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Here’s a full guide to gardener essentials with a eco friendly twist: all of these items are hand-selected for being durable and sustainable. These gardener tools are ones that will support you on the road to self-sufficiency in your garden, and were picked with regenerative gardening in mind.
1. a scythe to cut back on machinery usage
We have a couple of items from scythe supply, a sickle and a scythe. I personally love the sickle for harvesting large amounts of herbs, or for chopping and dropping cover crops. My husband likes to scythe for cutting back grass - it’s a much more relaxing way to mow the lawn without the noise and gasoline of a regular mower. Plus it’s kind of badass.
This small business is part of 1% for the planet, and scything is a great skill to learn, especially for those preparing for a post-oil world.
2. eco friendly seed trays - cut costs by starting your own seeds
The epic 6-cell are heavy-duty seed starting trays made in the USA from recycled, BPA-free, food-grade plastic. These here because they are a buy-once kind of product.
Every gardener knows the frustration of flimsy, crinkly, and cracked seed starting trays and pots. They are wasteful and need to be replaced often. These 6-cell (and 4-calls) solve that problem, and keep plastic out of the landfill.
Epic 6-Cell Seed Starting Trays
I got the 120 pack bc you save a ton - it’s only twice the cost of buying 24. I use them all as a homesteader, and am considering buying another 120 pack since we have expanded our garden.
To go totally plastic free, check out this soil blocker and accompanying trays:
3. a handmade harvest basket - support small artisans while you gather your bounty
The harvest basket that I appreciate the most is one that has straps like these two handmade baskets shown below. In that way, I can have both hands free as I carry fruit and veggies back to the house…in which I can carry more baskets!
4. save water with irrigation systems
Water is a scarce resource, especially if you are a gardener who works in a dry climate. These oya pots are a way to keep garden beds hydrated but with up to 70% less water.
We have this drip irrigation system set up around the garden from Dripworks - it covers our greenhouse thoroughly in addition to several rows. We have a splitter set up so that we can water certain zones separately. We have noticed a HUGE water savings with drip irrigation vs. overhead watering. While the product's manufacturing process doesn't seem to have sustainability in mind, the outcome of integrating their product into your garden has huge environmental benefits.
5. sustainably made hand shovels
Gardener's Supply has a great series of Lifetime made tools, which have a lifetime guarantee. The wood handles of this product line are sustainably sourced, and the quality is impeccable. I've left my shovel out in the rain an embarassing number of times, and after a nice polish of the steel, they are good as new.
6. a no-dig garden essential - an unbreakable broadfork
We have a meadow creature people's broadfork and it is amazing - extremely sturdy, even in our dense clay soil. We've used it in rocky areas and it hasn't even gotten scratched. This is a buy once, use for life and then pass it on to the next generation kind of product.
Check out Meadow Creature's Broadfork
7. durable hoe for weeding
This long-handled hoe is great for getting weeds around your vegetable garden. I use my hoe around the edges of my beds, where the mulch has drifted away or when the wood chipped pathways are getting thing. This hoe has a handle from sustainably sourced wood, and has a lifetime guarantee.
Gardener's Lifetime Swan Neck Hoe
8. non-toxic garden hoses
We have two of these 100 ft. hoses, one in purple and one in green, and they give us piece of mind when we are hand watering since they are non-toxic and won't leech chemicals into your water. These hoses come with a 5 year warranty, and are weather resistant.
100 ft. non-toxic hose from Earth Easy
9. sturdy artisan garden scissors
I love having a good pair of scissors in the garden, and have a couple stored in different areas for easy access. I especially like them for cutting back cover crops and breaking up organic matter to spread as a mulch over beds. While it might not be the most efficient use of my time, it helps me to be precise with what I'm cutting.
These carbon-steel scissors are made with gardeners in mind.
