7 Gifts for the Gardeners on Your Holiday List
Every year, around holiday time, This Old House magazine editors handpick the TOH Top 100: Best New Home Products. Here are a few finds that the green thumbs on your list will love!
1. BrazelBerries Raspberry Shortcake raspberry bush, by Fall Creek Farm & Nursery
No yard is too small for growing this new dwarf variety. It forms a compact, thornless mound no wider than 3 feet yet produces sweet, full-size summer fruit. Plant bushes in big pots on a sunny patio, or as a groundcover in Zones 5 through 9. About $30 each; brazelberries.com
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2. The Essential Kit, by RedHed
The heirloom quality of this mix-and-match tool kit caught our eye. The case includes four powder-coated-steel tool heads (two shovels, a rake, and a broom) and five hickory handles with fittings that make switching tasks or handle lengths a snap. About $350; redhedtools.com
3. 36V Lithium Sweeper/Vacuum, by Black & Decker
This cord-free blower handily herds leaves and twigs into tidy piles, then converts to a vacuum, mulching and depositing the debris in the attached bag. About $150; blackanddecker.com
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4. Peel Away 4-inch Pot Kit, by Velcro
Encourage healthy roots with these nifty seed starters. Breathable sides let air reach developing roots, causing them to branch out rather than spiral back on themselves. The Velcro seams are easy to pull apart at planting time. Then just wash the pots and store them flat until next spring. About $25 for a tray and a set of three; velcro.com
5. Wrotter, by Sneeboer Manufacturing
We're all for anything that makes hand weeding easier. Simply drive the hand-forged stainless-steel shaft into the soil alongside the stem, and its angled barbs will catch the roots when you pull back, bringing up the entire weed. About $30; sneeboer.com
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6. HU800AWD Push Mower, by Husqvarna
Powered push mowers are fine for flat lawns, but throw in the slightest slope and most will struggle up it like a Mustang on ice. This is the first one with a drivetrain that sends power to all four wheels, and it easily handles hills at a nice, constant pace. About $500; husqvarna.com
7. Cast Wood Trough, by NativeCast
Made according to a homemade recipe of demolition-site rubble and natural materials, from sand to pine needles, this 8-by-17-inch vessel weighs in at just 10 pounds. Its rustic surface comes from a cast of mushroom board-naturally weathered wood salvaged from Pennsylvania mushroom farms. About $95; nativecast.com