Livingston County News File Photo
Worms move abut at Worm Power in Avon. The high-nutrient worm castings product made from cow manure is much richer than compost and works well as an additive to potting soil, among other garden uses.
MASTER GARDENER
Gift ideas for gardeners
The holiday season is upon us, and many of us are thinking about gifts. I have a few gift ideas for gardeners you might like to consider:
A subscription to “Gardening Gazette”, a publication of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Livingston County. Cost for 12 monthly issues is only $10 per year, and includes color photos. This gardening information appears in my mailbox when I need it. Call the CCE office at 991-5420 and they will help you order it. All of the published information pertains specifically to Livingston County.
Worm Power, a high-nutrient worm castings product made from cow manure. The manure is produced at Coyne Farms in Avon, then composted by worms at Tom Herlihy’s business called Worm Power. It is much richer than products sold as compost. It works well as an additive to potting soil, for establishing transplants in the garden, and for top dressing during the season. It is available at J A Farm Market just north of Lakeville, or online from Gardeners Supply (888 833 1412). You can learn more about this product at WormPower.net. A video of the production process is included on this site.
Compost/topsoil mix from Al Landscaping in Lakeville. The owner, Al Roome, donated some of this for a raised bed I had built for some developmentally disabled adults in Lakeville. The plants went nuts! It is available by the cubic yard. You can have some delivered, or he will sell smaller quantities loaded in your truck or in 5 gallon buckets.
Hardscape materials, perhaps a palate of stones. We gardeners don’t often buy materials like this for ourselves, but it can be fun and satisfying to create a path or wall.
Garden Art from The Artful Gardener, 727 Mt. Hope Avenue in Rochester, near Mt. Hope Cemetery. This shop features beautiful art created by local artisans, who are listed on the web page at theartfulgardenerny.com. You should probably involve the gardener in selection of artwork, since taste varies a lot.
A really long-handled trowel. I bought one from Lee Valley Tools (800 871 8158), they call it a micro spade. It works not only for digging weeds without bending, but is also tall enough (38.5”) to serve effectively as a walking stick. It has a nice bicycle-grip handle. Cost is only $9.50 plus tax and shipping.
Gardening books: one of my favorites this year is “Everyday Roses” by Paul Zimmerman. There are lots of good roses available on the marketplace now, that don’t need spraying, and don’t need to be mulched heavily for the winter. He covers many of them. One of my talks this spring at Wadsworth Library in Geneseo will be based on this book.
Of course, the Lee Valley and Gardeners’ Supply catalogs offer a wide array of additional products. I have ordered repeatedly from both of these sources, and have been pleased with the quality and service.
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