Easy Recipes From The Garden

While there are thousands of gardening products on the market, how does a new gardener decide what’s truly necessary? Usually through reading reviews online, talking to friends and family, and by trial and error you can learn which tools you will need, and which ones are nice to have but not essential.

Here’s my list for the gardening tools that I find essential for quick, easy and happy gardening:

A hoe. Digging trenches is made easy work with a garden hoe. What’s more, you can use it to dig up weeds in the garden.

A rake. A large garden rake can help to work soil amendments into the dirt.

A hand trowel. For planting bulbs and plants, and for digging up weeds.

A shovel. For digging larger holes in the dirt.

Gardening gloves. There’s nothing worse than getting dirt under your nails — and nothing harder to get out. Use gloves and eliminate the problem before it can start.

Pruming shears. For cutting flowers and herbs quickly and efficiently, as well as for light pruning.

A watering can.  For watering, of course.

Here’s a trick to getting free or low-cost gardening supplies: use Freecycle and Craigslist. Sure, you’ve used Craigslist to apply for a job or unload some items in lieu of a garage sale, but it’s also a fantastic resource for finding items you need at no cost – other than the cost of picking up the item. Freecycle is an international non-profit group whose goal is to keep items out of the landfills that can otherwise still be used, and building communities at the same time. Local chapters, which are run through Yahoo Groups, can be found on the Web site. Membership is free, and members can post items they no longer need or request items they want.

I’ve been keeping an eye on my local Freecycle and have seen free pots, plants, seeds, mulch, and more change hands. In addition, many members put up their excess plants as they thin out their perennials and gardens.

Craigslist is a free classified ad Web site with local sections. Each Craigslist has a “Free” section, where anyone can post items they wish to give away. An “Items Wanted” section is available as well, where you can post request for specific things. There is also a “Farm & Garden” section, where you might find items you’re looking for.

Happy swapping!