It’s that time of year—the time when we get absolutely stumped about what gifts to choose for our family and friends. If you happen to know a gardener who dwells in an apartment and gardens in containers or other small spaces, you’re probably especially stumped on what to give. “Traditional” gardening items probably just won’t work. But there are a few great gift ideas that will make an apartment gardener happy.
Photo By Fotolia/monropic
5 Gifts for Gardeners
1. Windowsill Greenhouse
$4.00 – $15.00 each
This is a fantastic gift for seed starters that don’t have the space, or the need, for the larger seed starting trays. Most sets come with a drip tray, seed plug inserts, soil pellets and a clear plastic dome lid. With proper care and indoor use, they can be used for several seasons, making them a gift that really keeps on giving.
2. Coir Bricks
$3.00 – $8.00 each
Never lug giant bags of potting soil up several flights of stairs again! Coir bricks are the ultimate container gardening planting medium. Made from coconut shell fiber, coir is lightweight and compact, making it easy to store until use. Reconstitute the fiber with warm water, and it will expand to five times its packaged volume! That’s more than enough “soil” for a couple of windowsill greenhouses or a few pots. Another bonus? It’s a renewable resource, so it’s easy on the environment.
3. Reusable Grow Bags
$6.00 – $10.00 each
One of the big challenges to gardening in an apartment is where to store bulky pots and containers in the off season. Sure, you can leave them out on your patio or balcony, but they’ll wear out faster if left out in the elements over the winter. Grow bags solve that problem—made from sturdy landscape fabric, they last for many seasons and can be emptied and folded up for storage in a closet or drawer at the end of the year. And the price point is right—at a fraction of the price of traditional containers, you can get enough for an entire garden!
Photo By Fotolia/Africa Studio
4. Pruning Shears
$10.00 – $25.00 each
There aren’t a lot of hand tools that container gardeners really need—most of the time, hands are the best tool of all for small-scare gardening tasks. But if there is one tool that the apartment gardener needs, it’s a pair of pruning shears. They’re great for things like pruning tomato plants, snipping bamboo poles in half for trellising, cutting twine, etc. They’re a real work horse in the apartment garden, and would be a gift any gardener would be excited to receive.
5. Mushroom Growing Kit
$20.00 – $40.00 each
If you know an apartment gardener that’s gotten bored of growing the same old things, try a more novel approach and give a mushroom growing kit. They come with everything you need to grow a few batches of mushrooms right indoors, and they’re small enough to fit under the kitchen sink. You can find kits for many different types of mushrooms, including portabella, shiitake and oyster mushrooms.
So don’t delay! There’s still time to pick up the perfect gift for the apartment gardener in your life. Everything mentioned above can be found on Amazon, but most local garden centers of quality should carry them as well. Happy gifting!
Amanda is passionate about cooking, gardening and crafting. To read more, please check outApartment Farm.
