This year, my fall gardening consists of little more than faithfully watering the two pots of pretty rust-colored mums on my balcony. I have to admit that I'm slightly green with envy over all my lovely homeowner friends who get to tend to their larger gardens and enjoy fresh-from-the-garden fall goodies. If you're big into autumn gardening right now, make your trips to the garden even more enjoyable with these items:
A cut above. Fiskars' PowerGear Bypass Pruner ($29.99) makes trimming away at diseased, dead, or broken branches as easy as pie—three times as easy as using standard pruners, to be exact. Their ergonomic design earned them recognition by the Arthritis Foundation. And their corrosion-resistant blade and fiberglass body ensure you can use them for years to come.
Get the scoop. If you're dealing with mountains of leaves in your yard, save your back trouble by collecting fallen foliage with the No-Bend Leaf Collector ($19.95) from Gardener's Supply Company. This handy contraption with large scoops at the end allows you to gather and bag leaves, grass clippings, and other yard debris standing up.
Steppin' out. To keep your tootsies warm and dry, pull on a pair of ultra-comfy, ultra-durable Wellies such as these from Hunter-brand boots MasterGardening.com ($69.99).
Tool time. The last thing you want to see when spring rolls around is rusty tools. Keep your garden tools in tip-top shape by covering exposed metal parts in Inhibitor V80 ($8.99 for a 6-ounce aerosol spray can, $6.99 for a 4-ounce squeeze bottle, or $5.99 for a reusable wiping cloth) which, as its name suggests, prevents nasty rust from forming. Wiping metal tools in boiled linseed oil also does the trick.
Long-lasting garden. Who says gardening fun has to stop when winter rolls around? If you want to extend your garden into winter, invest in a cold frame such as this one from Gardener's Supply Company ($89.95). It's like a mini greenhouse that keeps your cool-weather plants lasting longer. Or you can learn how to make your own here.
Until next time,
The Home Know-it-All
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