Garden Tools: tips, resources and reviews for gardeners
This space features reviews of good books or articles, plant societies or web pages, or other timely tips: tools that gardeners can use to grow a better garden
Number of Garden Tools: 192
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| Seattle's average last frost date is April 20, but with signs of the garden coming to life all around us it's tempting to ignore that distant date. With a little knowledge a gardener can predict frost and take measures to temporarily protect tender plants. If the sky is clear and the wind is blowing from the northwest, get ready to take action. One simple technique is covering a tender plant with an old sheet. For more frost prediction signs and protection tips go online to A Gardener's Guide to Frost | ||
| Keywords | Frost, Cold protection of plants | |
| Season | Winter | |
| Date | 2007-04-03 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| To find out which days in the lunar month are most favorable for planting root crops turn to the Old Farmer's Almanac online at www.almanac.com The website is a condensed version of the printed edition with all the weather information a gardener could ever want, plus folksy gardening tips, frost dates and a manure guide. Check out the Growing Vegetables Chart to determine when to start seeds indoors or in the ground, when to fertilize and when to water through the growing season. | ||
| Keywords | Vegetable gardening, Planting, Almanacs | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2007-04-03 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
Meet with like-minded backyard fruit growers by joining one of these fruit gardening societies:
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| Keywords | Fruit--Care and maintenance | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2006-03-01 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| Graph paper and colored pencils are still the best tools for do-it-yourself garden design. While good software is available to help you draw professional looking plans, expect to pay at least $200.00 to $600.00. You may decide that the money is better spent paying someone to install the new patio. These books will help translate ideas into coherent designs on paper: Gemma Nesbitt wrote Garden Graphics: How to Plan and Map Your Garden (Capability's Books, $25.00) for gardeners who want a simple garden plan with meaningful graphics, instead of the abstract circles usually found in landscape designs. The bulk of the book has graphics representing common trees, shrubs and perennials, as well as paving, fencing and furniture. For help with abstract circles for the professional look, Landscape Graphics by Grant Reid (Watson-Guptill Publications, $24.95) is the appropriate book. A Handbook for Garden Designers by Rosemary Alexander (Ward Lock, Ltd. $29.95) is aimed at the beginning professional designer, but is very accessible to amateur gardeners who want to learn the design process and produce professional-looking plans. Topics include taking a site survey and inventory, developing a design and how to draw elevations. | ||
| Keywords | Landscape design | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2007-04-03 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| A book by Jekka McVicar called Seeds: the ultimate guide to growing successfully from seed (Lyons Press, 2003, $22.95) will help you turn your seedy hopes into plant reality. Thirteen chapters are divided by types of plant including ferns, grasses, shrubs, perennials and herbs. The practical information that applies to all kinds of seeds, such as what type of soil to use, and how to break seed dormancy, is included in the last chapter. Color photos illustrate throughout.
For online tips for seed starting go to: www.taunton.com/finegardening/pages/g00155.asp from Fine Gardening Magazine http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/pnw0170/pnw0170.pdf from Oregon State University. | ||
| Keywords | Shrubs, Seeds, Seed dormancy, Propagation, Perennials, Herbs, Grasses, Ferns | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2006-03-01 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| In wintertime a gardener's mailbox is overflowing with nursery catalogs. Ordering plants through the mail greatly increases the variety of plants to choose from, but also carries some risk. Is the company reputable? What if the plants are low quality? Lower that risk by reading customer opinions of the mail-order nursery in question. The free database at www.Gardenwatchdog.com lists over 3,000 garden related vendors where customers can submit compliments, complaints or warnings. Businesses can respond to complaints to give their side of the story. This site can also be used to find all the nurseries that sell products in a certain category, like bulbs or hand tools. | ||
| Keywords | Nurseries | |
| Season | Winter | |
| Date | 2007-04-03 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
Winter is a good time to prune because the branch structure of trees and shrubs is clearly visible. Winter is certainly not the only time for pruning, but the list of competing garden chores is typically shorter in winter. Here are a few websites to check out before pulling out the pruning saw:
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| Keywords | Pruning trees, Pruning | |
| Season | Winter | |
| Date | 2006-03-20 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| If you're only familiar with the common primrose sold at grocery stores in January, take another look at these charming little perennials. With over 400 species found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, there are many worthwhile choices for the Pacific Northwest garden. Try nutmeg-scented Primula florindae (Himalayan cowslip) in a wet spot or late summer flowering Primula capitata in a shaded pocket in a rockery (add compost to the planting hole). To find the one best suited for your garden conditions check out the exhaustive reference book called Primula by John Richards (Timber Press, $39.95).
The American Primrose Society website has photos of some of the less common primroses, as well as articles on growing and propagating Primulas and other Primrose family members. Members receive a quarterly journal with color photos, participate in seed exchanges and show off their prize plants at the annual meeting. To join send $25.00 to Julia Haldorson, Treasurer, P.O. Box 210913, Auke Bay, Alaska 99821. | ||
| Keywords | Primula | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2007-04-03 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| Advanced vegetable gardeners who want go to the next level of self reliance will enjoy the attractive book by John Seymour, The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It (Dorling Kindersley, 2003, $30.00). This very practical book gives "how-to" instructions for a wide range of traditional living skills. How to raise (and butcher) poultry and rabbits, how to grow grain crops, how to make a methane digester to create energy and how to spin flax are just a few examples. The author's intention is to encourage readers to question how truly satisfying the modern life is compared to an honest day's work on the homestead. But even urban dwellers will find ideas for making their own food and craft products. The simple life has gone digital, too. For articles and ideas on living a self-sufficient life, go online to Self-Sufficient Living, www.homestead.org/, and www.littlecountryvillage.com. | ||
| Keywords | Vegetable gardening, Sustainable agriculture, Permaculture | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2007-04-10 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
| This time of year gardeners appreciate the color and good looks of heaths and heathers. Most heather species prefer sun, acid soil and some supplemental summer water. To learn more about heathers join the Cascade Heather Society. For a $5.00 yearly membership, you will receive three color newsletters per year. To join, mail a check to Alice Knight, Secretary-Treasurer, 1199 Monte Elma Rd. Elma, WA 98541-9038.
To learn more about the many different heath and heather varieties and how to grow them go online to: The Heather Society (British). | ||
| Keywords | Erica, Calluna | |
| Season | All Season | |
| Date | 2006-03-01 | |
| Link to this record only (permalink) | ||
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April 19 2012 16:02:30