Organic gardeners in general are gentle and peaceful souls. However, present them with a gift certificate from the local chemical lawn care company and the result is likely to be a lecture on the evils of chemicals to the environment. Stay safe with these gift ideas.
Compost Bins and Tumblers for the Organic Gardener
Composting is the life and soul of the organic gardener. Not a scrap of kitchen vegetable waste makes its way into the refuse for collection. Instead, it is collected up and deposited on the compost pile for incorporation into the garden.
Compost bins and tumblers make composting clean and fast. They can also be placed almost anywhere in the garden for convenience or even on the back porch.
Vermicomposting - Composting With Worms
For the ultimate in composting the waste from the kitchen, vermicomposting is the answer. Vermicomposting uses worms to reduce vegetable scraps and peelings, shredded paper, and so on, into nutrient-rich compost. A by-product of vermicomposting is compost tea, a liquid that drains from the composting container that can be immediately used as food for plants and vegetables. Vermicomposting is clean and efficient, and has no foul odors so can even be carried out indoors. Various makes of vermicomposting bins are available, such as the Worm Wigwam, the Wormaroo and the Can of Worms.
Organic Fertilizers and Lawn Treatments
Plants need nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus to grow and flourish, and they don't care where it comes from. Most of the commercial fertilizers available in the home improvement superstores are chemical fertilizers. These tend to deplete the goodness in the soil, whereas organic fertilizers actually improve the soil.
May commercial lawn treatments for weeds and pests are particularly hazardous to the soil and the environment, killing indiscriminately and leaving the soil barren. Organic lawn care products are easy to find these days on the internet, and are actually appearing more and more in the superstores as demand slowly increases.
Brush, Branch, and Leaf Shredders
A garden shredder is the ultimate gift for the organic gardener. It will reduce small branches, shrubbery clippings, and leaves to a spreadable mulch or to a compost pile addition that will quickly turn the shreddings into compost--gardener's gold.
Shredders are available in many sizes and their capability is dependent on the power they can produce. A good garden shredder can reduce branches up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The Organic Gardener web site has comprehensive information on garden shredders.
Organic Gardeners Gloves and Tools
Gardeners love gloves. In particulat, hard wearing gauntlet-style gloves with long sleeves prevent scratches from pruning prickly shrubs such as roses.
Gardeners also love pruning shears. A high-quality set of shears from a maker such as Falco is always well received.
Organic Gardening Books
- Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener, Fern Marshall Bradley (Editor) and Barbara W. Ellis (Editor), (Rodale Books, 1993).
- Let It Rot! The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition), Stu Campbell (Storey Communications, Inc., Pownal, Vt., 1998).
- Worms Eat My Garbage: How to setup & maintain a vermicomposting system, Mary Appelhof (Flower Press, Revised 1997).
Other Gift Ideas for Organic Gardeners
- Mushroom growing kit
- Organic heirloom tomato seeds
- Compost thermometer
Sources
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