Garden must-have or plain old junk?
Posted on April 14th, 2009 – 8:00 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
Just when I thought it was safe to go to the mailbox again because I’d already received every seed catalog ever produced, I am coming to realize it’s “garden stuff” catalog time.
You know garden stuff. The fiberglass fan trellis that is zero maintenance and a cinch to store; the pickup wizard that makes gathering nuts and fruits a whiz, and an entire line of fake rocks to hide other garden stuff that you never put away.
Sometimes, in the avalanche of garden stuff, there is a brilliant idea. Really, those things that guide the hose around corners so it doesn’t wipe out your borders? I think they’re smart. But not everything makes the cut.
Last year I bought no-hassle veggie cages that are expandable plastic spirals anchored at the top of a post. The marketing chatter in the catalog promised they fold flat (they do), won’t rust (they don’t) and that you can use them for everything from snow peas to tomatoes. That turned out to be a funny joke on my tomatoes. After about two weeks as must-haves, they were relegated to the junk heap.
Especially in this economy (ever notice that everyone now says “this economy”?), I’m trying to be a bit more discerning in the garden stuff category. You?
Do you have a favorite must-have for the garden? Something you tried that didn’t work out for you? Or maybe you just point and laugh at some of the wacky garden stuff that’s out there.
20 Responses to "Garden must-have or plain old junk?"
Ugh. I bought 6 cheap tomato cages from Menards. By the end of the summer, most of the welds had disintegrated. I was left with a nice collection of metal hoops and sticks. Never again!
I would like a cheesy cement deer, garden gnome or toad stool for our back yard. But, I have a hugen soft spot for 1950’s kitsch.
Great points. Yard clutter can accumulate just as easily as household clutter. It is fun to look at the catalogs and see if there are any actual improvements. It is usually a good idea to check out customer reviews on Amazon or other places before purchasing some of the “new ideas” out there.
As for me, I usually stick to the basics: a decent rake and a really good pair of clippers (don’t struggle with a cheap or dull pair, or you could hurt yourself or the plant you are trying to trim). My mantra is simple but good equipment.
In 1994, I bought an item intended to help you grow stuff earlier: a clear plastic, stick-in-the-ground umbrella. I haven’t used it in years. Maybe I’ll pull it out, along with the wall-o-waters so I can get earlier tomatoes, chilies, and eggplant this year!
I had to have a toad house. This was obviously a mistake as five years later still no toads live in my neighborhood.
I bought tomato cages, tomato guides(twirly things to keep things in check), stakes that were too short. I have fallen time and time back to the old standby 3/8″ rebar as it doesn’t break, or tip over just as that large tomato is reaching its full potential breaking off the vine at the ground. I have had to resort to surgical measures when the vines break that involve splints with popsicle sticks, string, even duct tape.
I really love my soaker hoses. For tomatoes, I do have the cheap menards tomato cages, but I also use a healthy amount of twine to hold things up.
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Debw, your toad house made me grin. That sounds cute as can be, and yet, not so functional.
As for tomato cages…sigh. So much junk out there. This year, I think I’ll try four wooden posts with rebar crossposts. Wonder if that’ll work.
Two years ago I bought some noodlehead sprinklers (http://www.noodleheadsprinkler.com/) with the thought that I would set them all up and then just be able to turn on the hose for a few minutes to water my entire garden! They are still in their packages in my garage (although I do think I’ll set them up this year. Really!)
I will say, the real garden must-have that I purchased last year is a Compost Tumbler, which makes compost way faster than your standard heap. And I keep it by the back door so it’s easy to dump kitchen waste in it. I’m actually considering getting a second one!
Robyn, I have seen other gardeners use the wood/rebar set up by making holes in the wood posts and running the reb peices through making a “tower”. If I did it I would drive the rebar into the ground and use the wood peices as spacers as it is easier to cut the wood than the rebar.
I have put out a bounty for the neighbor children to find me some toads to transport to the pond home but so far none have been found. It is tempting to go to the fireworks in Richfield on the fourth and mistakingly pack up one or two of the five zillion tiny toads that live there. I am sure that that is wrong somehow though so I haven’t.
i love my soaker hoses for my vegetable garden, i lay them out and tack them into the ground before i start planting stuff.
i’m on my second kneeling pad since the first one had all these little textured bumps that left identical textured bumps painfully indented into my knees and shins and it promptly went into the trash. i too have the cheap wire tomato cages with many broken welds.
this year i bought some netting to put over my strawberry patch to keep the birds away. here’s hoping it works.
For jump starting tomatoes, I heard that if you wrap the cage with plastic wrap after planting it’s like a little green house. I’m going try it this year, I heard it works great.
Wire tomato cages seem to be the losers so far, and soaker hoses seem to be the fan favorite today. I like mine, too. Truly useful.
I don’t think there would be anything wrong with re-homing a few toads, Debw. Think of it as helping expand the species.
Mummifying tomatoes? That actually could work, JulieK. I might have to try that on a test tomato plant, myself. Of course, I can squint and imagine me tangled up in plastic wrap, too. Sometimes I can’t get it from the box to cover a bowl without it attacking me!
My favorite tomato cages are 4 ft tall square ones that fold flat for storage. I still put a 4 ft. stake next to the plant to hold the weight of the main trunk of the plant, then later add the support later. I also trim the sucker shoots so the plant stays under control.
I bought this cardboard fold up thing that was suppose to be a light weight thing to bring around the yard to gather leaves etc. You put a large plastic bag around this thing and it is suppose to stay open as you fill the bag with yard waste. I decided that it goes this year as I can not get it to stay open.
Folding bench with kneeling pad–stand it up and it’s a bench, flip it over and it’s a kneeling pad with handles. It’s the best.
Several years ago, after trying a number of the store-bought tomato supports (and wondering if there are really tomato plants somewhere that AREN’T too big and heavy for their plastic arms and flimsy welds,) I bought a roll of concrete mesh from Menards and made 15 of the Tomato Towers from:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Organic-Gardening/2002-06-01/Using-Wire-Mesh.aspx
If you vary the size slightly and wrap the wires tightly, you can nest 3 or 4 in a stack. They still take a bit of room to store, but they’re plenty sturdy, and I figure they’ll last 15 years or so before they’ve rusted enough to need replacing. Tip: A 6-10 inch piece of ~1/4″ metal tubing makes bending the wires much easier.
I like your tip about the metal tubing, J. I hadn’t thought about that. I have some tomato supports like these, and they are my favorites.
I just get daunted by the thought of getting one of those big rolls. Dirt on hands = wonderful gardening cred. Rust on hands = weird. And they’re heavy. And I need a truck. And someone to help me load them. Whiner, aren’t I?
Or, maybe there’s an opportunity for a middle man or woman here. Anybody want to deliver tomato supports like this house to house?
After raking the leaves you didn’t get last fall (in my case, most of them), I put on some big yellow plastic “bear claws” — they look like garbage can covers with jagged edges, and you wear them over your hands where the garbage can cover handle would be. You can scoop up huge a huge bundle of leaves with these things. And I also have the plastic fold-up thing mentioned above by Karen Forbes, and while somewhat unwieldly at times, i like it. Once you get a few leaves in the bottom, it seems to stay in place.
Wow. Those bear claw things really work? That’s great to know!
A few years ago I tried one of those topsy turvy tomato hanging planters. Waste of time and money. A total joke. Plus it takes a TON of dirt to fill them. I was looking for an alternative to my patio pots but now just have a square foot garden in back that does a much better job.
Oh and I have a toad house, too! My husband thinks it’s silly but it’s just too cute!
Greengirls Connie Nelson, Robyn Dochterman and Jaime Chismar are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
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