which sports a plastic handle and fibreglass shaft and a cheap old spade. Even my compost screen now resides in the same spot.

• The Home Study - my gardening practise usually sees me blogging early in the mornings and then, on weekends and holidays, I head outside to enjoy the garden. As I'm trying to avoid the garden shed I leave my secateurs and gardening gloves in my office. I know where they are whenever I need them and it's a very convenient location based on how I operate.
• The Deciduous Trees - are mainly found in the one spot so what better place to store the leaf rake (it only cost $8 anyway) than leaning up against them. The wheelbarrow< is normally resting against the fence so both are very accessible for the tasks that require them and in the location where they're most needed.
• Propagation Area - while this gardening zone isn't in full swing at the moment it still does have some of my garden tools close at hand. Spare pots are kept in a storage drum to the left and I have a garden trowel, scissors and labels hanging from the wall.

As you can see, many of the tools that I use in my garden are best kept where they're used rather than cluttering the shed. We often use our sheds to store these tools without giving much thought to how we operate within the garden. And while some garden tools need a weather-proof storage option, many can survive the climatic extremes provided we keep them covered if stored in situ.

Are you the same with storing your tools, or do they all head back to the shed after use?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

One of my favourite TV shows airs on Sunday mornings called Inventions form the Shed. It showcases some of Australia's ingenious backyard inventors who aspire to create that one invention capable of turning their fortunes around and making the world a better place.

Well, it seems that gardeners are no slouches either when it comes to inventing 'stuff' - stuff that might save you money, make a gardening task seem more enjoyable, or turn unwanted resources into a masterpiece. The level of genius required is not mensa-like but it does seem that these individuals have the ability to see outside the box.

1. How To Make An "Aerogarden" Counter Top Garden For Under $10
   Hanna pulls a gardening 'MacGyver' using a large coffee can, margarine tub, LED night lights, a roll of duct tape and a couple of batteries to create a cheap, but basic, counter-top herb garden.
2. How to Make a Planting Square to Uniformly Space Your Seeds
   Do you ever wonder how you are supposed to uniformly space your seeds so many inches apart, as described in the planting instructions?
3. Build yourself a Self-Watering Container
   Looking for a cheap way to make a self-watering plant container? This solution uses a couple of 5 gallon drums and a length of poly-pipe.
4. How to string onions
   Got bucketloads of onions that you didn't know how to store properly. Here's a quick tutorial to get them looking neat and stored out of the way.
5. How to make a Mosaic
   Being a creative genius in the garden can sometimes be limited by your artistic flair. Here Melanie shows you how to be an artist in your garden without studying Picasso.
6. How to build a Propagation Station
   The ultimate cold-frame for those on a budget. This invention will help you propagate your cuttings throughout the winter ready for spring planting.
7. How to make Seed-balls
   If you're a budding Guerilla Gardener then this tutorial making seed bombs is for you. Compact, full of seeds and ready to throw in a drive-by gardening hit you will see your roadside verge come to life a few weeks later.
8. How to make a Pond Bio-filter
   If you're wanting to replace your submersible pump for a bio-filter, here's a cheap way to make your own.
9. How to Build an Inexpensive Hoop-Style Greenhouse
   Building your own greenhouse never got easier, or cheaper. This hoop-style alternative utilises pvc pipe to create the frame and structure of the building.
10. Making a Garden Wheelbarrow
    If you have ever wanted to make one of those cute flower wheelbarrows that look incredibly quaint in cottage gardens, Tina's hubby has all the answers.

So, while the garden shed is primarily a place to propagate and store gardening tools, many gardeners are now using it to invent wonderful tools for us all.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (11)

Since the advent of the digital camera, garden photos have never been so prolific. Images of plants, flowers and garden landscapes abound. You can taken them with your DSLR, high mega-pixel digital camera or, even more mobile, your very versatile camera phone.

But garden photos are just another image unless you take the time, and effort, to craft them into something wonderful. Here are a few resources and tips to help make yours the standout success that you desire.

Freep.com have a great article titled "How to blossom into a pro when shooting photos in your garden" [link since removed]. Rob Cardillo, introduced to us by GardenRant, offers us a few tips to enhance our garden photos.

• Take care with lighting: "It will enable you to make an extraordinary picture out of an ordinary subject"


• Think three, five and other odd numbers: Three or five flowers are easier on the eye, which likes triangles inside square frames.


• Use a tripod: It will keep things steady and create background and depth.


• "Wander without purpose" around your subjects: If you shoot in a public garden or at a flower show, lose the crowd and look for an unexpected view.


• Consider your garden a sculpture: In other words, something to be admired from every angle.


• Be patient and flexible: you still have to shoot 10,000 pictures before you understand what makes a great photograph.

If you're interested in taking landscape photos then this post I wrote earlier may hold some keys for you as well.

Dean Fosdick, from WTOP.com, gives us some practical uses for the garden photos we take.

• Record-keeping. A picture really is worth a thousand words, especially if you're keeping a journal or diary tracking the gardening changes you've made season by season.


• Landscape ideas. Visit public gardens or tour well-tended neighborhoods to record designs, colors, patterns or plant combinations you like.


• Identification. Document changes in plant maturity as you would a child's growth spurts


• Memory prompt. Collect images of your garden through the seasons to identify empty spaces and perennial sites.


• Photograph the plants that worked well and those that didn't. Build on your successes and avoid repeating the failures.


• Succession planting. It can help you design your garden a different way each year.


• Inventories. A photographic record of your tools, implements, garden furniture, yard art and outbuildings


• Wildlife pictures. Photographers often pursue images of plants and critters at the same time.


• Fine art. Look at published garden pictures. Study (the) paintings of classic artists. Then try to make something similar.

Once you have these awesome garden photos, what do you do with them? Apart from the obvious print them out and then scrapbook them for posterity there are some online tools that may help you organize them an even give you a place to show them off. Some sites worth looking at are;

• Flickr - almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world


• SmugMug - A company that backs up your photos to three data centers across the U.S.


• DropShots - Next Generation Photo and Video Sharing

For those with cameras built into their mobile phones there are new technologies that are clamouring to make it possible to upload your photos. One such app is the Eye-Fi created for Apple's iPhone.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (6)

I would never have bought a collapsible garden container myself so I'm very thankful that my daughter surprised me with one for Christmas. To me, this product seemed as useful as a keg at a teetotalers party.

My normal gardening activity sees me move around the garden deadheading, pruning and weeding leaving little piles of refuse everywhere. Sometimes I cart around my wheelbarrow but more often than not it's full of compost or soil or some other project resource. So the little piles grow and remain until I can be bothered returning to pick them up - or my wife gently nudges me with "When are those rubbish piles going to move, Stuart?"

So, I took my new collapsible container for a test run in the garden yesterday and was pleasantly surprised. Not only was it easy to maneouvre and carry it was also incredibly sturdy and strong enough to carry my edgings and summer prunings. At the end of my gardening tasks it was just as easy to carry the container over to the compost bins and empty - a vast improvement on trying to lift it out of the wheelbarrow with a garden fork.

As I was testing it out, I contemplated the features that impressed me most about this new garden tool. Obviously the "collapsible" thing was a standout winner. Being able to collapse the container when storing it makes it ideal for my limited garden shed. Plus, another neat bonus was that as I was kneeling on the ground picking out weeds, reaching into the bag was effortless - it just collapsed and folded down and then instantly sprang back.

What would I look for if I were going to buy one of these?

1. A handle at the bottom - this is such a helpful addition when you're trying to discard the waste into your compost bins.
2. Solid woven spring - it's the quality of the springed wire woven into the side of the bag that makes it the useful container that it is.
3. Buy one without a lid - I honestly can't see the purpose of this tool having a lid. It would make it too easy to zip up and leave laying around without emptying it, which kind of defeats the purpose - right?
4. Colour - very, very important! Presently, they only seem to come in khaki or black but I'm hoping that some manufacturers may produce these in fashionable prints or at least some more individual colours. Is that too much to expect?
5. Solid base - mine only has a canvas base which should be more than adequate for how I plan to use it. However, if you wanted to get more from your container then I would suggest that a solid base might be a good idea.
6. Canvas/Woven sides - if you're hoping to get a few years out of this garden tool then I would steer clear of the cheap plastic options. Woven sides should last the distance and if looked after may even give you 5 - 10 years at a minimum.

If you don't have a collapsible container for your garden yet then I would seriously suggest you consider it. It is probably the best tool to emerge in the garden over the past few years and will come in very handy for years to come.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (9)

Kathy Purdy, of Cold Climate Gardening, has written a very helpful post linking to heaps of gardeners who Twitter. If you're not up to speed on what Twitter is then set aside an hour or 24 to explore this wonderful resource.

Twitter is micro-blogging (basically blogging for the non-blogger). You get 140 characters to share tips, link to your posts, promote others, talk about your cat heaving furballs and ask for parenting advice. It's a fun way to keep in touch and see how others are spending their time - though it's not always necessary to do so.

For me, it's a whole new experience as I've only started to understand it in the past few weeks - not that I'm claiming that I totally understand it. In fact, 8 months ago I berated the service as being of little or no value. Why the change of heart? I guess it's because it's grown on me.

Twitter has finally found a nook in my online space because I see it as a great way to keep up with other online gardeners. If you were ever a fan of IM then you're going to love this tool.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bussogardener.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

I'm a big fan of clogs and My! haven't they come a long way since the Dutch thought that blocks of wood on your feet was a good idea. Today, garden clogs are far more practical but nonetheless insanely comfortable.

For years I wore an open-backed pair with a wooden sole and leather upper. Initially I was incredibly skeptical that they shouldn't instead be hung on the mantelpiece as some decorative adornment. Yet after a short test drive I was convinced that these could quite possibly be THE most comfortable shoe that I've ever worn.

My feet, after having survived years esoterically shrouded with socks and lumping boots, have relished the liberal style of clogs. The easy slip-in/ slip-off is the obvious attraction and when you find footwear is becoming burdensome in your gardening endeavours flicking them off with a twist of your toes can be quite a relief.

One of the other benefits is the aeration holes that modern garden clogs sport. Since most of these are now produced from plastic or rubberised materials they do have a tendency to make your feet more sweaty. The aeration holes provide an escape from the build-up of moisture allowing your feet to keep shoes on even in the middle of summer.

By far the greatest feature of garden clogs is their versatility in all types of weather. 'Gum-boots', 'Wellingtons' and 'Galloshers' are great in really wet weather but overkill in dry, dusty summer. The opposing garden shoe may suit the warmer months but once they get a bit of mud or water on them they're practically rendered useless. Garden clogs perform in all conditions.

Here are some of the major manufacturers and a store for these branded garden clogs;

CROCS™

CROCS™ and SLOGGERS™ need no introduction as they've almost become household brands. CROCS™, named for their similarity between a crocodile's head, are possibly Boulder, Colorado's best export.

Originally CROCS™ were made specifically as outdoor footwear but they have now crept into mainstream apparel and can be seen on people as casual wear, camping gear and as awesome garden clogs.

Their two main styles for the garden are;

Hydro - for wet weather and sandy conditions.
Endeavor - for cold climates. Complete upper layer.

SLOGGERS™

SLOGGERS™ are no sluggards in this market either. While CROCS™ have broadened their scope and market share, SLOGGERS™ have remained faithful as 'Garden Outfitters'. Their sleek styles won't break the bank and seem to offer more safety with their enclosed uppers.

Plus, their durable yet flexible EVA plastic won't damage your feet as your gardening chores contort them. With a range of fashion prints plus quite a few more styles than CROCS™ that are suitable for the garden, you're sure to find something from this maker.

NORCROSS FOOTWEAR INC.

NORCROSS are well-noted for their safety footwear being contracted to many organisations and government bodies to provide their employees with suitable, yet practical shoes and boots. This high standard seems to have been taken across into their garden clogs range as well.

Strong, tough and durable these clogs are great. The only limitation seems to be their styles.

MUCKBOOTS™

MUCKBOOTS™ are a signature brand of Norcross Footwear and aimed primarily at the gardener or those working outdoors. The brand has been tailored to offer longevity and they're manufactured from 100% Waterproof CR-Foam. While most of the other garden clogs on the market are produced using EVA rubber the CR-Foam is a similar compound to Neoprene which is used to make surfing booties.

So, while MUCKBOOTS™ may outlast the others don't expect to source them cheaply. Most styles in this brand sell for at least double the asking price of the others.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm a big fan of anything that makes gardening more enjoyable and my OCD tendencies love any tool that simplifies and makes organisation a reality. The obverse is tearing my hair out when clutter and disarray rear their ugly heads. So, it's no surprise that a garden tool belt would suit my lifestyle completely.

Yet tool belts that builders use aren't practical for a gardener. Firstly, they sit in front of your stomach and bore into your flesh every time you squat down. Plus, they hardly have enough room to hold any of the tools that gardeners require.

Gardeners require a different styled tool belt which is why I love these ones. They are designed to hang at your side rather than around your middle enabling freedom of movement and bigger pockets for all your tools.

But, what's the point of having a mobile storage unit such as this if it too becomes just another source of clutter? Plant labels, leaf litter, bits of old plastic tie and possibly a few pre-loved tissues always find their way into our once neat and orderly tool bag. Maybe it's time to reassess and restock?

Here's a list of garden tools that I find most useful and would love to have on hand;

1. Hand pruners

   Which hand pruners? Your choice, but it should go without saying that these are incredibly important in your gardening arsenal. Most garden tool belts have a separate pouch that keeps your pruners close at hand and easy to slip into.

2. Wire-cutters

   A very important tool if you grow veggies. Often we trellis our beans, peas and perhaps some of our fruit trees so it's handy to have a pair of wire-cutters on hand for any makeshift repairs or installations.

3. String

   A ball of twine or lengths of nylon pantyhose come in very helpful when you're wanting to stake plants.

4. Gloves

   For those who choose to use them, having a pair of gloves is a great option. Even for those who are reticent to use them, having a pair available can make life a little easier if you ever come across a situation where your bare skin just shouldn't go.

5. Planting Labels

   Plant labels are almost one of the most essential items when out in the garden. They certainly help out when you're trying to keep a record of what's going in your flower beds.

6. Felt-tip pen

   ...and if you're going to have plant labels on hand, then you might as well have something to write on them, right? Your felt-tip pen is also handy for marking pots and recording info on seed packets, if needed.

7. Trowel

   What gardener could exist without a garden trowel? One of the most versatile tools you'll keep in your belt, the trowel is essential.

8. Patio Knife

   Great for scraping the weeds from between bricks and pavers this versatile tool can also aid in opening bags of potting mix, fertiliser and manures. Plus, it's a handy tool for forming drills for your vegetable seeds.

9. Hand Fork

   Reliably a great tool when you're trying to dig up bulbs or other small plants. It helps lift them without removing all the soil.

10. Hand Rake

    The rake, as useful as the fork, is also fantastic for scarifying the soil around your plants and removing any surface weeds. Due to its compact size it makes cleaning around plants less intrusive and therefore much safer for your plants.

11. Weeding Prong

    These are great for getting weeds out of lawns or lifting those weeds that have deep roots.

12. Dibber

    The final tool you'll need in your garden belt is the dibber. A must-have for planting seedlings and bulbs this tool will make your gardening experience much easier and it will fit in compactly.

Pack your garden tool belt with all these goodies and you should be set to head off into your little piece of horticultural frontier.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

It was my birthday two days ago, and yes - I'm feeling all of my 21 years. Aging gracefully, as some might say.

Fortunately, being a gardener, one of the recurring themes in presents that I received were relevant to my wonderful hobby. My wife went and purchased a stainless steel spade from the local bigbox even though the lady at the counter anecdotally shared that she also bought one for her husband for his birthday. His response was "Why would I want that?" to which my wife replied, "No, I'm almost certain that Stuart is going to love this." She was right.

My parents, who were holidaying in these parts, stopped off last weekend with four pots of tulips they had purchased in Nannup. I was stoked beyond belief as I've never even tried growing tulips before - our climate isn't the greatest for their finicky growing conditions.

Then a friend dropped over with a token bag of Dynamic Lifter and assures me its not symbolic of our relationship even though it smells like ^&(*@#.

And finally, Deb's parents sent me a gift voucher to our local bigbox - which will undoubtedly go on something towards the garden.

It's just so easy to buy for gardeners, isn't it? We're quite easily impressed with anything that furthers our gardening endeavours.

Anyway, enough of the chit-chat, I'm off to spend some time on the garden putting my wonderful gifts into practice.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (13)

Earlier this year I wrote a post titled 21 Skills Every Gardener Should Have that offered some suggestions for skills each gardener might require in their gardening repertoire. Yet, while skills are important they're seemingly redundant unless you have the right garden tools at your disposal.

For instance, what's the purpose of knowing how to till the soil properly if you only have a stick? Or, amending your soil when you have no idea what's lacking?

Therefore, it seems a little trite to have all these skills under your belt - when you possibly don't have a gardening belt.

1. Trowel - Arguably the most important tool in the garden. While some gardeners don't require the use of a spade or shovel, all of us need a garden towel. Their effectiveness in transplanting our new purchases or seedlings is second to none.
2. Secateurs (Garden Shears) - with a trowel and a set of garden shears most of our gardening tasks can be achieved relatively with ease. This hand tool is essential for pruning, taking cuttings for propagation, deadheading spent blooms or cutting flowers for the vase. Rarely would I step out into the garden without a pair in my hand.
3. Spade - of the larger garden tool necessities, the humble garden spade is a must. Digging, turning the soil, shoveling mulch or prising rocks from the ground the spade deserves a home in any garden shed.
4. Garden Fork - while a spade can do many things around your yard it can't equal the usefulness of a garden fork. The separated tines of the fork enable it to perform tasks that a bladed shovel or spade couldn't. For example, try pitching your spade into a compost heap and you will immediately see how useless it is at this activity. Attempt the same task with a garden fork and it becomes effortless and incredibly efficient.
5. Hoe - if you want to discuss the benefits of garden hoes then it's worth your while to read up on Carol's hoe collection over at May Dream's Garden. Until I stumbled upon her assortment I thought one was enough - trust me, it's not!
6. Rake - this tool is up for debate. While hoes can mostly cater for any soil movement you require, I do find that a rigid rake is essential, especially in areas where rocks and pebbles are abundant. Plus, rakes are great for spreading mulch and have become essential items in Japanese rock gardens.
7. Dibbler/ Bulb Planter - if you grow bulbs in your garden then you will want to have access to a dibbler stick or a bulb planter. These make the chore of planting out multitudes of bulbs a much simpler task.
8. Hose - probably one of the most under-appreciated tools is the garden hose. We curse it when it doesn't wrap properly, we leave it lying in the sun and we blame it for all manner of problems. In reality though, very few gardeners could live without one and it can save 'watering-can loads' of time keeping your plants moist and growing.
9. Lawn Mower - regardless of what many environmentalists claim, most gardeners need a lawn mower. Unless every patch of your yard is garden bed, paved or concreted there will be a need to mow it - even lawn substitutes require mowing at some point. So, while a petrol-guzzling reel mower may not make it to your shed a lightweight push-mower may still be an essential item.
10. Mulcher - I still don't get why most gardeners don't have these. Unless you don't have the space to compost or garden area where prunings are a regular material, then every gardener should have a chipper shredder. Our garden prunings shouldn't be going off to landfill but instead be returning back into our gardens.
11. Spray Kit - while most gardeners will associate a spray kit with chemical usage and avoid them like the plague, the humble sprayer has much more to offer. Spraying your compost tea or organic foliar fertilisers is much easier from one of these tools. However, if you do use chemicals make sure you have a separate one for your fertilisers.
12. Wheelbarrow - if not a wheelbarrow then at least a mobile cart. Mine comes in useful for carting mulch, compost, soil, mixing potting mix and carrying prunings to the compost heap. It is easily one of the most used tools I have in the garden.
13. Leaf Rake - for most gardeners, the leaf rake has a short period of use, namely autumn (Fall). But for those who share their gardens with large trees and maintain lawn at the same time, a leaf rake is an essential garden tool.
14. Gloves - the most controversial of all garden tools, in terms of necessity, are the humble garden gloves. Some swear BY them while others swear AT them. Me, I use them sometimes for different tasks but far prefer getting my hands dirty when it comes to soil.
15. Watering Can - for places where a garden hose is too cumbersome a watering can is a great tool. And, for smaller gardens they can easily replace a spray pack for feeding liquid fertilisers to your plants.
16. Soil Testing Kit - there are some good soil tests you can perform within your garden but to be more accurate you can't ignore a soil test kit. These kits are an invaluable resource for determining nutrient deficiencies and pH scales that could be threatening your plants.
17. Compost Bin - whether you buy one or make one, a compost bin is a necessity in today's modern garden. They've always been with us, and quite possibly could have become extinct during the last century's progress, but they have remained a faithful stayer. Any gardener who does not compost in some form or another should seriously assess whether they are a gardener at all. It's a big claim for the use of a garden tool but they really are that important.
18. Garden Journal - I began flicking through a garden journal that a friend gave me a few years ago and noted that I haven't written even one iota of information into it. Maybe I'm slack, but I find that journaling via my blog here has been much easier and more exciting. It keeps all the information I need and has become an archival history of my garden.
19. Plant Labels - possibly less important the farther you explore gardening as a hobby. Most plant names become committed to memory and don't require any identification. However, these little resources are helpful when planting out bulbs or sowing seeds or may even be useful if you get lots of visitors to your yard.
20. Camera - while this tool may not reside in the garden shed along with the rake, spades and trowels it is fast becoming one of my essential resources. Photos of seedlings becoming shrubs; images of bulbs spearing through the soil and then flowering their heads off and keeping a pictorial archive of your garden's history is a great way to cheer away those winter blues.
21. Your Health - it may not seem like a tool, but try gardening without it. In fact, one could argue that this is by far our most precious resource and should be cherished above the previous twenty. The irony of our fragile health is that while you can maintain it you can just as easily lose it and once it's gone it's very hard to get back. Keep this tool in check and it will be worth having all the others but if you don't the others won't be worth one iota.

There you have it - a list that's hardly exhaustive but certainly complete. Every gardener should possess these 21 garden tools, at least. How did you go? Did you have all twenty-one? Are there some I missed?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (12)

If there's one headline you will never see in the newspaper it would be, "MAN BLINDED BY SOLAR GARDEN LIGHTS". Why? Because they are so dim and pathetic at providing the result they're meant to achieve. But then maybe our expectations of these little garden wonders have been a tad too high? Maybe, we're comparing 'apples' and 'oranges' and become disappointed because our 'orange' doesn't seem to match the expected 'apple' - so to speak.

Garden lighting, for most gardeners, has been the 'icing on the cake' rather than the cake itself. Unless you've started your garden with the intention to include illuminating your plants, walkways and garden hazards it's probably an afterthought that's more dream than thought. And once a garden is established it's not an easy task digging trenches for electrical cable trying not to disturb tree roots and navigating your way through garden beds.

Which is why solar lights became an option for you. They didn't require cords - or if they did, they didn't need to be interred at the same depth as a corpse - plus they could be positioned anywhere in your garden with a minimum amount of fuss. And, you didn't need an electrician to install them.

As night fell, you waited expectantly for these garden lights to shine out and illuminate your garden as though you had reversed the effects of day and night. Instead, you found these lights to almost be as useless in the garden as gnomes. The brightness emanating from them would struggle to compete with a candle during dusk and certainly wasn't the shining force you had imagined.

What did you expect? A million candle-power beam that kept the neighbours up at night?

In the cold, hard, light of day - when your solar lights are renewing their energy for the 'big' night ahead - it seems that these were never meant to compare with their hard-wired counterparts. And while they may struggle to provide a great deal of illumination they still do have a purpose - as focal points or leading lights along your garden paths.

And, there are 'solar lights' and there are 'SOLAR LIGHTS'. The technology is increasing rapidly and new products are being introduced to the market with far better output than they did years ago. Plus, they're getting cheaper. But it pays to know what to look for when considering whether these lighting instruments will work in your garden.

Buying tips for solar garden lights

1. Light Strength - this is measured in mcd's (Millicandela) which is the rating used to assess the brightness of LED's. The higher the number, the brighter it is.
2. Cords or Cordless - if your solar lights come with cords it's usually because they share a power source. This is produced as a stand complete with a photoresistor, rechargeable batteries and wiring to power up these lights. However, if you're sharing the power source between a few lights then expect that they won't be as bright as those which have their own power source - but they should be cheaper.

   Plus, cords in garden beds are never a great idea anyway. It doesn't take much to forget they are there and thrust a garden spade onto them rendering them useless.

3. Sturdy - consider that your solar lights will be in your garden as often as your plants and will need to weather all conditions that prevail in your climate. Check that the materials are robust and won't break after the first cold-snap or heat-wave.
4. Be realistic - these lights will never compare with their fixed peers so when they claim to illuminate a focal point within your garden "just like electrical lighting", allow common sense to prevail. Technology in solar illumination hasn't achieved those results yet and I'm sure it will be decades before they can find more efficient ways to make these work.

They are a great addition to any garden provided you understand their limitations.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

As a self-confessed gadget obsessive, I'm both optimistic and cynical when new products hit the market. Not that garden spray nozzles are particularly new but as hose fittings they've come a long way since the technological achievements of the twist head sprayer.

In fact, it was probably the twist head that paved the way for these new fan-dangled multi-sprayers. Where once we were excited with the amount of control we could brandish over our watering tasks, we can no longer settle for gradual increments from jet to spray. It always has to be more.

Admittedly I've tried a number of these multi sprayers with varying degrees of success - and obviously contributed more than my fair share to landfill. Which highlights the problems of not choosing your garden hose fittings carefully. The less you spend almost guarantees its destiny with the garbage bin. But then spending more won't necessarily safeguard you against throwing your hands up in despair - and the spray nozzle in the trash.

What to look for in a quality spray nozzle

The best hose fittings usually have similar redeeming qualities, such as;

• Brass Mechanisms - offering more resistance to seizing and rust, brass mechanisms are better able to handle the rigours of service we expect from our garden tools. At the very least, the pin that levers open the nozzle should be brass and if possible the male hose attachment should also be brass (but I've found good ones without the latter option).


• Hard Plastic - especially the lever that activates the brass pin. If this isn't sturdy - and unfortunately it probably won't be recyclable - then you will only ever get one season out of your nozzle.


• Molded Hand Grip - this is a necessity if you plan to spend more than 10 minutes watering your garden each day. Many of the good ones have now added softer grips as well to ease any undue strain on your hands


• Always-on Clip - these are essential for long watering stints. Holding a lever against a spring for long periods can cause stress on your hand muscles. The Always-on clip can be set once you're into your watering process saving copious amounts of pain.

Once you've found a good spray nozzle the next task is deciphering what all those options are used for. Most combinations available today are similar, even if they're not labeled the same and most sprayers will feature 4,6, 7 or 9 differing combinations. Which is best? The jury is still out on that one but for me, I'm enamoured with my 6 pattern.

This is what it offers and how to use each option;

1. Jet - while I don't waste precious water hosing down my driveway every week there are always tasks that require a little more pressure than just dribbling water through a hose. Cleaning buckets, tools, the wheelbarrow etc seem to take a little more forcefulness. Plus, this pattern gives you the option where needed to blast some unwanted lichen from your patio bricks or hose down your compost tumbler. In reality, the main purpose of the jet option is for cleaning more than watering.
2. Shower - a handy choice for watering your established perennials that can handle some aggressive action. It delivers water efficiently around the root ball of the plant and helps with those where watering the foliage is also desirable.
3. Flat - this produces a flat, almost horizontal spray that works much like a water sprayer used on raodworks. It's a great option for bedding in seeds especially in the veggie patch and while you probably won't use this option much, it is handy if it's available.
4. Cone - similar to the Shower pattern, the Cone differs only in that it doesn't water the foliage per se. It can deliver water to the roots of the plants in a fashion that's less aggressive than the Shower option and will apply less to the foliage than to the root ball.
5. Soaker - I always wondered the purpose of this option until I transplanted some seedlings in the garden. The Soaker option is a must for this chore because it delivers a heap of water very gently around the base of each plant. It does the same for planting any of your plants ensuring that any air pockets within the soil are quickly eradicated.
6. Mist - the final option on my 6 pattern is Mist and it doesn't really need any introduction. Useful for container plants and soft-foliage herbs it's a must for any spray nozzle. This option is also great for keeping your seedling trays moist where you don't require a lot of water.

So, just when you thought buying garden hose fittings was a no-brainer there seems to be more to consider than just price. Choose a spray nozzle that will last for your purposes and offers as much as you require.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

If you've been potting up your plants on makeshift tables around the yard like I have for the past 4 years, then maybe we do have a use for a potting bench. They've always struck me as fanciful gardening extras that old ladies wielding Zimmer frames cling on to - not that there's anything wrong with old ladies OR Zimmer frames!

I've just always assumed that if you have your garden potting shed then a potting bench was a superfluous decoration. But the assumption fails, of course, if you don't have your own garden shed - and most gardeners residing in apartments and units won't.

So the next best thing is to perform all your potting duties in a location that is practical and accessible. Enter stage left - the potting bench!

Like most things you could easily go and buy one (aff.) or, if you're not technically challenged, try making your own.

Mike McClure has designed a great DIY project for building your own potting bench. From the wood sizes, number of screws and bolts to even fitting the legs with plastic caps to avoid rot, this is one How-To that will easily become a How's-That!

The beauty of having a potting bench is that most of your everyday gardening tools and equipment can be kept in the one place. You no longer have to search around for the last place you used your secateurs or where to find some ties when staking your plants. For the OCD's (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) of us, this one tool could streamline our hobby to insurmountable enjoyment levels.

After struggling with different areas in my garden to pot my plants and seedlings, I'm looking forward with eager anticipation to the day when my garden shed will become operational (all that's missing now are the benches). So, if I knew that I would have to wait 4 years before being able to have an area to work from, I certainly would have made my own.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

The garden fork is one of the most important tools one could have living in their shed. Apart from the pick it's probably the first tool we grab when the job requires a little more grunt. It's multiple pronged action can loosen soil with minimal damage to plant roots; aerate the compost heap; and, divide those clumping perennials without too much fuss.

Most of us gardeners would have at least one garden fork in our arsenal, and some would have a few more. But is it essential to even have one?

The answer can only be given based on the type of gardening you enjoy. If you live in an apartment and your garden consists of a small balcony then a digging fork is possibly not required. And, if your compost heap resides within a tumbler or composter then, again, it's most likely not going to be needed.

But, if you dig in soil then one of these babies is a must-have gardening tool.

What jobs are garden forks used for?

Here's a list of possible tasks that a garden fork would be useful for;

1. Turning the compost heap


2. Dividing clumping plants


3. Aerating the soil


4. Sifting the soil for small rocks


5. Breaking up clay soils


6. Aerating lawns


7. Dispersing mulch and composts


8. Digging up bulbs


9. Leveraging small tree rootballs when transplanting

What to look for when buying a garden fork

There are just as many opinions as to what constitutes a good garden fork as there are garden forks available. The key things to keep in mind when buying a garden fork is for what purpose will your garden fork play in your garden.

If your soil is fairly loose and friable then most garden forks will probably suit your purposes. However, if your garden beds are filled with rocks or bound with clay then choosing a more heavy duty garden fork would be a better option.

Look for these things;

1. Number of tines - a good garden fork should have 4 rather than 3 tines.


2. Tine spacing - the closer the tines are together the stronger the garden fork will be.


3. Tine rigidity - if the tines on the fork are flexible and show some movement then it indicates how weak the metal is that has been used. Fork tines should be rigid and won't bend with the first rock they come in contact with.


4. Shaft Material - the garden fork shaft can be made of many different materials and the strongest are in this order: fibreglass, stainless steel, steel, wood and poly-propylene. The beauty with fibreglass as opposed to other materials is its ability to resist shock making it easier on your body to use.


5. D-Handle - the d-handle should be crafted from rigid materials as well. Often, poly-propylene is used in the manufacture of garden forks and this is due again to softening the shock when a hard object is struck but also because it is more durable.


6. Multiple material construction - while a single stainless steel gardening fork may look incredible and last you a lifetime it really pales in usability against a garden fork with steel tines, fibreglass shaft and poly-prop d-handle.

Types of garden fork

Standard Garden Fork - This is just your standard run-of-the-mill garden fork. Nothing fancy it just does its job and doesn't complain about it.

Border Fork - a border fork differs from the standard model by sporting a flattened tine head. Its purpose is to get into those difficult border plantings without ripping up all your plants.

Trowel Fork - a Chelsea Fork (aff.) is really a garden fork for container gardeners. Its purpose is similar but is used on a much smaller scale.

Digging Fork - A digging fork isn't too dissimilar to your standard fork and possibly the only difference is semantical. However, when you see a fork advertised as a digging fork you should be able to identify with the strength of the product being more superior than the standard and therefore it being a little more expensive.

Pitchfork - while not technically a garden fork, the pitchfork is very rarely used these days. Its purpose was to throw hay or straw to cattle but is now relinquished to the yesteryear relic pile.

How much should you spend on a garden fork?

This question needs to be answered by two more questions: How long do you plan to keep it for? and what level of service is your garden fork likely to see?

If you only bring your garden fork out once or twice every season and use it for light jobs then buying a standard Ames True Spading Fork (aff.) would be completely suitable. Otherwise an Ampco Garden Fork with Fibreglass Shaft (aff.) that retails for more than $350 and carries a lifetime warranty may be a better suit.

The adage, "You get what you pay for" is certainly true with any garden tool.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Just when you thought simulation games - SimsCity, Flight Simulator, and a plethora of other artificial reality games - had reached their climactic point, it seems that gardening has now become a game in itself.

Last Day of Work® have created a Gardening Sim called Plant Tycoon®. The objective of the game (apart from waste more of your precious time) is;

"... to breed and cross breed plants until you find the 6 Magic Plants of Isola and solve the genetic puzzle. You start with a couple of dollars, a handful of seeds, some soil and water. Grow plants, organize and harvest seeds, monitor your plants' health, age and maturity and protect your plants from dehydration and infestations. Sell some of your creations to fund your research, buy better supplies to use in your Nursery and purchase ornaments to customize your virtual garden."

At less than US$20 it might be quite the bargain to add to your blogging - or blog reading - stints. Last Day of Work have even made available a downloadable Trial Version but at 27Mb you might consider making yourself a cuppa while you wait. The PocketPC or Palm OS trials might be a better place to start - if you have these technologies available.

I've downloaded the PocketPC version so I'll let you know how it goes.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

Everybody knows that gardeners are already super-heroes. Their deft approach to controlling anything that nature throws at them and still produce some semblance of order out of chaos borders on nothing less than super-human.

Some gardeners will go where no-one else dares to go. Others are faster than a speeding pullet, more powerful than bypass secateurs, and able to leap small shrubs in a single bound. There is no limit to their horticultural power.

Yet even the best can take a battering in the name of gardening justice and freedom for all living things. This is when it's time to call in reinforcements to help save the day - or at least your garden.

There are many times, especially toward the end of winter, when you would love to call in someone who could, in an instant, solve all your gardening woes. So here are some super-heroes who might just be able to lend a hand.

Silver Surfer

A member of the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer can be a real help around the garden. His ability to analyze and manipulate matter and energy, and restructure or animate matter at will, even transmuting elements is extremely helpful when applied to your compost bins. A task that usually takes weeks, if not months, can be dealt with in a matter of minutes.

His ability to heal living things would also be of assistance with those struggling plants which just can't seem to shake soil-borne viruses. However, don't expect too much as Silver Surfer can't resurrect the dead.

Green Lantern

Green Lantern's ability to fly across the cosmos through wormholes could be very useful for the organic gardener. He will allow them to know what effect their gardening principles are having on the health of their soil and advise future options.

He is also proficient as a universal translator which can be nothing less than sheer miraculous as you try to decipher the small print on an imported packet of seeds.

The only downside to Green Lantern is that his strength comes from his green ring and we all know how dangerous it is to garden while wearing any type of jewellry - especially rings.

Batman

Batman, although disguised and hidden via a cape and mask, has no super-hero powers. Ultimately he's no different to the guys who hire his costume from a dress-up shop except that he is a whiz with all things scientific and harbours incredible detective skills.

These abilities would be an amazing help in diagnosing what pest just started eating your new foliage, what minerals your soil is now lacking and who pinched that last strawberry you planned to enjoy.

Wonder Woman

Born of the clay of Themyscira, Wonder Woman knows how hard it is to garden with impervious soils. Her abilities to heal, especially with things of the earth, would be an incredible wealth when trying to fight pests and soil-borne diseases.

Teaming her up with Batman would make common sense as Batman could diagnose the problems and Wonder Woman can repair them.

Invisible Man

The Invisible Man comes into a class of his own especially when showing visitors through your garden. He can still be working while your guests enjoy their tour and be quickly commanded ahead to remove a missed weed if need be.

Mr Incredible

Mr Incredible is known for his super-human strength and ability to benchpress locomotives. These abilities would come in very useful when landscaping is on the to-do list.

He could move boulders, dig through soil in a matter of moments, and transfer heavy bird baths without having to remove any fences to get him into your yard. While he's not as fast as his son, Dash, he's still no slow-poke so a job that would take you and a team of five guys a weekend to complete could be finished before morning tea.

Wolverine

Wolverine is widely acclaimed for his regenerative abilities. His power to quickly restore himself and other living things offers some exciting opportunities for those gardeners who suffer through snow-covered winters.

This super-hero power could be exercised to regenerate your garden months ahead of anyone else and increase the appearance of spring. No need to deadhead your annuals either as he can instantly restore them to their flowering glory.

Spiderman

For those who don't suffer from arachnophobia, Spiderman may come in very useful as a result of his abilities to cling to walls and move through your garden.

I can see that he would be very helpful in cleaning the gutters around the house, trimming large trees and generally being of assistance in hard to reach positions.

Spiderman is also gifted with night vision which may offer some help against possums, snails and other adversaries who take advantage of our gardens under the cover of darkness.

Magneto

Another X-Men character, Magneto is obviously handy for his ability to lift things of great weight but as we already have Mr Incredible on that job his power to control ferrous particles may be more useful.

No more rusty gardening tools, secateurs or wheelbarrows with Magneto hanging around. He can instantly revert all that destruction back to its prime condition. You wouldn't even need to put your tools away but could comfortably leave them where you were last working ready for you to come back and continue.

Obviously I've missed a wealth of superheroes including Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Cat-woman, Flash, Captain America and others. So, there may have been someone who you would prefer helping around your garden which we would love to hear about.

Which Superhero would you employ to work in your garden?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (16)

If you're serious about composting, or at least consciously aware that recycling is more essential than convenient, then you'll need one of these bad-boys in your gardening arsenal.

For months I've been piling up all my prunings in a large heap that was beginning to resemble the Helotes pile. And every trip I'd take to Bunnings included sauntering down one aisle in particular - the garden chipper shredder row.

I'd researched the model. Found the best prices. I'd even crafted a scale replica from a single piece of stone...Nah, that's taking it a little far. But you get the gist. I wanted...needed...a garden shredder - yesterday!

And then I got one.

Now my life is in a state of euphoric bliss as I power my way through tonnes of half-rotting twigs and branches.

The model: Alko. Size: 1600watts. Price: A$90. I can see you're impressed! As I was.

This garden chipper shredder is now my favourite garden tool because I can finally continue to prune my trees and shrubs knowing that they won't end up at the town wastage facility. In fact, they're now well on the way to becoming next season's mulch/ potting mix/ soil.

I must confess that I really would have preferred a petrol-powered model. Those garden shredders have some real grunt compared to their electric counterparts but the price is also a little intimidating. And, for my garden size - a typical suburban block - an electrical chipper is capable of handling the load, albeit a tad slower.

So, let's take a look under the hood. Basically the unit operates much the same as a lawn mower that's been tilted on its side - and if that doesn't scare you it explains why manufacturers have gone to great lengths to ensure that these shredders can't be operated unless the safety lid is firmly secured.

Two blades rotate at almost supersonic speed pulling the garden refuse downward until all that's left is a pile of finely chipped plant material. Most garden chipper shredders - if not all - now have hand guards that restrict the access of your most precious gardening tools. This means the only things that can enter via the chute are twigs about the width of two of your thumbs.

When my pile is finally reduced to a heap of compostable material it will be time to sharpen the pruning shears once again and start all over. I'm looking forward to that day.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (7)

"Whenever there is a hard job to be done I assign it to a lazy man; he is sure to find an easy way of doing it."
Walter Chrysler

This quote has been my mantra ever since I was introduced to it at the start of my working life. And when it comes to cleaning up anything I hate wasting time so I always look for the easiest method possible.

So when I found this great tip for cleaning garden tools at curbly.com I slapped the front of my head and as eloquently as possible remarked how ignorant I have been. The tip-giver, aliased as Badbadivy, shared her cleaning hint after some advice from her father.

The idea is: before using your shovel, rake, hoe, fork or any other garden implement you spray it with a fine coat of olive oil. I'm guessing it must be at least the fifth or sixth press oil if you're prepared to use it on your gardening tools so I would much rather use a cheap home brand canola or vegetable oil.

The oil coats the tool and when you go to wash it, all the dirt and muck simple slides straight off. No hassle and no scrubbing. Cleaning garden tools has never been easier!

I would even go so far as to suggest that you recoat the tools after you've cleaned them and this will stop them from rusting while they're not in use.

Great tip badbadivy.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you start out on your gardening journey there is a basic list of tools that are needed: secateurs or garden shears, loppers, gloves, a wheelbarrow, garden spade and maybe a fork. That should get you started.

But, as all hobbies develop it seems our tool requirements change. No longer will a pair of utility garden shears cover all the jobs that we perform. They might be overkill for deadheading the daisies and underachievers when it comes to pruning thicker deadwood.

And with so many options available it becomes hard to know what each tool does and whether it can earn a permanent place in your tool shed. Too make matters more difficult, retailers are now offering multi-use tools which can perform a number of tasks with the one piece of equipment. But, should we expect that a universal tool can operate as efficiently as a purpose built one - the jury is still out on that one.

Flower Shears

If you've ever tried to deadhead a mop of coreopsis you instantly realise that a pair of utility garden shears are more effort than they're worth. After contemplating hedging the whole plant, removing the living and the dead, you come to your senses and think of other tools which might be more practical.

Fortunately, our gardening forefathers have pioneered this area already. Flower shears or scissors are the ultimate deadheading tool. They are designed to be easily maneouvred in your hand while deftly plying each dead bloom away from a neighbourly flower.

There are many types of flower shears from long-handled ones with similar sized blades to more ergonomic varieties offering a more comfortable fit.

Flower shears are a definite requirement for the gardener who is keen to produce many flowering plants.

Bonsai Shears

For the bonsai enthusiast, using a pair of scissors or your garden shears may have helped you start. However, they soon become tedious to use when the intricacies of bonsai or ikebana are realised.

Bonsai shears are designed with fatter blades to help guide the pruner around the plant without accidentally snipping off an important branch. Their scissor action is similar to garden shears and hand pruners ensuring that the cut is straight and the branch does not get crushed.

This type of garden shear needs to be strong enough to cut through age-old boughs, roots and still remain agile in the hands of a bonsai gardener.

Garden Shears

When you mention garden shears there is only one manufacturer who comes to name - Felco. Swiss-engineered and designed back in 1945. The company deserves its reputation after primarily targeting the development of garden shears exclusively and maintaining their quality for over half a century.

Garden shears and hand pruners are the mainstay gardening tool. Copycat versions have come and gone and you can always pick up a <$10 bargain at your local Bunnings or Home Depot. But, they never quite work as well as a pair of Felco's.

Felco garden shears are worth the extra expense because they have a reputation to last and provide consistent results. They will definitely require a place in your tool shed, away from little hands and bigger hands wanting to de-limb their plastic toy soldiers.

Garden shears come in two types; bypass pruners and anvil pruners.

Bypass Pruners

This type of garden shear is the most common. Based on the scissor action the blades don't necessarily need to be ultra sharp - just well-aligned. The blades themselves are shaped much like a bird's beak and that's not where the similarity ends. Mimicking nature, the blades remain in constant contact with the plant material throughout the complete action.

So you end up with a cleaner, straighter cut that is less likely to result in wounding the plant and allowing disease to enter. The action of using bypass pruners is actually easier on the hands as well because the leveraging from the blades do most of the work for you.

Anvil Pruners

If you picture an axe hitting an anvil you will understand the way anvil pruners work. This type of garden shear is not the most useful in many gardens but has a specific purpose when cutting away deadwood.

The blade on this tool needs to remain sharp and will take some maintaining to keep it that way. However, when it is, the anvil pruner can effortlessly cut away deadwood where bypass pruners may struggle.

The rolcut pruner is probably one of the best examples of an anvil pruner but it also has the adaptation of blades that draw back and forth like a saw.

Loppers

Loppers are the finally piece in the garden shear puzzle - that is if you discount pruning saws and chainsaws. They are the tool that is specifically built to handle small tree branches and effortlessly remove much of your larger shrub prunings.

Many loppers work on the same principle as the bypass pruner with the only difference being the length of the handle and the size of the blades. The increased handle size gives greater leverage and puts more power into each cut and while this has been the key for selecting good loppers in the past, its reasoning is far diminishing.

The reason for this is that many loppers are now turning to ratchet or gear powering that allows even more torque from a similar or smaller sized lopper. What once took a super-sized effort to achieve a decent cut can now be made quite simply.

Conclusion

When it comes to performing tasks around the garden there is always a tool that's better than a multi-tool. If a manufacturer can come up with one that can lop and deadhead at the same time, then they have my full attention. Until then, though, it's better to have the right tool for the right job.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a great Australian site offering women their own gardening and DIY tools. And it got me thinking...what is it that women want in a gardening tool that they're not getting at the moment?

Are gardening tool manufacturers specifically designing equipment aimed at the male market? If so, what would their reasons be for doing this. Surely there are more women gardeners than men - even though I couldn't find a conclusive finding on the matter one could ascertain this purely from the ratio of women to male gardening bloggers.

Firstly, who uses gardening tools? In our garden the predominant tool user is me. I do most of the lifting, the digging, the raking, the mowing and the cultivating - and I'm male. But I'm not sure that I represent the vast majority of gardeners. Certainly most of my male friends (with security issues) frown on my fanatical passion for growing plants and flowers.

And, do I use gardening tools the most because they've been manufactured to male specifications? Would my wife use more tools in the garden if they were fashioned to her physical requirements?

According to this press release here are some of the features that manufacturers are incorporating into gardening tools and equipment to try and seduce the female market;

-- Easy to start - Avoid the aggravation by purchasing products that offer an advanced starting system and take less muscle to get the engines roaring. For example, there are lawn mowers that start with a push of a button and trimmers that have spring-starting assistance that reduces pulling resistance by up to 55 percent.

-- Lightweight - Whether you're planting new flowers or treating the lawn for weeds, gardening can be an exhausting task. To ease the pain, manufacturers are introducing smaller or portable versions of their most popular products that are often less than half the weight of their counterparts. For example, this year, Troy-Bilt introduced an edger weighing less than 25 lbs., making it simple to maneuver and easy to store.

-- Versatile - Research shows women today are multi-taskers and are seeking innovation plus convenience to meet their busy schedules. To meet this demand, many products have interchangeable parts that allow gardeners to tackle more than one task. For example, a full-line of Troy-Bilt's string trimmers, including the TB575SS, has the ability to accept eight interchangeable attachments, making it a snap to edge, cut, trim and blow.

-- Environmentally friendly - Most outdoor power equipment features a two-cycle engine that requires the hassle of mixing oil and gas. Many products are now offering a four-cycle engine. It eliminates the need to mix gas and oil, cuts emissions by 50 percent and offers 30 percent greater fuel efficiency.

Well, that might be all okay when it comes to power equipment but what about the standard hoe, garden fork or digging spade. What advances have been made to make them better for the women who use them?

To be honest, I'm not sure there has been much progress in this area. Most manufacturers have opted for products that are beneficial to gardeners alike but have never really plumbed the depths of suiting women specifically.

If you take the garden spade, as an example, the size of the shaft is aimed at a man's height. The mass required to plunge it into the soil is more effective if it's above the average weight for a woman. And, the handle is easier to hold if you have bigger hands.

So, for those inventors who are looking for a new challenge I think the next frontier in gardening equipment is going to be developing tools that are aimed at women specifically.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

Now here's a website for all you women who are tired of living in a man's world.

I was stumbling around the web looking for some inspiration and I happened to come across this very chic gardening tool site. It had two things going for it that made it stand out as a site of note. Firstly, it was Australian - a definite winner for an Aussie blogger, and second it was purely designed for women - a very brave notion targeting your audience to a maximum 50% of the population.

But it didn't seem like it was suffering at all from a reduced target market. In fact, if anything, it appeared to be creating a formidable niche - tailoring DIY tools (not just for the garden) to women.

Apparently, the tools are designed with a women's hand size and shape in mind rather than a brawny male. And they're designed in colours that, ...well, they're a little more effeminate than most guys would appreciate.

DIYWoman was started by Sandra Dobbin, the CEO of Master Distributors, after more than two years of extensive research into the industry. Her dream was to give women the ability and confidence to do their own projects around the home whether it be screwing a painting to the wall or replanting some annuals in the garden.

DIYWoman has a great range exhibiting everything from potting tables, garden tools, hammers and screwdrivers. All in purple and green.

They are also major contributors to the National Breast Cancer Foundation donating tens of thousands of dollars each year.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Man is a tool-using Animal. Nowhere do you find him without tools; without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.
Thomas Carlyle - BrainyQuote

When you begin gardening as a hobby, getting all the garden tools can be insanely expensive if you're planning to buy them straight off the shelf at your local Bunnings or Home Depot. Yet there are far cheaper ways to stock your garden shed without buying brand name equipment.

Without sharing those juicy tips too early, you may want to ponder firstly what is needed. There's no use buying a trench-digger if you're never planning to dig trenches. And, a range of hoes for every possible occasion may border on overkill.

Remembering that you're on a tight budget, limiting your tool selection is a necessary evil.

But, how do you go about getting cheap, yet reliable, garden tools. Here's some tips 'n' ideas;

• Visit estate auctions - usually when a loved one dies their estate including any personal effects is handed over to an auctioneer to sell. The funds raised are then split between the legal recipients and the estate is wound up.

  Usually their personal effects are sold at severely discounted prices because there is no other market for them. Further more, they are usually good quality items because they were looked after by a previous gardener.



• Bankruptcy or closing-down auctions - unfortunately, from time to time, small hardware businesses will hit the wall - mainly because they couldn't compete with the likes of Lowes, Home Depot and Bunnings. While it may seem that you're picking the carcass off a dying animal, the realisation is that the animal is dead and the meat is going to go to waste anyway.


• Shire or Council Sales - shires and local councils often update their equipment and therefore may offload some of the gardening tools that in your opinion are fine. Keep abreast of your local newspaper and these will pop up on occasions.


• Hire some of your tools - some tools are just too expensive and you will probably only use them once or twice. Don't fork out a small fortune for them. Instead, seek out hire businesses where you can rent them for the period of time needed.


• Borrow them from friends - if you're organised enough you could create a group of friends who all pitch in and buy a share of a garden tool or you each buy a different garden tool and swap it between each other.
  

These are just a few options and I'm sure there are others. How have you resourced your gardening hobby when on a limited budget?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

As a parent, ensuring that my gardening tools are all safely kept away from my children should be of paramount importance. Unfortunately, this isn't the case as we've been working on multiple gardening projects and have limited storage space available - yet!

However, my radar senses perked up after reading this horrible account of a two year old boy who was bashed by his 8 year old brother with a garden hoe. As to why this 8 year decided to bash his brother is not mentioned, although an inquiry will most probably happen.

The big question, for those of us who are parents, is how did this boy get hold of a gardening hoe? I know myself that I'm fairly apathetic towards ensuring my tools are put away safely. But, as I considered what I had in my gardening shed, a hoe is the least of my worries...

Here are some of the tools aren't secured;

• Axe
• Chainsaw - although my 11 year old still can't start it
• Lawn Mower
• Spades and shovels
• Fuel for the power tools
• Gardening secateurs
• Pruning saws
• Garden Edger/ Whipper Snipper
• Garden Fork

...too list a few.

Becoming paranoid is not the answer and much of keeping my kids safe in the garden is about helping them see the dangers of these tools.

But even the best parenting will not be there for a spontaneous burst of rage as kids argue over a toy. It's far better to ensure that tools are out of sight and out of reach.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

Like the spade, the hoe and the wheelbarrow no garden completely covers the basics without a garden hose. They are the lifeline, possibly better described as the 'umbilical cord', of any garden.

Yet while we can't live without them I'm sure there have been many times we've sworn at them or let our calm dispositions become distanced somewhat. Trying to untangle a rogue garden hose is actually tougher than fighting an Amazonian boa - just trust me on that one!

So, which garden hoses are the best? Well, you can continue reading or you can head over to my Garden Hose aStore where I've compiled a list of some of the best hoses and hose fittings you will need to start out.

Which Garden Hose?

The range of garden hoses available today can cater for almost any fussy decision maker but it's hard to know which is the best hose for your situation. Is there any difference between a cheap hose and one that's more expensive? Should I buy a no-kink, coiled or budget hose? Are brass fittings better than plastic?

With so many variables, the market for garden hoses can seem a little overwhelming.

Cheap Garden Hoses vs Expensive Alternatives?

This totally depends on you and your gardening style. If you already have your own water reticulation system set up then a budget hose that you use on limited occasions may be the way to go. On the other hand if you use your garden hose on a daily basis then spending a little more will save you a heap of stress.

Many of the cheaper garden hoses just don't stand up to the rigours of gardening use. Choice Australia, in a recent review summarised their findings as;

There's a relationship between price and performance: it seems you need to pay at least A$35 [US$28] to get a good hose (though even that's not a guarantee). Below that it's pretty hit-and-miss...

The old adage "You get what you pay for" definitely applies to garden hoses. So what about the more expensive brands...does it matter which one and if I pay the most does it ensure that it is the best?

Not entirely. The most expensive garden hoses can be just as good as a reasonably priced hose and the difference in pricing is merely a marketing strategy. But, there are definitely some valid points to consider when selecting a good quality hose for your garden.

As most garden hoses are tightly packaged with fittings attached it becomes a difficult proposition to test them so if possible find a garden centre that has them on display out of their packaging.

Here's what to look for...

• A good quality hose won't kink so try bending it. If it's difficult to bend or the plastic rebounds quickly without any noticeable effect on the hose then it's more likely to be a superior quality hose.
• Inspect the thickness of the hose. A thicker hose is less likely to be split, can handle more water pressure and won't kink if left in the sun.
• Check it's UV rating. Most hoses are now specifying what levels of UV light they can withstand. The higher the better.
• Check the attachments. If they're loose or appear cheap and nasty it's a good indication that the manufacturer is cutting costs and has probably done the same with the hose.

Which Hose Attachments Are Best?

Is plastic as good as brass fittings? The answer is definitely no but this doesn't mean that you must have brass fittings on your garden hose. As with selecting a hose it all depends on how much you're likely to use it.

If your garden hose will mainly sit on the reel and see action sparingly then plastic fittings may be all you need. However, if you use your garden hose on a regular basis then it makes sense to invest in some quality fittings for it.

The only word of caution is that as brass is a metal it will heat up if left in the sun so take this into account if your hose regularly finds itself being exposed to sunlight.

How Do I Look After My Garden Hose?

• Store it on a reel. The best way to keep kinks out of your hose and to maintain it is to store it on a reel. This will help maintain its shape and keep the plastic or rubber from wrapping contortedly.
• Keep it out of the sun. Sunlight will damage your garden hose no matter what quality it is - it will just take a little longer with a more expensive brand. Find a location such as under your roof eaves or similar to store it in full shade.
• Don't let your pets play with it. Dogs and cats that regularly tangle with your garden hose will inevitably split it or puncture it in some form. Once a hose is punctured the only repair you can do to it is cut off the damaged end.

To sum it all up, the more you spend on a garden hose the more likely it will last. Buy some decent attachments and look after it well and your garden hose will reward you for many years to come.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sam from Managing Your Garden has come up with 6 Fashion Tips for Gardeners. While it's more about appropriate attire for the garden than limelight-stealing trendiness it's a valid resource for gardeners.

The only fashion tip that I would add would be the inclusion of some gardening overalls. Not that I have a pair - yet (Christmas hint!!!) but I love the idea of having something that I could just slip on without having to throw in the washing pile after a 10 minute gardening stint.

If you really wanted to boost this list as a fashion trend then I guess neck-scarves could be seen as a viable accessorising option. And possibly even a nice garden belt.

Who knows, Yves St Laurent may actually start a gardener's fashion collection!

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

How's this for Aussie ingenuity? A portable outdoor sink that connects directly onto your hose and can be kept, and moved, anywhere in your garden.

An outdoor sink such as this would definitely fit into the category of items-to-buy-when-you-don't really-need-it. Regardless of the extravagance, an outdoor sink has some very practical applications especially for those who suffer from bad knees or have back problems.

The Maze Outdoor Sink is made from durable food safe plastics and is totally UV protected. Retailing for approximately A$150 (US$110) they could be the Christmas gift for the gardener who has everything.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've never been keen on planting seedlings only to watch them eaten overnight by snails, slugs, slaters and any other pest that starts with 's'. I've tried pellets, powders, sawdust, copper [Insert others I've missed] yet while they may stop one pest they don't stop them all.

That is until a friend put me onto this great idea for a garden cloche - the humble 2L (4 pint) plastic PET bottle. It works a treat.

Just cut the bottom third completely off and remove the lid and these can be placed straight over seedlings and even propagated cuttings. They act as a barrier for most, if not all, pests and as an added bonus create a mini-greenhouse effect for your plants.

I've used these ones for my sweet basil not only to stop the pests but the soil is still a little too cool for them. By placing this cloche over the basil it will help warm up the soil at the same time that it warms the seedling.

I like this idea because it has so many benefits. The obvious is the garden cloche and mini-greenhouse but it also is great environmentally. Re-using is far better than re-cycling because there are no increased processes. And, these little cloches can be used more than once.

If you're looking for some ideas for larger, more permanent, garden cloches then take a look at Travis' How to Make a Cloche

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

According to Boing Boing this mosquito catcher extraordinaire is capable of picking up as many as 38,000 mosquitoes in a night (estimated by weight 1 gram » 1,000 dried mosquitoes).

The SkeeterBag was developed almost 3 years ago and as part of their pitch they claim;

In the long run Skeeter Bag™ breaks the breeding cycle and reverses population growth. Not to mention, the satisfaction of seeing thousands of mosquitoes in the bag and knowing that you did it with ten bucks and a fan.

If it achieves even half of what they profess I'll be getting hold of one for summer.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watering cans for the garden have always held a sense of interest for me long before I started gardening myself. I think it's mainly because their appeal extends far wider than just their practical use of watering the garden.

I'm not a big collector of anything, as some people consider the art of collecting. My mother collects frogs in many forms and sizes. My father collects eagles and lighthouses. I have friends who collect chickens, some who collect cars and others who collect stamps. Alas, I don't collect anything...but if I did, watering cans would be my fetish.

I currently have a plastic 9L watering can which is the main source for providing moisture to my plants behind the irrigation, rainfall and garden hose. This watering can needs to be practical so aesthetics are far from important but when you discover some of the many other forms of watering cans for the garden you will realise, quite quickly, that aesthetics play a huge part in the selection of these charming gardening tools.

Continue reading "Garden watering cans: Find one for your personality" »

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (1)

Think about it for a second or two. You have this bulky wheelbarrow that you use to cart all your garden tools and plants around and when it comes time to store it, your barrow either stays outdoors or it takes up precious space in your shed. And you know that if you store it in the garden it's going to be subjected to the elements and finally rust or eventually break.

Then I came across this wonderful invention, a folding wheelbarrow. It still has a similar framework as most conventional wheelbarrows have but it has flexible sides rather than something that is made from metal or polycarbonate.

While I may not be trading in my working wheelbarrow which I use to mix cement, cart firewood and lug bricks and slabs, this folding wheelbarrow may be the answer to my other gardening requirements. The fabric is strong enough to cart all my tools, pots, potting mix and manures. The denier fabrc is also completely washable so you don't have to worry about getting it dirty - that's what they're made for.

A folding wheelbarrow can carry about 70kg (150lbs) and holds approximately 85litres (3 cubic feet). This is enough for a couple of bags of potting mix and a few container plants as well. You can even empty the potting mix into the fabric swag and scoop out from there.

Once you've finished, hose off with clean water and hang to dry. This is a great gardening solution.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

At Gardening Tips 'N' Ideas we've looked at building our own compost bins and being able to recycle our own waste materials through the process of composting but I didn't really touch on the humble compost tumbler. Hopefully this post should clear that up and help you see what a wonderful garden tool the compost tumbler is.

The first compost tumbler I saw when growing up was my father's home made job that consisted of a 44-gallon drum suspended by a metal frame. It was kept behind the shed in the veggie patch and was always filled with veggie scraps, garden prunings and manures. It wasn't a hard tumbler to rotate so we would often find it enjoyable twisting the handle as all children do.

The difference between compost bins and a compost tumbler is the amount of time it takes to produce an available source of composted material. Compost tumblers will produce compost within 14 days provided the mixture is kept moist and turned 2-3 times per day. Compost bins, at a minimum, will take at least 1 month to produce rich, broken down compost and they require far more energy to achieve the same result.

So let's introduce a couple of the star compost tumblers and discuss the pros and cons of each tumbler.

Continue reading "A review of garden compost tumblers" »

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There have been moments in my gardening journey where I have attempted to record what happens in my garden but these are usually short, spontaneous bursts of enthusiasm. I usually buy myself an exercise book, fervently fill in the first couple of pages and then store it on a bookshelf somewhere never to be opened again.

A garden journal for me is a novelty but I'm not organised enough to continually keep one. However, I have been thinking of late that maybe I should be recording what I do and keeping it in a gardening journal. I certainly don't think that it would be worth anything by keeping one for posterity's sake but for my own gardening journey, my failures and successes, I can see that it would have immense value as a garden reference.

I wonder how others journal their gardening triumphs and day-to-day plantings, musings and apparent failings. Is the blog now the new online garden journal? Will gardeners use this form of media more to journal their garden evolution? And if they did, how much information would readers want to see?

I've often thought, "wouldn't it be great to sit down and read Edna Walling's garden journal? (Edna Walling is an awesome Australian gardener who is a bit of a local gardening icon). If she hadn't journaled her gardening journey we would have needed to guess and surmise what she did but never actually known. We're fortunate enough to have records of what she planted and how she landscaped her signature gardens.

If you could study a prominent gardener's journal, who would it be?

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We had a potting shed at our old house but we're still in the throes of constructing one here. It wasn't really planned as a potting shed, in fact it was an outdoor kitchen for a failed business venture - but that's another story.

This place, that we'll call the potting shed, had a large stainless steel bench at one end with a sink and running water. The sink sat at the far end of this bench and allowed me to throw all my pots into a bleaching solution and then once cleaned they could drain on the bench. Then I would stack the pots into their respective sizes ready for my next potting spree.

The beauty of this shed was that it kept it all indoors and out of the weather. So no matter whether it decided to bucket down large hailstones, I could venture into my potting shed and start propagating some plants or pot up some seedlings. I was only limited by my imagination - and the number of pots I had.

Our new shed will also have an end dedicated to potting up some plants. Alas, this one won't be plumbed so I shall have to fill the sink with buckets of water but it will give me an area to work in.

I've decided the potting shed needs to have these basic elements;

• Sink that's big enough to hold at least 20 - 50 pots


• Bench space to allow you to lay out enough pots that can be planted at once.


• Storage for your potting mixes


• Somewhere to drain and store your pots and seedling trays


• Storage compartments for your seeds, pot labels, string or tie wires, and a place to store your plastic covers


• And finally, a big window so that you can look out and enjoy the garden and dream of what it will look like with all your new seedlings planted

That's the potting shed - a place where gardener's dreams come true (even if it may only be in their lucid imaginations).

And where else are you going to mount that copper weathervane?

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Finally! The sigh of relief is huge. My reel mower has finally been fixed and road-tested on our lawns. How did I survive with out it?

It went into the repair shop just before Christmas and I was soon told that it would never work again - the engine was officially STUFFED! We were suddenly inundated with options and weren't sure what decision to make. We could spend a minimum $3-400 on buying a brand new rotary; we could buy a reconditioned reel mower starting at $800+ or we could invest in a brand new reel mower at a wallet sucking $1300. John, the mower repair man, also offered us another reel mower (in worse condition than ours but it still worked) for a mere $150.

Then, like a bolt of lighting from the heavenlies, an idea formed in my small and improminent mind. If it was just the engine that was no longer working perhaps we could replace that with a new engine? Very possible! The cost: $350.

We originally bought this mower from a listing in the local classifieds for $300 and it had given us at least one good season. So to add on another $350 would mean a reconditioned reel mower for $650 compared to the $800+ the shop were charging. Pretty good deal, huh?

Continue reading "My Reel Mower is back!!" »

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Pardon the pun but clay chiminea's are hot. Their appearance in major hardware stores, outdoor landscaping outlets and online are creating a buzz for this little known piece of furniture. What are they? They're a modern day version of a traditional Mexican fireplace. No, they aren't a pizza oven but they were used for cooking in and still can be.

Chiminea's are probably the first ever patio heaters originally made from clay they are now available in aluminium and cast iron designs. So why would you have one in your garden?

As the original use of a chiminea was for cooking and heating, you may like to consider using one as an outdoor heater in your garden. The clay versions suit Tuscan/ Mediterranean and xeriscaped gardens really well fitting in and complementing other aspects of those garden styles.

Clay chimineas can either be bought kiln-dried or air-dried. If you buy an air-dried version you will need to seal it before using it or leaving it outdoors. Kiln-dried ones are already sealed.

If you plan to keep it outdoors all the time, you may want to consider purchasing an aluminium or cast iron version as the clay will eventually break down over time. If you just plan to use it as a decoration feature then the clay chiminea will be okay for a couple of years. To keep it longer, store it in a sheltered place out of the elements and bring it out as required.

Can the Chiminea be used indoors?

No. These are definitely outdoor items only. Consider taking your barbeque indoors and this would be the equivalent. The only escape for smoke is through the top chimney and left indoors would instantly consume the room. Chimineas need a lot of ventilation.

Are Chimineas good for family use?

Sure. So long as you remember that every part of the chiminea gets hot so it's a good idea to keep little hands away from touching them. As they're a contained fireplace these would be great to sit around with the whole family and toasting marshmallows could be a great way to use them.

What are the benefits of cay over aluminium or cast iron?

Clay looks natural. If this is the effect you are going for then clay is the only choice. However,if you're after a chiminea that will still look good after a couple of years of use and remain strong enough then cast iron or aluminium may be a better option.

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MY REEL MOWER IS FINALLY FIXED!!

If you had read my earlier lawn post appropriately titled Lawn Snobbery you would have already understood my misery of having to use other inferior products (namely rotary mowers) to keep the grass short.

Not that they did a good job! Or maybe it's just my bias away from rotary mowers. My lawn ended up being shredded rather than manicured and the tips torn to pieces by an non-compassionate machine that works back to front. Who invented these things?

It's okay though. All that's finally behind me. I'm off to the repair shop on Saturday morning to pick up my rejuvenated beauty. Oh, it's going to be bliss to mow again.

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The concept behind aerating your lawn is fairly simple. It rejuvenates your lawn by removing areas of thatch, making your soil less compact and allowing your lawn to less restrictive for water penetration.

Over the life of your lawn you will notice that its continual growth will cause some of these problems to become apparent. Left alone and ignored your lawn will eventually die or struggle to grow and will show signs of stress. Before these signs become visible and the view of your lawn detracts from your garden you will need to provide some maintenance with the use of a lawn aerator.

But which one should you use? Take a look at some of these examples.

Continue reading "Using your Lawn Aerator" »

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I picked up a 20" 039 Farm Boss chainsaw secondhand from our local Stihl dealer a couple of years ago for about A$600. They were first produced in the 1990's with a slight hiccup, a product recall, occuring in the US in 1994 - a small problem with a grounding wire. Still (or should that be Stihl) this hasn't held these chainsaws back.

I bought it primarily for cutting firewood in the winter but it has been applied to more uses than this since. One use has been for cutting our jarrah sleepers which we've used around the the formation of our veggie patch. Our circular saw wasn't big enough to cut these sleepers in one cut so we decided to use the chainsaw - much easier.

We've also used it for pruning trees, removing roots and resizing our bush poles. It is probably one of the best tools I've ever had in the garden.

Most of my friends have other brands from Husqvarna's to McCullochs and while they're good brands I've never heard anything bad about Stihl chainsaws. And mine's worked tirelessly for me.

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Why the great debate? Certainly these two options can co-exist, right? Possibly. Some people are dogmatic about their choice of lawn mower and for very specific reasons, which they're usually happy to quote - ad nauseum.

I think both mowers can have a place in our gardening shed (that is if you can afford the expense) or at the very least be used at different times for our lawn maintenance. They both have different roles to play and so long as you can appreciate their differences then gardeners can respect both pieces of equipment.

Reel Mowers

Reel mowers (or 'real' mowers, as some like to suggest) mow your lawn in a vertical rotation. They lift the blades up and then cut their tips and are best at keeping a perfect law looking perfect. With the roller on the back of the reel mower it can keep your grass flattened and level which always looks great.

However, reel mowers fail to level out the lawn. They will ride straight over bumps and can't cope with much debris in the way.

Rotary Mowers

Rotary mowers mow in a horizontal rotation. The blade, positioned under the engine, is designed to cut the blades at a particluar level determined by the operator. This is great when you're trying to reduce spongyness in the lawn or when you're attemptiong to level it.

However, while cutting at a set level is one of its strengths it can also be its downfall. For instance, if you're trying to mow around an edge of your garden and the border falls away into a garden bed you may find that the rotary mower can cut deeply into your grass. It doesn't allow for mistakes.

While most of my mowing is done by a reel mower, I have and will continue to use a rotary mower at times for specific purposes. They both have a place in the garden shed.

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