Look for garden gloves with breathable tops so your hands don't sweat so much.
Ho, ho, ho, it's time for holiday gift buying. Yes, let's talk about special gifts you can give the gardener in your family. If you're stuck for ideas, I've got a few to share. Are you listening, Santa?
Gardeners use and abuse their hands. So we're always looking for good-fitting garden gloves. I like gloves with leather palms for durability and longevity when I'm moving rocks, lumber, and soil.
But also, look for gloves with breathable tops so your hands don't sweat so much. Nitrile gloves feature sticky nylon and silicon finger pads so you can grip small objects easier without having to always take off your gloves.
Some gloves are inexpensive so buy two pairs. One pair can dry out while you keep gardening with the other. Oh, and don't forget to put a little skin balm in the stocking too, to soothe the bare-handed gardener.
Gardeners love to eat and, even for the black thumb in the family, indoor mushroom kits are fun and easy. Some of the boxed kits include portobello, cremini, and button mushrooms. My wife Wendy and I are giving some friends shiitake-mushroom inoculated logs for the holidays. While the box kits will fruit in a few weeks, the logs will take a few years, but what a treat when they start fruiting, and they require little care.
For a great gift, toss reusable Velcro plant ties into their stocking. These ties are great for supporting roses, grapes, and tomatoes.
They now come in different colors so they blend well into the landscape, or you can use them to mark different varieties.
Next week, I’ll be talking about terrariums. Until then, I’ll be seeing you in the garden.
