$5 Magazine Deals Through December 3rd

November 29, 2012 1 comment
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While I do most of my reading online, I still have a weakness for actual print magazines. My favorites are Fine Gardening and Urban Farm, though I read a wide selection of gardening rags just to keep up with the latest and greatest. Though my two top faves never ever seem to go on sale [...]

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Why Grow That When You Can Grow This? Alternatives to Overused Plants

November 26, 2012 15 comments
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One of the neatest things about being a plant geek is that it’s possible to find inspiration anywhere you go. In theory, at least. In reality, there’s a short list of plants in each region that are used over and over again until they become boring and dull, and these plants populate our landscapes in [...]

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Cool Fall Reads: New Books, Old Faves, And Some Great Deals

November 12, 2012 1 comment
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The chilly air, fall wind, and damp everything have harshed my gardening mellow over the last few weeks. Luckily, the downturn in weather has coincided with a rush of new books and some great deals on old favorites, so I can enjoy a connection with the outdoors without actually having to, you know, go outside. [...]

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The Bottomless Planter Box from Outerior Decor

October 31, 2012 82 comments
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I’ve been lucky enough over the previous months to get an inside peek into the making of Amy Stewart’s cocktail garden to celebrate her new Drunken Botanist book, and have gotten to look at a number of clever products and construction techniques along the way. One of those clever products is the Outerior Décor series [...]

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Late-Breaking Halloween News: Defeating Zombies with Garlic and Soap (Not Garlic Soap)

October 31, 2012
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The zombie scourge has been ignored by the media for far too long. Why, I can’t say. The zombie apocalypse has all the makings of a perfect news story – guts, gore, and slavering undead. What more do readers want? So I’m delighted to hear that the trend-sniffing reporters over at HGTV are spreading the [...]

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Garrett Wade Professional Gardener’s Digging Tool

October 25, 2012 99 comments
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I’ve written a lot in the past about soil knives, because, well, they’re awesome. If you’re still gardening with a trowel or a dandelion fork, for goodness’ sake stop reading this post right now and go buy a soil knife. (Oh, wait – don’t stop reading yet, this is actually kind of relevant.) Soil knives [...]

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The Clarington Forge Rubber Rake: The Coolest Tool You Never Knew You Needed

October 17, 2012 55 comments
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Sometimes you come across a tool that solves so many problems you wonder how you went so long without hearing about it. The Clarington Forge rubber rake is one of those tools. “A rubber rake?” I hear you asking incredulously. “Really? WTF?” I’ll forgive you for asking, because if you remember our review of the [...]

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The Clarington Forge Rubber Rake: How To Change The Tines

October 17, 2012 4 comments
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This doesn’t need a lot of explanation, so I’ll get right to it: Here’s how to change the tines on your Clarington Forge Wizard or Merlin rubber rake.

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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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Defeating the Zombie Hordes (With Garlic)

October 10, 2012 260 comments
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Ever since Plants VS. Zombies came out a few years ago, I’ve been increasingly aware of the effects of the zombie scourge on our landscapes. I mean, you could be enjoying a peaceful afternoon sunning yourself in the garden, and all of a sudden,  you hear the ominous sounds of the slavering undead coming closer. [...]

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