Need To Do Some Serious Pruning? Here's Some Help!

Gardening is a favorite pastime of mine, so I love it when I find a tool that helps me do what I love with more ease.

The GARTOL Anvil Lopper is perfect for that! I was seriously impressed when I got them. I remember using loppers when I grew up on the farm my family lived on. I hated using them. They had wooden handles that had bad grips and were hard to operate. I just didn't have the strength to use them well.

That's not the case with the GARTOL Anvil Lopper. This is a serious gardening tool! The size is great, you can use them to cut small to fairly good sized branches with ease. The handles are made with a specially designed ergonomic grip, made of a triangular iron thick tube, that is firm, durable and solid enough to withstand powerful forces. I love how well balanced they are. I remember some of my Dad's old ones that the blades were much heavier than the handles and it always felt like you were going to drop them after the cut was made. That does not happen with these! It is comfortable to hold, and it's easy to keep them even and level.

The blades are made of a high-carbon steel that will hold it's edge for a long time and will not rust, bend or dent. Love that! And boy, can the blades handle some good sized branches. We were able to use them on 2" green limbs easily. The lopper made it as easy as slicing bread. I was impressed and it took so little effort on my part. The lopper did all the work for me.

I liked the curve of the blades too. It makes it easy to keep them in place as you get ready to cut. The lopper is 29" long and has a compound action making the cut for you. Your arms and back are not going to tire easily using these!

If you are looking for a fantastic lopper for your heavy duty gardening, this is the pair! I highly recommend them to you!

You can buy the GARTOL 29" Anvil Lopper HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Nice Sprayer Nozzle From RAAYA

This time of year there are a lot of things you need to do around your house to get ready for the winter season. I like to get a head start on things so I am not rushed at the last minute.

Some of those things are rinsing off patio and yard furniture, cleaning the grill, cleaning the windows outside, just to name a few. It's always nice to have a good spray nozzle for your hose to help you with some of these projects.

RAAYA has a nice sprayer wand that I am liking for the most part. The nozzle has 9 settings and a trigger grip that makes it easy to spray. The handle is fairly comfortable even when spraying for a long time. There is also a pressure valve to allow for more or less water to flow through.

Here are the 9 settings:
Jet
Fan
Cone
Mist
Soaker
Shower
Center
Flat
Flow

I like most of the settings. The one I use the most seems to be the flat. It gives a nice even coverage of water when I water my plants. It's a little hard to tell much difference with a few settings, but the one I was a little disappointed in was the jet setting. It is okay, just doesn't seem to have as much pressure as I would like.

The one thing I really like about this nozzle is the adjustable head. It can move and angle to aim the water right where you want it. No twisting your hands or arms to get the nozzle up or down where you need it. It adjusts easily and makes the job fun. Plus you can surprise someone behind you. LOL!

This is a very nice spray nozzle and it comes with a one year guarantee.

You can purchase the RAAYA Sprayer Nozzle HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Perfect Gift For The Gardener In Your Life

As a gardener, I love saving seeds and using them the next year or sharing them with friends and family. But i will admit, I don't always do the best job saving them. Sometimes I allow too much moisture or I don't store them as well as I should. So I am thankful for companies who do and do it well. I really do love giving seeds as a gift to fellow gardeners, so having good sources for organic seeds is a big deal to me.

Ecofarms is a company that does save seeds as a family business. They have a really nice Organic Vegetable Heirloom Seeds Kit that is a fun gift idea, and I really love the way they are packaged and stored. They come in a special gift box ready to wrap and give to your favorite gardener.

The small box comes with 10 cute little cylindrical tubes (that can be used for all kinds o things when the seeds are gone) all tucked in and filled with seed and identified with cute pictures and labels.

Now my first concern was that the seeds were not sealed air tight, but that is not a huge deal. These seeds are not intended to be saved for years and years. They are intended to be used! If you want seeds for long term storage they are available for other sources. These are intended to be used and enjoyed each year and to be given as a gift to encourage people to grow their own food. I like that a lot!

The seeds that come in this kit are:
Tendersweet Carrot (50-70 seeds)
Red Burgundy Onion (50-70 seeds)
Golden Beauty Corn (7-12 seeds) [I only got 5 in my set **sigh***]
Long Purple Eggplant (40-50 seeds)
Delikatesse Cucumber (10-15 seeds)
Brandywine Tomato (15-20 seeds)
California Wonder Pepper (30-40 seeds)
Calabrese Broccoli (50-60 seeds)
Great Lakes 118 Lettuce (30-40 seeds)
Utah 5270 Celery (50-60 seeds)

This is a good variety for a small garden for any family. I know I would enjoy them a lot and it would give our family a nice yield of fresh veggies for the summer. All the seeds are grown, harvested, and hand packed in the USA in small quantities by the family who owns Ecofarms and all the seeds are non-GMO which is very important! Directions are included too for growing the seeds.

Now I have not grown any of the seeds myself, so I don't know how well they will grow. I do know that this is a nice gift for any number of people and would be enjoyed a lot! They also have a wildflower seeds kit.

You can purchase the Ecofarms Organic Vegetable heirloom Seeds Kit HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Good Looking And Practical Chef's Star Compost Pail

I have been a gardener my whole life, and believe that one of the best things for my garden is a good compost pile. For me, the compost pile starts in the house!

It starts with a nice compact compost pail, like the Chef's Star Stainless Steel Compost Bin. This compost pail is one of the nicest I have seen in a long time and it's much better than keeping a garbage bowl sitting around (like one celebrity chef we all know does).

This compost pail is about 12" tall with the lid on and a little under 9" with the lid off. It holds about 1 gallon of materials and is made of stainless steel, which is fantastic, as it won't rust, chip, stain, or leach chemicals into the compost material.

The lid is really nice. It is completely air tight and there are plenty of circulation vents in the top of it. Inside the lid are two special activated charcoal filters to help completely eliminate odors. You can leave the compost pail right on your counter and it will not stink! Plus it looks really nice too.

The pail also has a nice handle on it to make carrying it or moving it easy. The really nice thing is that the food scraps will start breaking down long before you take them out to your big compost pile. It gives your compost a head start at doing what it does best, becoming the "Black Gold" every gardener just loves!

My personal thing with my compost pail is to add just a small bit of soil from the big compost pile about every 1/3 of the way up the pail, just to give it an extra boost in breaking down. You don't have to do this, it's just what I do! And remember, don't add meat or fats to the compost bin or pile. They don't break down as easily or fast enough and they attract critters of all kinds you really don't want lurking around your house!

It's easy to clean the pail when needed. Just remove the charcoal filters in the top and put it in the dishwasher or wash by hand. Make sure it is rinsed really well before adding scraps. You don't want soap residue in it to get into your good compost. Also, it comes with 1 set of replacement filters. The filters should last over 6 months, as long as you don't get them wet, and the company does offer replacement filters on Amazon.

This pail is really nice and I love how you can store it on your counter and it looks nice, or you can tuck it under your sink. Either way, it will help you help your garden beds and allow you to make fewer trips to the compost pile each day!

You can purchase the Chef's Star Stainless Steel Compost Bin!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Ecoscraps Giveaway

The following was written by Brittanie Pyper, Blogger/Marketing Coordinator Simplistically Living 

Summer is almost upon us and that means we are all getting our yards ready for entertaining! When it comes to your yard, don't you want what is best for it? I know I do! That is why I look for ways I can be eco-friendly while still giving my yard the TLC it really needs. For me, I do that by using Ecoscraps.

 

Ecoscraps compost is a mixture of decomposed organic materials like food waste, branches, leaves and grass clippings. It is used in garden soil to promote healthy, sustained plant growth. What makes Ecoscraps Organic Compost so awesome is the added benefit of food waste. Each bag of Ecoscraps Compost contains up to 50 lbs. of recycled food waste. Food waste that would normally be sent to landfills but instead is reused to fortify your soil! Ecoscraps Compost is an all-natural organic soil amendment that contains no poop or synthetic chemicals. Benefits of Using Ecoscraps in Your Garden Include:

• Increases organic material
• Improves soil structure
• Moisture retaining

In addition to using it in your garden, you can use Ecoscraps in planters too! Brittanie from Simplistically Living recently made these Color Block Wooden Planters and used Ecoscraps in them. Aren't they so cool?

You can head to Walmart to find Ecoscraps and get your garden looking and feeling great.

Let's Have Some Fun - A Giveaway!

Ecoscraps knows you will love their products so they are giving one lucky winner a $100 Walmart Gift Card to help get the yard of their dreams started! Entering is simple. Use the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway ends 6/6/16. Giveaway open to US Residents only.

Disclosure: This blog is not responsible for prize fulfillment or shipment. The Minister's Wife was not compensated to participate in this giveaway. Not responsible for lost or misdirected emails or mail. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lisa Loves The RY Gardener Expandable Hose ~ Find Out Why

The following review is from Lisa.

For the past few years I have been using expandable hoses in our yard and love them. When I got a hose to try out recently I asked Lisa if she would review it. Here is what she had to say!

I was so excited to try an expendable garden water hose made by RY Gardener. I have nothing but great things to say about it!

First of all, the set comes with everything you need to start using it right out of the box. It comes with a (5-15 meters/6 bars) 50-foot Blue Wonder Expandable Hose with a brass shutoff valve, an eight-setting spray nozzle, 6 rubber washers (which I thought was awesome to have extra washers ready to use when needed), and even a blue hose hanger to mount on your outside wall or hang from the spigot.

There is nothing cheaply made about this hose set. It looks and feels tough and durable. The shutoff valve that is included makes it super quick to switch to a different spray nozzle or to simply shut the water off to the end of the hose. The brass fittings and quick connectors make connecting to a water spigot or another hose as easy as can be. I tried connecting it to my house spigot, another hose, and my RV and it connected to everything with no trouble at all.

When I turned on the water, the hose filled quickly and it was ready to spray water fast. There are 8 spray settings and each setting was easy to set and use. When I was done using it I simply turned off the water, watched it shrink 3 times smaller than the 50 foot expanded size, and rolled it up and put it back into the original box. It is so easy to store and doesn't take up much space. I like that it is space saving so I can store it in my already cramped camper. I love that it comes with a one-year warranty, and the company stresses they want their customers to be 100% satisfied.

This is defiantly the best expandable hose I have ever used and I love it!

You can purchase the RY Gardener Expandable Hose HERE!

This reviewer received the product free or at a discounted price in order to bring you an honest review. No other form of compensation was given. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

The Perfect Small Pruning Saw For Your Gardening Needs

As a Master Gardener, I appreciate quality gardening tools.One tool that every gardener should have and not skimp on is a pruning saw. it's something you will inevitably need and want a good one to do the job.

The Lanier Hand Pruning Saw is one such tool. This is a great tool to add to your gardening supply and you will be surprised at how often you will pull it out to use.

The saw approximately has a 7" blade, which is the perfect size for simple pruning of a branch here and there. This is not a saw for doing lots of pruning, but for just the one or two out of place in your yard. It is light weight and easy to carry around. I love how when the blade is closed not a bit of it shows or is exposed, which means it is very safe. It is easy to open and close, and when it is open, it locks in place making sure the blade does not collapse in the middle of cutting something.

The blade is very sharp and well made. It can tackle a branch in just a few minutes. I would say you would not want to go much bigger than a few inches around when deciding what to use this on. The handle is very easy to grip and feels great in my hand. Even with my arthritis, I can hold it comfortably and work with it without much discomfort. I like the little hole in the handle that I can attach a piece of leather to to hang it up.

This would make a great little saw to take along on camping trips or hiking. I can see it being used in a survival kit too. It is compact and light weight so it would not add a lot to a load you may be carrying.

You can purchase your own Lanier Hand Pruning Saw HERE!

This reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

A Nice Addition To My Gardening Supplies

I have been gardening most of my life and one thing I appreciate is good tools to help make the job easier.This Garden Hand Rake from LifeWell Garden Products is very nice.

I really like the weight of the rake. It is not heavy or difficult to maneuver even after gardening for a while in one day. The weight does not tire my arm out. Being made from aluminum helps keep the weight down considerably. The size of the rake is nice too. It is longer than most and can reach in and under plants very nicely.

I like the grip of the handle. The rubberized material gives your hand a comfortable feel while holding it and works well with or without gloves. It helps keep your hand from slipping off the handle even when they are sweaty and dirty. The bright color of the rake does make it easy to spot when you set it down. Can't tell you the number of times I have set down a tool and could not find it because it got lost in all the foliage.

I do wish it came with a piece of leather to hang it with. The hole on the handle is nice, but it is so much quicker to have leather to hang it with and you can hang multiple tools on one hook that way. Yes, I can add a piece of my own, but I would like it there already.

I think the only serious complaint about the rake is that the tines do not have a sharp enough point to them. It is quite dull and flat and could be cut to more of a sharp edge to make cutting into the soil or a plant much easier and quicker. But even with the duller edge, it still works well getting into the soil.

 One really nice bonus from the company is the lifetime guarantee. I like that a lot!!

You can purchase your own LifeWell Garden Hand Rake HERE!

The reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.

Lanier Garden Tools Ratcheting Pruning Shears

Gardening is something I love to do, but some aspects are not exactly fun for me. For example, I don't know anyone who truly likes to weed. They may like the end results, as I do, but the actual chore of doing it, well not so fun.

For me pruning is one of the chores I don't enjoy. It's something that I find difficult because of the arthritis in my hands. I used to have plenty of strength to do the job a few years back. Okay more than a few years, but who's counting? But today, I don't have the umph I need anymore to handle most of the pruning shears I own. I always have to ask for help.

Lanier Garden Tools sent me a pair of their Ratcheting Pruning Shears to try out. They were made specifically for people who do not have a lot of strength in their hands. Cutting with these shears takes 1/3 the effort it takes with other shears similar to them. The shears have a computer designed ratcheting cam that multiplies the power you have in your hand.

So how does this work? The company explains it in a way that makes sense. Not many people can lift a car by themselves, but with a jack you can lift a car enough to change a tire. That same kind of action that helps you lift the car with the jack has been put in these shears, to help you cut through a branch even up to 1" thick! Instead of making one single cut through the branch, the shears help you cut by making three smaller cuts.

The shears have a very comfortable grip. Even with hot and sweaty hands, I can still hold the shears securely. The handle is made from a special forged aluminum that is very strong, but stays light weight making it easy to hold on to. The blades are made of a high carbon steel that will help them stay sharp longer and also help prevent rust forming on them. I also appreciate the fact that they were made in a way that they can be used by either left or right handed people. It has a great locking mechanism that is very secure. I had a little difficulty figuring it out at first, but I do like how secure it is! The cutting action really is very easy to deal with. I have to put very little effort into squeezing the handles together to get the shears to cut.

Pruning shears are a must for any gardener, and like all tools they need to be taken care of. I love the one extra little feature on the shears that I have not see on any other pair I have owned. It has a small built-in oil sponge in the handle to help you take care of the shears so they last for many years to come. Such a smart idea!!

The company offers a really good guarantee. If you are dissatisfied with the quality or functionality of the Lanier Ratcheting Shears within 5 Years of purchase let them know and they will repair or replace them.

These would make a great addition to your gardening tools or a great gift for a gardener in your life!

You can purchase your own Lanier Garden Tools Ratcheting Pruning Shears HERE!

The reviewer has been compensated with receiving the product free in order to bring you an honest review. All opinions are those of the reviewer.