If you have a seasoned gardener on your gift list, you may be having trouble figuring out what to get them. Thankfully, there is no such thing as a gardener who has everything. If your gift giving is during the growing season, a new plant is always welcome and a timely gift! But if it is the middle of winter, there are also plenty of gifts for gardeners that will be welcome in the off-season. Our team at Fresh Food Connect have created a list of gift ideas for the gardener with everything.
1 - Donate to their favorite gardening organization or pay for a membership to their local botanical garden
Ask your gardener friend what local gardening organizations they support and share a donation.
Or talk to them about local botanical gardens or other membership-based groups. Consider paying for a membership that they can use to meet other excited gardeners in their area!
2 - Season extension items
Row covers are a great gift idea with lots of benefits such as:
- Protecting plants from cold weather and the wind
- Blocking insects and preventing the spread of disease
- Keeping your soil and plants from overheating
Hoop houses are another great gift idea since they protect plants from weather extremes like hot sun, wind, and storms. They also help prevent many disease and pest infestations while enhancing the quality and yield of specific crops.
Thirdly, greenhouses stabilize the growing environment by buffering the ambient temperature and protecting the plants from extreme cold.
3 - Preservation items
There are many ways a gardener could preserve produce from their garden:
- Fermenting/Canning: Even a gardener who has everything, can never have too many canning jars.
- Freezing: Ripe fruit can be frozen and used at a later date for delicious and healthy smoothies.
- Drying: A great gift idea could be a dehydrator or drying screens. The Excalibur dehydrator is a classic, and great for drying everything from tomatoes to meat jerky, and can also be used for making yogurt and proofing breads!
- No time to process your bounty? Consider Donating it to a local hunger relief organization! The Fresh Food Connect app will connect you to get started giving back.
4 - Indoor Growing Products for Kitchen Herbs
Just because the weather is cold outside does not mean that the gardening has to stop! There are plenty of products that are created for indoor use that allow someone to grow fresh kitchen herbs. Max from our team particularly enjoys his Click and Grow so that he always has fresh mint, basil, rosemary, and other herbs on hand.
5 - Soil Tests
Soil testing is an important first step toward growing healthy plants in your garden. A soil test can help you make informed fertilizer and soil amendment choices. A simple test kit like this one is all you need to get started. Your local county Extension Office can assist you as well.
6 - Water Conservation Tools
Depending on where your gardener friend is located, it may be helpful to gift them water conservation tools. We would recommend checking out rain gauges, drip irrigation kits, and rain barrels. The Rachio app-enabled sprinkler controller can link irrigation for up to for 4 zones, automatically skips cycles during rain or strong winds to eliminate water waste, and is simple to control from your phone.
7 - Online Gardening Classes
Is your gardener a life-long learner? Gift them an online gardening class, so they can learn more and apply their new learnings to the next season! Our friends at Denver Urban Gardens have put together this Masterclass Series which we highly recommend.
8 - Compost Bin
This is a great gift idea for the sustainability-minded gardener. You can get creative and build one for them or purchase one at your local garden center or online. One option is a compost tumbler which is a barrel type container that uses a crank to turn the compost. As the bin rotates, the composting material is mixed. This is much easier than having to turn the compost with a fork or shovel. Another advantage is that the composting material is completely enclosed in the barrel, so there is no danger of attracting pests. We're fans of this tumbling composter.
Don’t add to the landfills-- it’s a great time to use eco wrapping options instead-- here are some ideas!
Thank you for reading! We hope that you enjoyed this list of gift ideas for the gardener with everything.
What if every gardener planted just one extra plant to share?
One small donation can have a tremendous impact. Just imagine, if every gardener planted one extra plant to share, collectively, we would have an abundant source of fresh, healthy produce available to be distributed to families experiencing food insecurity in our own communities! The free Fresh Food Connect mobile app connects you to a local hunger relief program, then manages and tracks your donations of homegrown produce throughout the season. Download the app today!
