greatgreengadgets.com » Gardening

Wasp Trap in Attractive Recycled Glass

gadgets — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:59:06 +0000

Attractive enough to look almost like lanterns hanging in the yard, these glass wasp catchers work well too. No chemicals are needed. You fill the catcher with lemonade or sugar water and the wasps are lured in and trapped. Great when you are being pestered by wasps and have trouble eating outside without them descending on you. The glass traps come in three colors, green, aqua and orange or you can buy a set of three. They are 8 ½ “ high and weigh about 1lb so can hang from small trees and branches.

Costs $13 for one or $30 for set of three from Gaiam.com

Insect Repelling Wristbands With Natural Geraniol

gadgets — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:06:03 +0000

These ingenious insect repelling wristbands actually seem to work to keep mosquitoes and other insects at bay. If you don’t like spraying repellants directly on your skin, or have kids with sensitive skin, this is a great solution. Geraniol is a natural plant-based, essential oil and insect repellant and is odorless to humans. Wear one on a wrist and one on an ankle and they will keep you covered. The wrist bands last for up to 120 hours, but should be kept in their resealable containers when not in use. They are made from recyclable plastic and have a child-safe breakaway strap feature so are safe for small kids too.

Set of four costs $26 from Gaiam.com

Biodegradable Cowpots For Cuttings and Seedlings

gadgets — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 23:44:32 +0000

Gardening ought to be one of the greenest activities, but too often ‘green’ fingers rely on not so green accessories. Take all those plastic flower pots left over from planting out seedlings and cuttings for instance. What if you could just plant the whole pot and it would bio-degrade and add to the soil as the plant grows? Connecticut dairy farmers, Matt and Ben Freund, came up with this very idea and invented the cowpot. These are completely eco-friendly pots made of composted, dried cow manure and natural fibers and pressed into convenient pot shapes. Gardeners just get their seedlings or cuttings established in these pots and then plant them out in the pots, reducing transplant shock and adding nutrients as the pot biodegrades. And no plastic to dispose of! They come in several sizes from 3” to 5”.

Costs from $10.95 for a set of 12 pots from Gardeners Supply Company

Automatic Indoor Composter

gadgets — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 20:45:56 +0000

If you like the idea of composting as part of green living, but put it off because it sounds too complicated, this indoor composter is for you. It automatically monitors temperature and moisture to produce compost efficiently and odor-free. It can compost up to 120lb of food waste per month and provides garden ready compost every two weeks. There is even a light to tell you when the next batch is ready to use. The composter handles dairy, meat and fish, so will really cut down on the amount of garbage you send to landfill. It uses 5kwh energy per month for this efficiency, but is well worth it if you are a city or small garden composter, who would otherwise not have the space for composting.

Costs $399 from Real Goods
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Solar Hanging Basket Rotator

gadgets — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 23:13:18 +0000

If you are a devotee of hanging baskets, this clever gadget could be the answer to that perennial problem of plants growing unevenly towards the light, the front ones bushing madly and the ones at the back not standing a chance. Hang your baskets from these devices and they will automatically rotate the baskets through the day, ensuring even light exposure on all side. Solar powered, they will rotate faster on sunnier days (up to 5 rotations) and more slowly on dull days (at least one full rotation), automatically regulating the amount of sun your plants get. They can hold up to 24 lbs in weight and can be manually rotated too for easy watering.

Costs $19.95 each from The Home Depot.