Brrrr, it’s winter, it’s cold and I don’t want to go outside if I don’t have to. Instead I’ve been browsing online and scanning through the gardening magazines I like. I’ve been looking for the garden tools that I should be getting now before planting season starts and I still don’t have them.

I started out looking for a chainsaw, we thought we would maybe buy an electric chainsaw so we can stay as green as we can without having to use a hand saw. But then I started seeing things that we need more than a chainsaw, heck Geoff next door has offered the use of his chainsaw if we need so I think I can put that one on the back burner for now and see what else we need that will make gardening even more fun and less hard work, like a good wheelbarrow would do.

So here is a list, a wish list of garden tools that would come in handy.

I usually just guess when it come to measuring but when it’s all said and done my guessing isn’t very good so when I saw this first garden tool I kinda laughed and told myself I needed this.

My first little garden patch was far from square when I was done digging it up and had to do some fixin’ before my wife got home from work and laughed at me.

Smart Stik

Now my garden rows will be straighter for a change, which makes for better pictures once the veggies start growing.

The guess work is taken out of seed spacing when you use this ingenious garden ruler as your guide.

It’s a 4-foot rule, marked in 1/4″ increments and has planting instructions for 21 different types of vegetables. It makes a great gift for a new vegetable gardener!

The smart stik makes planting rows fast, accurate and easy Includes guide to planting 21 types of vegetables.

Make your planting just that much easier and faster with the Smart Stik

gardener’s Supply Cart, Red

We have been looking at a gardeners cart or wheelbarrow for some time and the only type that we really like are those that are well balanced with big wheels. It really sucks when you hit a divet in the lawn or garden and dump your load.

These garden carts were designed specifically to meet the needs of gardeners young and old.

The big wheels with pneumatic tires roll easily over rough terrain. High sides prevent loose loads like mulch and compost from bouncing out. The axle is positioned to distribute the weight and balance the load. The long handle lets you push or pull with equal ease and has a comfortable neoprene grip.

The Medium Gardener’s Supply Cart carries 400 pounds which would take me a long time to haul by hand not to mention how my back would feel after that.

Man we have some lazy birds in our neighbourhood, they can’t even take the time to dig out after a storm like we have to do. Well no more. I’m not climbing up there again.

Yesterday, after so much snow and ice it looked like it was all going to be gone if we had just one more day of favourable weather, but NOooooo!!

Mother Nature decided to give the kids a day off from school so they can play in all this gorgeous light fluffy snow.

I remember back to when I was a kid going to grade school. It was like a hundred years ago but still fresh in my mind, just how much I loved playing in the snow with my brother John.

I can see our little birdhouse from my office window and thought I should go out and snap a few shots before the wind picks up and cleans it all off.

I was looking at a really cute birdhouse today. I think it would go great between two of our big pine trees.

Dura-Craft Birdhouse Bed & Breakfast Feeder

I headed out to the compost bin this morning and of course had to put on all kinds of winter gear just to get out there. It was frozen and covered with snow. Just one more reason I wish we had a kitchen composter for the winter months. Sure would beat hauling my butt out behind the garage.

Okay I shouldn’t complain about going out to the compost bin just because it’s cold out. I suppose I could just put the kitchen waste meant for the composter into a bucket outside the backdoor and just take it out there when it’s a little nicer.

Although if I was just having fun I would be all over the backyard jumping in the snow without complaints so maybe I should just get the job done.

The bushes that give us such great privacy in the summer doesn’t always do so well in the winter but today it’s covered with so much snow it’s like a curtain. Beautiful to look at as well.

I don’t see any birds eating the berries today. I guess they are still sleeping, maybe that’s why they didn’t shovel out yet. Guess they have a snow day as well.

There are lots of challenges to overcome for anyone who tries to create an organic vegetable garden. The process could take several seasons, but when results finally appear, the homegrown veggies will be the tastiest you’ve ever had. Organic gardening in fact makes the oldest form of plant cultivation, it is not at all expensive and it can be undertaken by any one preoccupied with developing a hobby or improving health. Click through here for extra info about vegetable gardening tips .

The size of the organic vegetable garden is not important: it can even range from a few feet on the house roof or balcony to several acres. The first step to take in the organic gardening direction is the purchase of organic seeds that are presently scarce on the market. The problem is that in order to have a real organic vegetable garden, the seeds ought to be free of chemicals or irradiation residues. Therefore, ask around in your town or order them on the Internet.

The benefits of an organic vegetable garden are manifold. Firstly when there are no pesticides or herbicides included in the plant cultivation, the crops remain unaffected by the chemicals, the soil keeps its properties for several years and the creatures living in it will aid to the regeneration of the garden. Furthermore, the organic vegetable garden presents the advantage of dealing with the needs of the family in a very safe, cheap and easy way. In caseone also runs a farm together with the organic vegetable garden, there are even more benefits to it. You should find additional worthwhile info relating to organic vegetable gardening here.

For instance, the profitability and the quality of the crops can be increased by using the manure as a fertilizer. Moreover, everything one needs for an organic vegetable garden should be available from local stores; the costs are definitely not high and the necessary items come for very decent prices. Don’t ignore the tips available in gardening books because lots of the tradition is lost and we need to revive it. Just a relevant example here: think of the fact that corn and beans grown together as very practical; you won’t need any sticks for the beans because they will climb on the corn stalks.

The seeds, the soil and the organic compost will all play an important role in the development of the organic vegetable garden. Do not overlook any of these aspects and your home enterprise will be both successful and rewarding on the long run. You will acquire stacks of extra worthwhile info on vegetable gardening for beginners here.

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Solar lights will transform your garden, for outdoor use solar lights have many advantages it’s obvious why solar lighting is becoming so popular. Solar lights have so many uses, landscape lights, path lighting, security lighting, decking lights, highlight plants and trees. Because solar lighting is so versatile and easy to move, it is simple to alter lighting effects. wiring is not needed for solar lighting, they are  very versatile and simple to change around, it is simple to vary lighting effects.

Solar lights require no maintenance.

Solar lighting is maintenance free, an occasional wipe to clear dirt covering the solar panel, and can be bought in many styles at very low prices. You do not even have to think about about timers, or turning the lights on. During daylight hours solar lights switch off and then charges the batteries, then when it gets dark, they come on automatically. Most are fitted with an on/off switch so you don’t have to have the lights turned on. Solar lights incur zero running costs, no wiring to purchase and no timers.

Solar lights are very versatile.

As solar powered lighting does not require wiring, it means you can try various effects, highlight different plants at different times of the year.

Solar lighting can be installed in areas where it would be hard to install wired lighting such as on wooden fences or buildings. Because there are no wires, no heat generated, solar lighting is safe and convenient to fit anywhere. The lack of wires also means you do not have to plan where you are going to put your solar lights and lay wires ready. How about a BBQ with a gas grill and solar lights for evening entertainment outdoors with maximum portability. Place solar lights around your patio furniture and enjoy your garden after in the evening after dark

Solar lights are safe.

As solar lights require no electricity, solar lights are absolutely safe. You don’t need to worry about children and pets finding a cable with the insulation bitten away by a rodent. With no wiring, you are able to dig your garden with no worry about slicing a cable.

Solar lights are perfect for bordering paths, especially when there is no ambient light and a path is hard to see and follow. Solar lights will come on as soon as it starts to get dark, lighting the way, making it easy and safe to walk up the path.

Gardening at home is a great way to help cut down on food costs so it’s a rewarding hobby in more ways than one. The only thing is a lot of people think that you need a lot of yard space to grow a garden, well we thought that.

I can definitely say that gardening has changed my life so I would like to share a couple of home gardening tips that will show you that you can have a garden with just a little space.

We started our first garden in containers. Yup, just a few pots and we were on our way to being home gardeners.

The first thing you need to think about is what basic needs do plants have.

1. Light
2. Soil
3. Water
4. Temperature

That’s pretty much it. Give a plant the right amount light, soil and water along with the right temperature and you can grow your own little veggie garden.

So here a few home gardening tips that will help you successfully grow veggies, even indoors if you want.

1. Your Garden Needs Light

You might have just looked at point #1 and said DUH!! but lighting is vital for a healthy plant. Without the proper lighting you could be doing everything else 100% and still fail, so pay close attention to your source of light.

When we first started gardening it was a pretty small garden and I didn’t pay any attention to the path the sun follows through the summer and ended up with a garden that pretty much had to grow in the shade most of the time.

2. The Soil You Plants Live In

Plants have to put down roots to survive. If the soil you use is too hard you need to change that. We had very clay soil so we dug up the little plot we chose for our garden and then mixed it with about the same amount of peatmoss.

Adding the peatmoss did a couple of things. 1. It allowed the soil to become less dense than the clay was so the plants could sink roots easily. 2. The ground didn’t drain well at all before the peatmoss and now it drains just fine.

3. We All Need Water, Even Plants

Your veggie plants are going to need watering on a regular basis so they don’t dry up and die. But at the same time you don’t want to water them so much that you drown them.

The top of the soil can look dry and people will run for the water but it’s better to stick your finger in the dirt about an inch or two and see if it’s dry down there. Lots of times they don’t need watering so you are just wasting water.

I already mentioned the soil needs to drain well, so pay attention to that when you water.

4. Temperature Is Kind Of Important

The temperature usually isn’t that important during the summer but when you are first planting outdoors in the spring you want to keep in mind the most common date for the last threat of frost.

Here where we live I have heard all my life to plant before June 10th at your own risk. You can plant before that most years but I would put a cover sheet over my plants at night until the threat is gone.

Using Containers For Gardening

I would add that you can grow your home garden in containers, even indoors, as long as you meet the needs of your plants.

The really cool thing about container gardening is that you can move them to the best spot, unlike my first garden.

Don’t be afraid to transplant your veggies into a container that’s big enough so they can grow a strong healthy root system.

We used containers to grow strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, so many things but the coolest thing I have grown in containers was potatoes. We got a lot of potatoes for the size of the pot we used. We hung the strawberry container and let the plant grow to the ground.

I planted the potatoes in the container and in our garden on the same day and harvested them at the same time. The potatoes in the ground were bigger but there were about the same amount in the container, they were just a little smaller, but just as good.

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