Gardening With CUTCO Tools

When gardening I think one of the most important things to have are reliable tools, which will not frustrate us. I find CUTCO gardening tools to have a good quality that is reliable and durable.

Since 1949 CUTCO guarantees the quality of their products, as they have a forever guarantee for the performance, sharpness and replacement of all their products. We don't need to hold onto the receipts to use their guarantee.

Gardening in Small Spaces and Giveaway

Gardening is one of our favourite hobbies. In the past years, we have passionately done a variety of DIY projects and improved our gardening to become a backyard oasis. We have built a variety of different gardening structures, put in a pond with aquatic plants, made spaces for birds, planted fruit trees, invested in different types of perennials over the years, and more. When it comes to growing vegetables, we usually buy transplants from garden centres and put in a few seeds directly in the garden.

Gardening book and gloves

With the gardening season starting, it would be a good time to get ready with the right tools.  Having a guidebook is a good start before starting to garden and plan. 

The Canadian Gardener's Guide is a useful book for beginners and experts.  It has all the detailed information that we need to know about gardening. It covers topics such as maintenance, diseases, weeds, pests, pruning and caring during off-season. The 435 page handbook edited by Lorraine Johnson has all the details with colourful pictures. It is easy to follow and understand.   

Some of the topics that the book covers:

• Gardening basics for beginners i.e. tools, jargon.
• Shows how to select and garden plants, trees, vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in appropriate zones.
• Expert guidance to plant care.
• Large areas and small areas i.e. information on styles, layouts, designs.  
• Step-by-step instructions on how to build fence, pathway, patio and other landscaping ideas.
• Detailed information about specific flowers such as roses, dahlias, clematis, sunflowers, tropical, perennials, fruit and trees.  
• About specific herbs, fruit trees and plants.

This book has been very useful for us.  It has kept us excited about planning the garden and getting things ready.  I have learned lot of tips from this book about gardening and DIY projects for the backyard. 

An important tool that we all need to have during gardening is a pair of good quality gloves.  This gauntlet style Dig it high five is an extended version of the original Dig it handwear glove.  It protects the fingers, palm and hand almost up to the elbow.  The cuffs that is extended by 5" is useful for robust work like landscaping, pruning, tending roses, berry picking etc.

I have used this pair of Dig it high five to prepare the garden and clean out the garage.  It felt very comfortable and flexible so I had it on for long periods of time.  The lightweight, breathable, pliable fabric was helpful with all the tasks that I needed to do, so there was no need to remove it each time.  It is easy to wash by hand and air-dry the gloves.  

The protective cushions inside the glove cared for my fingernails and tips.  The cuffs protected my hand from scrapes and bruises.  

Dig it high five is made from environmentally friendly recycled material.  Dig it high five comes in four different sizes S, M, L and XL.  This fabulous Dig it handwear and high five gloves are sold online and in stores in UK, USA and Canada i.e. home depot. 

Gardening has lots of benefits, so we should all try to learn about doing gardening correctly and benefit from these types of books.  After doing all the hard work I also want to feel good.  In the past years, as much as I love doing gardening I didn't like looking at the fingertips getting damaged even after wearing gloves.  I had to take extra care with all types of creams and lotions.  Ever since I have used the Dig it gloves I felt good and didn't have to worry about the fingernails.

All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2012. Please Ask First

Win a copy of the Canadian Gardener's Guide

We were eagerly waiting to do gardening and thank God the weather in Toronto has become suitable for it :) The past few weeks we've been gardening, cleaning up, planning on what to plant, putting down some seeds, and basically getting ready for the season. 

You've probably seen my posts about the importance of using the correct gardening tools, equipment, having the right soil, and other posts about planting. I am a self-taught gardener, and get helpful information and knowledge by reading gardening books before I start my projects. 

We are planning to take lots of Gardening Shortcuts this Summer

It is that time of the year when we start thinking of gardening projects and designing outdoors.  I totally look forward to spring, as I like to plan and think of all the possible projects we can do in the garden even before the ground thaws.  

Since we are planning on a trip this summer :) the time I have to garden this year is limited.  I want to make sure that we maximize the fun of gardening by spending as little time maintaining it.  This book Gardening Shortcuts has lots of ideas that will make this possible, and I am sure every gardener will appreciate the tips found in this book.  

The suggested tips and ideas in this book lets us get the maximum benefit of enjoying our garden with less time maintaining it.

Last year, we gave a quick lift to a dull garden space by creating a flowerbed and adding rocks.  Seeing this idea in the book made me feel good that I had come up with this project last year.

To make this flower bed we mounted a lot of soil because we wanted some height.  Then we planted a Japanese maple tree that we bought from Sheridan.  We chose the blood good variety of Japanese maple tree that doesn't grow too tall, and has bright red leaves.  

Around the tree, we placed Pefferlaw deco stones and gravel river rocks that can be purchased in all these locations.  I like how rocks give a serene, natural atmosphere to the garden while helping control weeds in an eco-friendly way.  Usually adding rocks and hard elements to the garden brings the lush colours of plants and flowers to become more focused and attractive. 

We also put a solar spotlight in this area that makes the plants glow at night.  To give the area more colour we planted different coloured pansies and marigold.  To make sure the area does not get a crowded and cluttered we always prune and remove the plants that spread.

This book gives a lot of ideas on how we can create privacy and sheltered spaces in the garden by adding fences and patio.  It also has lovely decorative projects that we can do without incurring a big cost.

This book also shows us neat ideas on how we can grow fruits and vegetables in a decorative manner.

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The Black and Decker Dual line Trimmer and Edger helps keep our garden neat

My husband and I enjoy gardening, as the outdoor gardening season in Toronto is short :) We encourage each other to keep our garden neat so we can admire it throughout the summer. We enjoy spending time watching birds, gardening different flowers, fruits and vegetables so it important for us to make sure our garden looks neat and maintained. To motivate us and not feel as though gardening is a chore, we think it is important to have the correct gardening tools.

The rock and wooden gardening edges in our garden makes it hard for us to cut the grass that grows in the edges using the lawnmower.  This 14" Black and Decker 6.0 AMP Dual line trimmer and edger has helped us overcome this problem. It has also made us perfectionists in the garden, as the trimmer helps us keep our garden neat and clean. 

Inspiring Books for Gardening and Learning to Hairstyle

The books Grow Vegetables in Pots and Grow All You Can Eat in 3 Square Feet are inspiring the decisions we are making this year for our garden. We love gardening, and over the years have learned many things about how to care for a variety of plants, and to landscape. We are expanding our garden space to accommodate more vegetables and trees this year.

What We Do In Our Garden During Fall

The gardening season is almost coming to an end for this year... so I find spending a little bit of time each day will help us get ready to clean up and prep things for the next gardening season. Here are some of the things my husband and I do in our garden during fall.

Planting with Pefferlaw Peat Products

Pefferlaw Peat product Inc. is a Canadian owned and operated company since 1954. Since 1999 the Prust family has acquired it. Pefferlaw products have OCPP logo because they are 100% organic certified.

The research done by University of Guelph growth trials for 14 weeks have proven Pefferlaw products such as organic hanging basket, planter mix, organic 3-way mix to have equal or surpassed the performance of the best-known national brands.

All Pefferlaw brand organic soils are safe, natural, and free of additives, clay and by products. The hanging basket planter mix is lighter than traditional soil mixes; it doesn't strain the hanging containers and retains moisture longer. They have used peat humus and spaghnum peat fibre. Their 3-way organic mix contains peat humus, peat fibre and composted barnyard manure, which has nutrients that improve aeration and increases water-holding capacity.

Here are some interesting statistics...

24% Canadians grow produce in their garden because of the economy

44% online survey respondents were health conscious, as they are concerned about eating produce from their garden grown in non-organic soil

32% Canadians (1 in 3) believe organic foods are more nutritious than non-organic foods

67% survey respondents said they would use certified organic soils in their garden

I also tried a small experiment planting these coriander seeds indoor using Pefferlaw soil. I found the rate of the plant growing was healthier and faster compared to the time I put seeds using regular garden soil.

Due to my experiment and proven data from University of Guelph's growth trials, I second the opinion of Peter Prust, the president of the company when he said that the exercise done by the University "... proves that it is possible to grow healthy, sustainable, bountiful plants without artificial additives..."

I think it is simple and affordable to plant safely at home and even those without any garden space can grow a small plant i.e. like this herb plant grown indoors by a windowsill.

Container gardening is totally for everyone even those without the 'green-thumb' and all those who are busy for gardening.

As a parent, I believe it teaches children a lot when we do a little bit of gardening i.e. just putting a few seeds into a pot and seeing it grow teaches these curious minds to question and learn many skills. So having soil that you know will work gives all of us confidence that we can do it.

Pefferlaw Peat Products Inc. has participated in successfully restoring a local bog that involved draining and replanting which has now become a habitat for migratory birds. This habitat is protected and has banned hunting on this bog site. Pefferlaw has also supported youth growing projects by hosting Brock 4H Junior achievement day for the past 2 years.

pictures of the bog

Pefferlaw currently has 10 products in their organic line such as top soil, black earth, 3-way mix, compost, cattle/sheep manure, hanging basket planter mix, premium potting mix, potting soil, and planting seeding mix.

If you are into landscape and gardening check out all the other fabulous products they have. These affordable products are sold at these retailers and garden centres in Ontario.

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Win Your Own Copy of What Plant Where Encyclopedia

This time of the year, my family and I spend lots of time gardening, shopping for the garden, tending the plants, and weeding to keep our garden a clean and well maintained space. For us gardening is exciting, tiring, and relaxing. We love reading books about gardening, trying a variety of different plants and flowers every year, growing to love some plants more than others, talking about plants, recommending our favourites and our tips to family, friends, and neighbours. Recently, I got a wonderful book from DK that tells all about what plants go where in our garden.

Miracle-Gro Flower Magic Adds Colour To Our Garden

When the signs of spring finally arrived about a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I started thinking about our summer gardening. We usually draw out a plan on what we want in our garden each year, and how we want the layout out to be. We try to make our garden look a little different each year and plant a variety of vegetables, fruits and flowers. When planning we take into consideration the things we learned from gardening books, about different types of plants, what suits best in our garden, which produce and flowers we want to try, mistakes from the past years and more. 

Quick and Easy Bean Salad made with Garden Fresh Beans

This bean salad needs to be made ahead of time, at least 2 hours before serving, for the flavours to marinate.

Mystery of Life: Our survival depends on flowers

Before watching the Disneynature Wings of Life I thought the movie was about butterflies.  However, while watching the movie I realized it is called “Wings of life” because it outlines the importance of pollinators such as beetles, insects, bees, hummingbirds and bats that carry the pollen grains to other plants, so the plants can reproduce. I recommend this heartwarming movie for the whole family, as it points out the importance of flowers. This DVD and Blu-ray combo will be available on April 16th.

I also read the book Rainforest by Thomas Marent, which is filled with beautiful close-up photographs of the rare beauties found in the exciting, but dangerous tropical rainforests.  The pictures are amazing, which shows us the uniqueness and the beautiful details found in nature if we just stop to look at it.  

Winter Garden Maintenance

Most of the time, during the cold season we neglect our gardens, only to face a huge amount of effort preparing the garden once the sun begins to shine. We all look forward to garden parties, barbecuing, playdates, catch-ups, and to relax and enjoy ourselves in the summer. So why not make it easy to jump right into the fun by preparing a few items ahead of time?

Get Closer to Real Food This Gardening Season

We have started to put down seeds and plant vegetables and herbs in our garden. A survey done by Kashi Plant it Forward, shows that less than half of Canadians have ever actually grown fresh fruit or vegetables. Although, we may think farmer’s markets are bridging this gap, the survey results have shown that one third of Canadians will not even visit a farmer’s market or community garden this year. I am glad that Kashi and Evergreen have partnered for a second year in a row on the #PlantItForward initiative encouraging Canadians to “Give. Get. Grow” and celebrate all the little farmers in each of us.

Everything You Need at Giant Tiger and Giveaway

My family and I enjoy shopping at Giant Tiger because it is a one-stop shop for us. They have a variety of products from food items to beautiful home décor, gardening, fashion, outdoor, and more at reasonable prices.

Get Ready to Garden by Winning Your Own Dig It® Gloves

We are excited the time of the year for pruning, cleaning, and digging has begun. For over five years, we have been using Dig It® gloves for these jobs and more, and love its comfort and uniqueness! Once you start using Dig It® apparel, I assure you that it is hard to turn to any other gloves. We use these gloves for all our outdoor jobs in spring, summer and autumn. These durable gloves are designed to protect our nails from dirt and moisture.   

Gardening 101

Despite taking up the most considerable portion of most properties, yards go criminally underused. Although a sprawling green yard can be nice, mixing it up with plants can be both beautiful and functional. Here are a few gardening tips that every home gardener should know.

How to Sew Arm Sleeves for Gardening and Driving

This simple garden sleeves are easy to sew for beginners. You don't really need a pattern, and you can use any type of soft comfortable material you have. It is cheap to make these at home using either leftover material from other projects or upcycle a long sleeve polyester or spandex shirt. This project can be completed within 15 minutes. These sleeves are useful when working in the garden to keep arms from getting sunburnt when we wear short sleeves summer clothing.

Sustainable living and gardening

The weather is finally warm and we have spent most of our time preparing the garden. DK books Self-Sufficiency for the 21st Century and Indoor Edible Garden has inspired us to do a few projects this spring like building a compost bin and getting our seeds started indoors.