Books and Tools

The Roo Weeding and Harvesting Apron

October 15, 2012 55 comments
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While I’m usually kind of a minimalist when it comes to new tools, I have to admit that my previous strategy for harvesting eggs, berries, squash, and apples wasn’t really working. For eggs, I would stick as many as I could into my pockets and my hands and try very hard not to smash or [...]

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Doofus-Proof Watering: Adjustable Sprinkler and Timer from Dramm

June 20, 2012 66 comments
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The initial plan for my home garden was to set up an automated drip irrigation system, but as my garden evolved, I realized how difficult it would be to make that type of setup work for me. Drip systems work best on gardens that have lots of individual shrubs and plants, and I have the [...]

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Hose Couture with Dramm’s ColorStorm Line

June 6, 2012 115 comments
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Why are most garden hoses so ugly? It’s as though twenty years ago, hose manufacturers decided to pick the most glaringly obvious shade of minty green for all their hoses, and never revisited that decision despite having ample reason to do so. I mean, that hose color is pale enough to show algae stains and [...]

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Bogs Gardening Shoes: Waterproof and Stink-Free

June 4, 2012 139 comments
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I don’t do many clothing reviews here on North Coast Gardening because most clothes made specifically for gardening are either not my style (I only like floral when it’s thorny and goth), or the manufacturers are so busy thinking about the stereotype of a Lady Gardener that they completely miss out on creating a product [...]

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Planting the Triolife Triangular Planter (Kitty “Helped”)

May 16, 2012 159 comments
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I’ll admit it: I’m bad with containers. I love planting them, placing them and admiring them. What I’m not so great at is watering them. So when Eartheasy offered to send me one of these stylish triangular Triolife planters to test out, I wasn’t feeling too confident that I’d be able to create an effect [...]

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The Sunset Edible Garden Cookbook

May 9, 2012 36 comments
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A month ago when I visited San Francisco, Sunset Publishing invited me (and a number of other garden writers) over to breakfast. Never one to turn down either free food or a garden tour, I accepted with glee, and ate as much of their fresh, delicious food as I could fit in. (The plate shown [...]

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The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour

May 4, 2012 2 comments
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While I’ve been a professional gardener for, gosh, 16 years, one area of gardening that I have never felt very confident is in vegetable gardening. When I bought my own home a few years back, I finally began growing vegetables on my own plot of land. Though growing a few lettuce, zucchini or kale plants [...]

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Fiskars UpRoot Weeder: Armed and Dangerous (to Dandelions)

May 2, 2012 68 comments
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Tools have all kinds of personalities. There are the delightfully snooty British ones which make me feel like I ought to bring my good china out into the garden and wear a floral hat while digging. And the sturdy Japanese ones which transport me to ancient times and make me feel like a noble samurai-type [...]

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Fiskars PowerGear Loppers (Part Two)

April 25, 2012 105 comments
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A year ago, my pruning life changed for the better. I didn’t realize it at first, as my partner Trevor stole my fresh new loppers to cut up kindling and I couldn’t find ‘em for a week. Once I did, I took them out to prune an overgrown Ceanothus into a lovely tree-like shape, and [...]

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Garrett Wade’s Professional Pruning Saws and Loppers

April 20, 2012 100 comments
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Are pruning saws mostly the same from brand to brand? I certainly thought so. They cut things (some better than others), and some fold or have a pole attached, but otherwise, pretty similar in how well they function, right? Nope! After trying at least 10 brands of saw over the 16 years I’ve run a [...]

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