2022 Holiday Gift Guides: Day 9 “Advanced Gardeners”
So you’ve mastered a bit of gardening and you’re looking to level up your gear… me too! To be honest, calling this an “Advanced Gardeners” list is a bit of a stretch. Let’s say intermediate — where I’d call my own skill level. Truly advanced gardeners reallllly know their stuff and as a self-taught student of gardening, I still haven’t graduated high school. (I’m a sophomore in experience years. :))
Let’s dig in, shall we?
GIFT GUIDE DAY 9: ADVANCED GARDENERS
A truly advanced gardener likely already owns this tool but I’ve found myself recommending this to people who have pulled off the garden training wheels and are ready to load up on gear. (Or gift one to someone who’s eager to get more into gardening).
A hori hori knife is the most versatile garden tool you’ll ever use. It can measure the depth of the soil, dig up roots, help create holes for planting, it’s perforated side can cut and help split perennials, it can help remove plants, weeds and do almost everything except harvest and wash your veggies. It’s super affordable pricepoint makes it a great gift. I would recommend pairing it with a lovely gardening book based on your recipient’s expertise level!
2) An English Style Garden Trug
You might have seen the colander-style garden trug featured on yesterday’s garden gift guide. The classic English garden trug caught my eye when Mary (aka Mars) Buri, one of my favorite garden follows and owner of Mars Kitchen Garden, would share beautiful content showcasing her produce haul in this incredible attractive and functional vessel. I catalogued this trug in the advanced category because of the pricepoint. It’s a larger investment than other options. There’s a fascinating history behind trugs, hailing from Sussex, England. You might want to print out an excerpt or two to accompany your trug gift to explain the history of this vessel and its evolution over the past 200 years.
Second shout out to Mary Buri here for this tip she shared on her Instagram page about seed storage. If you have started ordering packets of seeds and have leftover, you can save them for future seasons. Many seeds are viable for several years if you keep them in cool, dry conditions (with the exception of a few varieties like alliums). Mary shared that she uses a photo organizer for seed packets. So genius! I’m doing this over the winter and am so excited to have a more functional way to store my seeds.
5) Garden Tote Bag
This is on my own personal wishlist this year because my old tool bag needed replacing. I love the size, function and style of this bag. I can’t tell you how many times I go into the garden with a tool or two and when I’m ready to leave I’ve completely forgotten where I’ve left them — “Did I leave them in the tomato bed?” “Did it get buried under a carpet of lettuce?” Worst of all - “Where is the Hori Hori knife and where are my kids?!?!”
All you really need to journal your garden adventures is a pen and paper (or your personal device). But the practice of writing down the gardening adventures, drawing out the plan and making observations as I go is my preferred method. I have used an inconsistent method for cataloguing my garden adventures for years and often forget to remember to ask myself some questions I later wish I had. I love that this journal logs so many elements of gardening — from what food you’ve harvested and how you plan to use / freeze it to seasonal reminders about planting crops, tips, and beyond. It’s VERY detailed and for some that might be stressful but for people who love to be organized and think they may need some coaching along the way to remember to record some details, this could be the journal for you.
