Essential Products
If you’re an ecological gardener like me, then you care deeply about the environment and ALL of the incredible wildlife in your garden. Yes, you’re the type to drop everything to watch a monarch butterfly flutter over your milkweed plants and you stand there watching intently as some critter devours a berry or a tomato from your garden. Our garden is somewhat of a sacred space and for this reason we don’t rely on common polluting garden equipment like gas leaf blowers or destructive practices like spraying a backyard for mosquitoes. No! We do things a little differently to make sure our garden peeps and everyone near our garden stays safe and healthy.
This list features 12 awesome garden products that are often hard to find in person. This list does not include basics like a broom, a rake, and a manual edger (if you mow a front yard or the sidewalk hellstrips) since those area easily found at your local hardware store.
The best way to control mosquitoes on your property is to use Bti cakes in places where water accumulates, like birdbaths, ponds, solar powered fountains that shut off at night, and even outdoor furniture. From the EPA: Bti is a biological or a naturally occurring bacterium found in soils. (Bti is short for Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies israelensis.) It contains spores that produce toxins that specifically target and only affect the larvae of the mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat. It is not toxic to bees or other wildlife or humans. One cake treats 100 square feet of water for 30 days and you can break them apart to use them in smaller spaces. As a busy mom, I have definitely tossed a piece of Bti cake into my daughter’s kiddie pool when I knew I wouldn’t be able to empty it right away. If you have an issue with gnats on indoor plants, Summit also makes BTI bits that can be places in planters and other small spaces inside and out.
2. Action Hoe
This is a great tool for weeding in hard to reach places. It works by severing the plant under the soil or even yanking it out altogether. I use this a lot in my front garden where there are some hard to reach areas that I do not want to trample. This tool is super handy during monarch butterfly season because I don’t have to disturb the caterpillars on the plants. Action hoes are not as easy to find in hardware stores as other tools for some reason, so I’ve linked this one.
This garden shear set has 3 types of shears, which are great for everything from pruning plants to snipping herbs and lettuce. This set also include a pair of gardening gloves, which is a bonus- you can never have enough gardening gloves! Not bad for $16.99.
This GreenWorks mower is powerful and it’s especially perfect for mowing small areas like front yards and sidewalk hellstrips. The mower comes with a rechargeable battery and a charger. You get about 60 minutes of mowing on a full battery and the best part is there are no emissions. Also, there is no cranking the engine with an exasperated look on your face- a child could probably turn this mower on since it’s so easy (which is why you should never leave any garden machinery unattended around kids!). The other great thing about this mower, and electric mowers in general, is that it is much quieter than a gas powered mower. I’ve had my Green Works mower for almost 2 years and it’s still going very strong- it has paid for itself many times over since I don’t have to pay someone to mow weekly and it is so easy to use and store. Get it here.
Life is too short to be wrestling with heavy green hoses! I got this hose for a public planting project and I love it. This expandable hose is lightweight, durable, and available in a range of sizes. The hose also includes a 10-Function Nozzle with solid brass fittings, a carrying case, extra rubber o-rings, and a hose hanger for convenient storage.
6. Lawn Sweeper
Gardening in an eco-friendly way often means leaving the leaves. Leaving the leaves adds nutrients to the soil and allows several insect species to overwinter safely. The simplest way to manage leaves that you can’t leave in place is to rake them up and move them to another location like a veggie garden bed or brush pile. If you have a large lawn, however, this can be time consuming. This handy lawn sweeper collects leaves, twigs, nuts and other small “debris” on the lawn.
These glass water globes are beautiful and functional in the garden. They are particularly great for indoor plants and fruit trees that are in a hard to water area. You can use recycled wine bottles to water your plants too but these are much prettier. These watering globes can be used indoors and outdoors.
8. Sunscreen
Sunscreen is super important throughout the year and particularly during the summer months when we are outdoors more often. It’s very easy to get sunburned on a hot summer day especially when you’re standing outside for long stretches of time completely mesmerized by all the amazing critters in your garden. Sure, you can find sunscreen in any drug store but Sun Bum is special because it doesn’t contain two potentially harmful chemicals commonly found in other sunscreens: oxybenzone and octinoxate.
9. Sun Visor
Visors are another great sun protection tool. I prefer visors to hats because they don’t make my head feel hot and sweaty. This Wallaroo sun visor is made of lycra and has adjustable tie in the back, which is great because it doesn’t pull your hair like velcro.
10. Hori Hori Knife
The hori hori knife is one of the most helpful tools to have in any gardening situation. You can dig, cut, and measure depth, which is very useful for sowing seeds at the right depth. There are many hori hori knifes on the market but this one is of high quality and is made in Japan. This is a great gift for any gardener.
11. Bypass Lopper
Bypass loppers are a great tool to have on hand to deal with small branches or even young (invasive) trees. This Fiskars Bypass Lopper cuts branches up to 1-1/2″ in diameter effortlessly.
12. Weed Wand Herbicide Applicator
Last but not least, this Wand Herbicide Applicator comes in handy for spot treating troublesome invasive plants like tree of heaven and other fast growing invasives. This product prevents overspray and damage to other plants and insects. It’s especially useful in milkweed patches and other areas that you don’t want to trample or drip excess herbicide on. The tube holds 8oz of liquid and the long handle is very convenient. I don’t advocate spraying herbicides other than to deal with invasive species that are difficult to eradicate by other means.