Yard and garden Maintenance Gadgets

That looks like a great step ladder.  Where did you get it from?

@SwampTroll wrote:That looks like a great step ladder.  Where did you get it from?

I bought it about 2-3 years ago at Home Depot.

I have a similar one, only the top bar is not as tall, which I wish it was. I had to sacrifice height of the bar for a super light-weight one. My step stool is good, also, if there is something to hold onto.

Not really a maintenance gadget but since I mentioned my "wellies" in an earlier post, I had to show off my new footwear.  I think Mrs TD was so embarrassed by me working in the front yard in shorts and the wellies that she bought these low slip-on rubber shoes for me today.

What we wives have to do!

Found a cooling towel at Walmart yesterday for $5. It's a creepy/rubbery thing, but it really works. The heat has been getting to me lately -- more every day. Without this goofy wet/dry towel around my neck, I couldn't go out at all anymore. I highly recommend this "As Seen On TV" product.

We took two of our grandkids to a dollar store yesterday and while we were there I found two gardening items that I liked.  The first is a three prong gadget with a handle. It works great for fluffing up the MM and mixing in compost in squares that have been harvested and that are being prepared for replanting.  The second is a small version of a garden fork which I plan to use to stir things up in my plastic SoilSaver compost bin. I have not yet tried it.  The three prong gadget seems to be well made but the garden fork not so much.

@trolleydriver wrote:We took two of our grandkids to a dollar store yesterday and while we were there I found two gardening items that I liked.  The first is a three prong gadget with a handle. It works great for fluffing up the MM and mixing in compost in squares that have been harvested and that are being prepared for replanting.  The second is a small version of a garden fork which I plan to use to stir things up in my plastic SoilSaver compost bin. I have not yet tried it.  The three prong gadget seems to be well made but the garden fork not so much.

That 3-pronged gadget looks like it would be good for when you have to lean in with one hand to reach something with the other. 

I like the looks of that three pronged gadget for breaking up soil in the flower beds before planting. Looks like it would do a good job of it!

They're also good for lifting irises and potatoes, or so I've read.

Anybody ever use a "tree diaper"? I just saw it on "I Want That." The priniple is similar to wood chip mulch.They're "donuts" of some type of fabric, stuffed with something absorbant that sucks up rain or irrigation water, then slowly releases it. They come in all sizes and look like they'd be perfect for round containers. They protect against weeds, too. They look interesting, but I don't know how much they cost. Not worth it if they're too pricey or don't last more than one season.

https://www.treediaper.com/products.cfm

Hmm, says they last for years, kinda spendy, but not too bad if they really work in our dry heat. I'd love to hear from someone who's tried them.

$20!!

@sanderson wrote:$20!!

Ya know, we could probably make something a whole lot cheaper . . . 

Never heard of such a thing!

Or, just mulch.

If it works the way it says it does, releasing water for up to a full 2 months, I might spend $20 on it. I wonder if it's filled with those "water crystals"? I've made those neck hangars by using them; soak in water (takes a few hours) and they swell up to big marble-sized cold balls. Takes quite a while for them to dehydrate back down.

I can't remember the exact brand I used, but here are a couple of examples:

https://www.amazon.com/eBoot-Floral-Pearls-Crystal-Filler/dp/B075H6W7F6

https://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-Water-Storing-Crystals-12-Ounce/dp/B0042YYVYG

https://www.amazon.com/Cricket-Water-Polymer-Crystals-Large/dp/B007B6GUG4

My new favorite gardening gadget is the garden kneeler. It has made a big difference for me in tending my garden, especially since the beds are on the ground instead of being raised. I think it would work well even if I had TT gardens, tho. There's enough padding that I'm not stressing my lower back by sitting on a hard surface. I rarely use the kneeling part, but when I do, it's very sturdy and designed so that I can get up from the kneeling position easily without any wobbling. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CDU8T5C/

 

There were so many brands to choose from, it's hard to tell if there's any big differences. I ultimately chose the Songmics one because it was on a deal in the early spring and I got it for under $20. I thought the pouch and the leg clips would be good, but in real time use, I could take them or leave them. I can't get the plastic clips onto the frame, so I've never used them. The pouch is sort of convenient for your hand tools, if you're not flipping from seat to kneeler, but gets in the way of collapsing the seat for storage and stuff falls out of the pockets. 

The main positive to this one is the thickness of the pad and the fact that the frame is steel and sturdy. I'm very happy with it.

@BlackjackWidow wrote:My new favorite gardening gadget is the garden kneeler. It has made a big difference for me in tending my garden, especially since the beds are on the ground instead of being raised. I think it would work well even if I had TT gardens, tho. There's enough padding that I'm not stressing my lower back by sitting on a hard surface. I rarely use the kneeling part, but when I do, it's very sturdy and designed so that I can get up from the kneeling position easily without any wobbling. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01CDU8T5C/

 

There were so many brands to choose from, it's hard to tell if there's any big differences. I ultimately chose the Songmics one because it was on a deal in the early spring and I got it for under $20. I thought the pouch and the leg clips would be good, but in real time use, I could take them or leave them. I can't get the plastic clips onto the frame, so I've never used them. The pouch is sort of convenient for your hand tools, if you're not flipping from seat to kneeler, but gets in the way of collapsing the seat for storage and stuff falls out of the pockets. 

The main positive to this one is the thickness of the pad and the fact that the frame is steel and sturdy. I'm very happy with it.

Kewl! 

BJW,

I have something similar from www.gardeners.com, only in purple.  It's a back and knee saver!

I have one of these too.  It is my favorite garden tool.  Great as a seat for planting out flower pots in the spring and it really saves the knees when planting and weeding the flower beds that are next to the sidewalk.