New gadgets hit garden shelves

Tag: Mini Saw

You'll find lots of new gardening products hitting the shelves and catalogs this spring -- many of them enviro-friendly.

Here's a sampling of what's new:

EarthBox. Think automatic garden in a box. This plastic box -- a little more than a foot wide and 2 feet long -- has a self-watering reservoir in the bottom and a plastic sheet that goes over the potting mix to reduce evaporation and stop weeds. Just keep the reservoir full and it's brainless growing. (Stauffers of Kissel Hill, Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses, www.earth box.com, $50).

No need to push around wheelbarrows full of stones to build a stone path anymore. This product from the Tenax Corp. bonds stone to 4-foot sections of mesh so you can just roll out instant paths. (Ashcombe Farm & Greenhouses, $49 per box).

Leatherman Genus Pruning Multi-Tool. This one fold-up gadget has a tool for any yard job you can imagine: pruners, a wire cutter, screwdrivers, mini-saw, bottle opener, sharpening stick and more. (Highland Gardens, $99.99).

Revolution Planter. An 8-inch-diameter hanging cage that lets you grow tomatoes out of the bottom. The cage is filled with soil and has a built-in water reservoir. Plant a tomato in the bottom, hang it on the patio and you'll get fruits at eye level. A good option for those with blight problems in their garden soil or for those with little space who just want one or two tomato plants. (Gardener's Supply catalog at www.gardeners .com, $19.95).

Ultra-green. This potting mix not only is 100 percent organic with no peat (it's a blend of compost, worm poop, coir and perlite), but it's made from local sources using equipment powered by wind and waste oil. Developed in Chester County by Longwood Gardens-trained soil scientist Mark Highland. (www.org anicmechanicsoil.com, $8.99 -$10.49 for 16-quart bag).

Terracyle All-Purpose Potting Mix. Also a peat-free mix, this blend of compost, coir and worm poop sells in recycled 1-gallon milk jugs. (Wal-Mart, Target, Home Depot, $5)

Escar-Go Supreme. Get rid of slugs and snails without the heavy-handed chemicals of yesteryear. This granular product contains pet- and wildlife-safe iron phosphate and a fermented bacterium called Spinosad to make slugs so sick they stop eating and die. Also controls cutworms and earwigs. (Gardens Alive catalog, www.GardensAlive .com, $9.95 for a 13-ounce box).

PotHoles Drainage Discs. Keep soil from dribbling out through the drainage holes of your pots with these 5- or 6.5-inch porous discs. The material is breathable and rot-resistant and lasts for years. (www .charleysgreenhouse.com or www.floriantools.com, $9.95 -$12.95 per pair).

Essex Plant Supports. These four-legged plant supports are shaped like a vase so they help tall flowers stand up in the garden in bouquet fashion. Elegant. Made of powder-coated black steel. (Gardener's Supply catalog, www.gar deners.com, $24.95-$29.95 per pair).

Dynamite Organic. The first organic-certified (OMRI listed) granular fertilizer that's formulated to last for three months in a single application. Think timed-release Osmocote, only organic. It's derived from feather meal, blood meal, bone meal and potash, carries a 10-2-8 nutrient ratio and is odorless. Home Depot or www.dynamite plantfood.com, $8.99 for a 2-pound container.

ColorStorm Premium Rubber Hose. Dramm Corp. is offering high-quality, crush- and kink-resistant rubber hoses that come in six "rainbow" colors to match the company's popular Watering Wands. (Garden centers, Ace and True Value hardware stores or www.dramm.com, $50 for 50-foot hose).