My Gardening Wish List for 2014

As I sit around my house, tapping my feet, waiting for January to come to an end so I can start preparing to start seeds, I find myself thinking about the fun new garden accessories I want this year.

I realize my list is really simple, but I am very practical about things - as I'm only in my third year of gardening. Yet I have realized how much of a nerd I am when it comes to gardening, I am excited no matter how vanilla my list.

Here are five:

1. Tomato Cages
So simple, I know, but I love the fact the cages linked above are square, and not cone-shaped like a lot of tomato supports. They also appear to be much stronger than those I’ve used in the past. My tomatoes always get much higher than I expect – a good thing I think – and more unruly than I expect. So having a stronger cage is worth paying a little more. And with my plans for increasing my tomato yield significantly this year, I need a consistent support.


2. Grow Bags
I’ve spoken a lot about grow bags in recent blogs, but I really am excited about trying them out for both regular potatoes (earlier this year!) and sweet potatoes. My man and I eat a lot of sweet potatoes, and it really is time to try my hand at growing them.

I am going to try to grow bell peppers in a bag, as well, which never grow in my garden.

3. Bird Feeder
I think these are fun. While I don’t actually want more birds next to my garden, I wouldn’t mind putting one in the tree nearby, adding a little color to my back yard!

4. Mulch
I have a confession to make: I’m a horrible mulcher. But last year, I had a lot of problems with weeds. It means I have some work to do in and around my garden itself to get off to a better start this spring. But it also means I should probably mulch this year. I have never really taken the effort to do so, because using plastic as mulch never appealed to me; some people also use newspaper, which does decompose. Straw is popular though, and if I knew where to find some, I would do that. This or something like it from this website looks promising though: Mega Mulch Brick

5. Season-Extending Accessories
Like hoops – to protect plants such as kale, spinach, lettuce and more from the elements when it gets to be late September or October. Extending the season more effectively this year is a goal of mine, but I’ll need better supplies to do that. Last year I used simple row covers, which worked, but tended to be a little messy.

Just so you know, I have no affiliation with Gardeners Supply; I just frequently purchase from them, which is why I linked above for my examples. I’m sure many of the above are also available on other quality gardening sites.

Happy Planning!