My family and I live on 10 acres in Washington State and while we live about 20 miles of downtown Seattle, our place is pretty rural. Many critters and creatures live on and transit through our trees and fields all year long. This is especially true during the spring, when some years the deer are like […]
Havahart Spray Away Elite II review Read More
Do you need to buy a new spray nozzle for your garden hose every summer because they are cheaply made and fall apart before the end of the season? The folks at TeleBrands sent me the Mighty Blaster fireman’s nozzle and a Pocket Hose to try for a few weeks and so far it’s a
As seen on TV: Mighty Blaster Fireman’s Nozzle Garden Hose Sprayer review Read More
Growing veggies on your counter is neat. I love the idea and will probably try it very soon, but growing full-sized plants indoors, hydroponically, organically, and controlled by your smartphone? I’m in! Niwa has pioneered the first interactive system that controls the growing conditions 24/7 and lets you interact via a smartphone app to grow whatever you
The only gardening tool you’ll need… is your smartphone Read More
You can combine Dad’s love of Star Trek with his pride in his lawn with these garden ornaments. The Star Trek Garden Gnomes are made of durable cast polyresin, so they’ll stand up to the weather for years. There are four designs to choose from (with the phrase shown on the bottom of the statue):
Here’s the perfect gift for the Star Trek-loving gardener Dad Read More
I wish I would have known about the Havahart Spray Away Elite II before we ended up erecting an 8 foot tall fence around a 50 x 50 foot garden plot two years ago. Jeanne had tried several times to have a garden only to have it turn into a free salad bar for the
Havahart keeps those pesky critters out of your garden Read More
I have never liked to eat avocados by themselves or prepared in guacamole. But I recently found a recipe that uses an avocado to make healthy chocolate pudding. I was skeptical at first, but after trying it I was surprised at how good it is! Every time I make the pudding, Jeanne asks me to save
AvoSeedo lets you grow your own avocado tree even if you live in Alaska Read More
I take good care of most of my tools and equipment, but my garden hose is an exception. I think it’s because we share a mutual dislike. The hose kinks when I uncoil it, then tangles and resists when I try to put it back neatly. And the connections between hoses and nozzles always manage
Gilmour LeakFree garden hose system review Read More
A couple of weeks ago I told you about the Skydrop sprinkler system which uses your soil conditions and local weather to better schedule when it waters your lawn. That system was priced at $299. If you want a slightly less expensive solution, consider the Rachio Iro smart sprinkler system. Priced at $249, this system also mounts on
Rachio Iro smart sprinkler system keeps your lawn green while saving water Read More
I’ve been thinking about composting and buying a composter (or at least the materials for building one) for a long time now, yet the time, energy and space requirements have always been a discouragement for me. However, the Food Cycler CS-10 in-home composter from Food Cycle Science has brought composting back to the forefront of my
Compost your food waste in just hours – no kidding Read More
Skydrop is a smart controller that connects directly to your lawn sprinkler system using WiFi. It can measure the soil conditions of your yard like humidity, temperature, wind, solar radiation and slope along with hyper-local weather data to help create a watering schedule that will conserve both water and money by preventing over watering. Skydrop
skydrop sprinkler controller checks the weather before watering your lawn Read More
Janet recently turned me on to the Tiny House Nation TV show on the FYI channel. While I know I will never be able to talk Jeanne into downsizing to a 500 or smaller square foot house, I can’t help but dream about minimizing and simplifying all our junk. I love watching the Tiny House
Save space with collapsible buckets Read More
I wonder if there is a Plant Killers Anonymous organization out there. If so, I would definitely be a member. “Hello, My name is Kathleen, I’m a biologist and I kill plants.” As a college student I studied mostly animal biology and didn’t focus on plant studies. At the time I thought, “Seriously, what does
I’m approaching this review of the Pocket Hose Ultra differently than I usually do with my other reviews. I’m going into it knowing that I will need to make at least 2 more updates before I’m able to form an opinion or make a recommendation to buy this item. We see a lot of “As
As seen on TV: Pocket Hose Ultra garden hose review Read More
What do you do with a sad little pencil stub, other than throw it out? You can plant it and watch herbs or flowers grow! Plant the Sprout Pencil nubs, you’ll have edible herbs, marigold and calendula plants, or a wildflower bouquet. Each kit comes with eight high-quality, sustainably-grown cedar pencils. Each pencil has a seed
Plant your pencil stub and watch it grow! Read More
Ever since my cancer adventure a couple years ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long…), I’ve changed a lot of things in my diet in order to become healthier. I cut out 95% of the diet soda that I drink by carrying a Bubba Brands Hero bottle full of iced tea to work every
Fizzy Farm planters bring the garden indoors Read More
Composting is good for the environment, but it can be rather labor intensive for you. You have to build (or buy) the composter, load it up with your refuse, and then you have to remember to go out and turn the materials over periodically – and wait for months and months for it to be
A garden composter that doesn’t require you do any work Read More
Last month I posted a review of the Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpot and had a positive experience with it except for one important thing… Trying to grow a plant in Southern Indiana during the winter months, even with an auto watering flowerpot, just doesn’t work that well due to short sunlight hours. The folks
Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpots get even smarter Read More
Gadget loving gardeners now have another way to keep their thumbs a nice shade of Green. Remember the Koubachi WiFi Plant Sensor that I reviewed a few months ago (see link below in Related Posts section)? That device sent notifications to your email and smartphone alerting you when your plant required watering. The Click & Grow Smartpot
Click & Grow Smartpot flowerpot review Read More
Fish Finders, to those who don’t know, are these electronic mechanisms that either assist greatly in not having to stop by the fish shop on the way home or are a blasphemy on the sacrosanct sport of fishing. Depends on who you talk to. Electronic gardening equipment quite possibly could be seen in the same
Black and Decker’s PlantSmart PCS10 Plant Sensor Review: The Gardener’s Fish Finder Read More
Black & Decker has just found a way into my heart. I love to garden! I’m not the best at it. But I really like it. Let’s face facts… when it comes to all this blather about soils and additives and enhancements to make this grow or that grow or worrying about which
Black & Decker PlantSmart SO Cool! Read More