5 Innovative and Effective Gardening Tools
Gardening is fun, useful, healthy, and sustainable. It’s a great way to get some exercise, and it’s beneficial for the environment as well. Luckily, for those of us who like to get our hands dirty, inventive minds have come up with the niftiest tools to make gardening experiences more enjoyable and efficient. From roll out gardens to recycled tube pads to keep your knees comfortable when weeding, we’ve rounded up our favorite gardening tools to help you make your organic garden thrive.
1. The Paper Potter
The paper potter is the cleverest little tool for easily and efficiently making your own biodegradable pots from newspapers. Perfect for starting and transplanting seedlings, these paper pots can go straight into the ground once the plant is ready, and even keep invasive roots from tangling into those of a newly planted veggie or flower. So, save up your newspapers and forget about those plastic pots and starter flats when its time to start seeds again.
2. Nourishmat Garden System
The Nourishmat Garden System is a 4 by 6 foot ‘roll out garden’ that makes gardening as simple and easy as ever. Perfect for small spaces and those with limited gardening time, the Nourishmat features pre-cut holes for plant spacing and pre-planted seedballs of different vegetables, herbs and flowers. The mat naturally acts as a weed barrier and the built-in irrigation system makes plant care easy and hassle-free. A great introduction to gardening, this tool actually reduces CO2 emissions, conserves over 80 percent of water and is a valuable activity for the whole family.
3. Tube Pad
Are your knees killing you after half an hour of weeding? No need to go through the pain with Flat Tire’s amazing recycled tire knee pad. The Tube Pad is made from reclaimed industrial inner tubes and filled with padding, making it just as tough on the ground as it is soft on your knees. Flexible, water and abrasion resistant, the Tube Pad is easy to clean and naturally contours to the shape of your knees.
4. Recycled Tire Tubs
Another one of our favorite gardening tools is also made out of recycled tires and plastic – tubs available in 6-12 gallon sizes. Perfect for carrying weeds, leaves, compost, plant starts, tools and even liquids, this multi-purpose carrier is not your average bucket. These flexible tubs have two sturdy handles and is very easy to carry around and handle, and lasts far longer than normal plastic buckets. Use it for anything from collecting rainwater to washing pets, watering plants, carrying firewood and even growing mushrooms.
5.Plant Nanny Stakes
Are you a forgetful plant owner or a frequent traveler who occasionally neglects to notice how thirsty your plants are? The Plant Nanny Stakes are here to rescue you, and your empty wine bottles. Just fill an empty wine bottle with water, attach the threaded Plant Nanny Stake and stick it into a pot. These responsible plant caretakers are designed to release just the right amount of water into the soil by gravity feed, keeping the roots of the plant at the correct moisture level. Ideal for any type of potted plant, with one wine bottle allowing for up to 7 days of water for a 1-gallon pot.
Images: Nigel’s Eco Store, Nourishmat, Flat Tire Decor, The Daily Green, The Green Head
