Master Gardeners – greenupside

Are you trying to decide on the right gift for an advanced gardener in you life? Unsure of where to even begin? Well, today we're going to go over 7 of the most useful gifts you can get for a master of gardening. 7 Gifts For Master Gardeners: ClocheScarecrowVegetable Washing StationFermentation KitKneeling PadTractor ScootGarden Sign Keep in mind, these gift ideas are in no particular order. They'll all make just about equally great gifts for any experienced gardener! Cloche Most gardeners who are experienced with the labor required to produce a bountiful harvest — are also quite experienced with unexpected overnight frosts and pests nibbling away at their crops. Just because experienced gardeners are familiar with these threats to their plants, however, doesn’t automatically mean they have all of the defenses they need to ensure that their plants come out on top. It’s a story of plant vs. predator (and the elements, of course.) The gardener is the writer of the story. Yuck! Keep the aphids and other creepy crawlers from eating your precious crops by using a solid, protective garden cloche! Though the experienced gardener in your life will surely know how to prepare for and fight against hungry pests and threats of cold weather — they might not always have time to do so. This can be especially true for gardeners who grow a wide array of different crops since more crops means more divided attention. Experienced gardeners are extremely likely to have more plants than they know what to do with because as the years go by, they get more curious about adding new foods to their garden and they look for rare heirlooms and other crops that may be new to them. That all being said — it can never hurt to get a few new cloches to help the experienced gardener in your life protect their plants. Even your pets can get curious and start gnawing on your plants! Use a solid or wire cloche to keep your plants safe! There are — of course — various different types of cloches. Many act as mini-greenhouses to help protect individual plants from the elements. You can find this type of cloche on the Gardener’s website. So, if plant-protection from the elements is what your experienced gardener needs, check out this set of 3 large garden cloches from Gardener’s. Another type of cloche that I love is this wire-style cloche. This one helps prevent caterpillars, aphids, and other nibbling wildlife from munching away at a gardener’s crops. Oh, and if you’re looking to help the experienced gardener protect their plants on a larger scale, check out this critter fence from Gardener’s. If you'd like to learn a bit more about the functions of a garden cloche, check out this article on what to do after seeds sprout, in which garden cloches are thoroughly explained! Scarecrow Another way to ward off pests is to use a scarecrow — making this a perfectly suitable gift for an experienced gardener in your life. Ward off mice, birds, and other hungry critters with a human-like scarecrow! You won’t find anyone more tired of pests and winged invaders than an experienced gardener. Even if the gardener you’re thinking of already uses a scarecrow — chances are, another one won’t hurt. Seriously, your friend (or family member) needs as much bird-protection for their garden as they can get. A crow waiting for the perfect time to swoop down and steal your homegrown berries! Birds that love to snack on seeds and grains don’t care if they’re welcome or not — they’re hungry and looking for their next fix. Plain and simple. Amazingly (and perhaps not in a good way), over time, birds often become used to stationary scarecrows and eventually begin approaching a gardener’s crops again. Don't forget to move your scarecrows from time to time. Critters learn quickly — and once they do, they'll be back! However, that shouldn’t discourage you from getting a shiny, new scarecrow for the experienced gardener in question. Also, did you notice that I used the word “shiny” when referring to the scarecrow? Well, that wasn’t an accident. Crows, robins, sparrows, and finches are usually repelled by light-reflecting gadgets. That’s why you’ll often see gardeners with CDs, sparkly pinwheels, and other metallic objects in their garden. They’re trying to keep the birds out. I know an experienced gardener who is always looking for new ways to get the birds out of his sacred space — and keep them out. Whether the experienced gardener in your life has 2 scarecrows or 10 scarecrows doesn’t matter as much as how often they are moved. It’s recommended to move scarecrows to new spots from time to time so that birds and mice don’t catch on to the fact that the scarecrows aren’t real. Since owls eat mice, birds, and other small animals — faux ones make great alternatives to humanlike scarecrows! My favorite scarecrow is this unique, solar powered fake horned owl from the OceanImprovements Etsy shop. Remember, regardless of what scarecrow (or scarecrows) you choose — just make sure to remind the gift recipient that they should move the scarecrow from one spot to another periodically. Vegetable Washing Station On a recent journey across the creative gardening ideas of Pinterest, I came across an absolutely brilliant DIY veggie washing station. Seriously, whoever was the first person to do this...is a genius. The creative and crafty DIY veggie washing station I saw was made from just a wooden frame, a mesh screen, and some screws and staples to hold it all together. To put it simply, this vegetable washing station was essentially built like a potting bench — but instead of a wooden tabletop, it was made with a mesh screen stapled to a wooden frame. Yes, that’s really it. Some upcycled mesh will make a wonderful vegetable washing station for the experienced gardener! As I continued my Pinterest search, I stumbled upon a photo of an upcycled screen door situated atop a wooden table frame (without a countertop). It was difficult to determine based on the photo whether or not the creator of this DIY wash station secured the screen door to the table frame or simply rested it on top. When I tackle a similar project, I definitely plan to screw the screen door to the table frame for added stability. With a properly sized table frame and screen door, you could certainly make a beautiful DIY veggie washing station for the experienced gardener in your life — and at little-to-no cost to you. Fermentation Kit If you have an experienced gardener in your life, odds are, you also have a gardener in your life who frequently looks for new ways to preserve the fruits (and vegetables) of their labor. My father has been gardening for over 40 years. He has always canned his tomatoes, salsas, jams, and sauces. He’s also frozen many of his vegetables, fruits and berries for as long as I can remember. Use a fermentation kit to ferment everything from dilly beans to dilly cucamelons — or both at once! It wasn’t until a few years ago, though, that he began making irresistibly delicious kimchi, sauerkraut, pickles, pickled beets, and dilly beans using a fermentation kit that my mother got him as a holiday gift. Best...Gift...Ever. A gift that keeps on giving — the fermentation kit has led to countless (and delicious) fermented foods showing up on my doorstep — courtesy of Dad. So shoutout to my talented, Green-thumbed Dad for continuously fermenting all these delicious, nutritious foods. Fermented foods like kimchi are loaded with probiotics. These beneficial bacteria promote a healthy gut — and believe it or not — a healthy mind, too! & a sincere thank you to my incredibly thoughtful Mom for getting those fermentation kits. None of this would have been possible without you. Kneeling Pad If the experienced gardener in your Iife isn’t already using a kneeling pad when they garden — they really, Really should be. So, why not be the one to help protect your favorite gardener’s aging knees? I know using a kneeler seems like a no-brainer, but in reality, most experienced gardeners aren’t going to buy something like this for themselves. Image from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kneeling_pad_01.JPG Just because the experienced gardener in your life hasn’t prioritized getting one of these comfortable and practical kneeling pads, though, doesn’t mean they don’t need one! With a gift this thoughtful, you can rest assured that your gift will be well-appreciated by your experienced gardener friend (or family member). Tractor Scoot This is a perfect gift for experienced gardeners because it provides much-needed bodily relief — which won’t go unnoticed by someone who spends much of their time on their knees and hunched over a bed of plants. Tractor scoots are especially helpful for developing healthy postural habits and ergonomics of the knees and lower back. Tending to a garden is a lot easier from a comfortable seated position. We should always be looking for healthier, more ergonomic ways to perform our daily acts of living — especially the repetitive movements that we perform while gardening. These repetitive movements wreak havoc on our necks, backs, and joints over time. No more hunching! It's time for the experienced gardener in your life to start using a tractor scoot for gardening! This type of wear and tear isn’t always noticeable with a single passing day, but if there were a way to objectively compare how your neck felt prior to a couple years of gardening — chances are, you’d notice the difference between then and now. A Tractor Scoot provides gardeners with a solution to their most significant postural challenges. There are several different tractor scoots that you can choose from. My favorite is the Deluxe Tractor Scoot from Gardeners.com. This tractor scoot has an adjustable seat, the ability to lock in place for added support, and the ability to be easily steered around sharp corners and over rough terrain. It also has space underneath to carry around gardening tools and personal belongings! Garden Sign If you’re a Green Upsider (a frequent reader of the Green Upside Blog), then you know we are big advocates for giving garden signs as gifts. This is especially true for experienced gardeners. If someone in your life has been gardening for many years, then gardening presumably means a lot to them and is an important part of their life. With them enjoying gardening as much as they do, don’t you think it’s about time they add a beautiful, customized garden sign to their garden space? We love that garden signs come in so various shapes, sizes, materials, and price-ranges. You can find the perfect sign for your friend or loved one — all while staying within your financial means. Here’s a beautiful and personalized garden greenhouse sign from one of our favorite Etsy shops, PersonifyGift: The experienced gardener in your life will love this garden greenhouse sign from the PersonifyGift shop on Etsy. The owner of this shop frequently has sales going on that are hard to resist — and even after a sale has ended, you can score 10% off on most items when you use the code LoveIt! PersonifyGift also offers plenty of other attractive and durable garden signs at their Etsy Shop! Conclusion Now you have 7 awesome gift ideas for your favorite master gardener! If you liked reading this article as much as I liked writing it, please share it with someone who might find these ideas interesting! If you'd like to read a post similar to this one - but about gardening gifts for beginners, click here. You might also enjoy this post with our favorite Vertical Herb Garden Ideas. (Many of these ideas will also make wonderful gifts!) If you’re interested in building a unique garden trellis for your experienced gardener, you’ll love this post about Unique & Unusual Garden Trellis Ideas. If you’d like to check all your gift-picking for the season off of your To-Do list, check out this post on gardening gifts for Mother’s Day and this post on gardening gifts for Father’s Day. & if you want to read some of GreenUpSide’s popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy! You might like this post about wedding gifts for gardeners, too! I hope you enjoyed this guest post by LMadGz! Happy gifting!