Here's the Home Garden and Homestead list of the Best Gardening Gifts for the Holidays The holiday season may be the most wonderful time of the year, but the holidays bring their own stresses. What gifts do you buy for everyone on your holiday shopping list? Don't worry, We've got you covered--at least for the gardeners on your gift list. Here is are our choices for the best gardening gifts for the holidays for all of the "green thumb gardeners" on your list! Editor's Note: Click on the photos in this story to buy any of these best gardening gifts for the holidays. Changshou Kumquat Tree Produces Edible Fruit Changshou Kumquat is a rare and hard-to-find plant that produces large juicy fruit. Fragrant white flowers bloom from May to September, and the fruit ripens year-round. Changshou’s pear-shaped fruit is larger than other kumquat tree varieties. Each delicious fruit usually has five or six segments inside the sweet, thin skin. Kumquats are among the … [Read more...] about Best Gardening Gifts for the Holidays
Are glass or acrylic panels the best choice for a greenhouse?
Glass has been the most popular choice for glazing greenhouses for many years. But modern acrylic glazing for greenhouses improves energy efficiency, light, and durability. Perhaps it’s time to choose acrylic panels for your next backyard or homestead greenhouse. How Acrylic Panels Support Modern Sustainable Greenhouse Gardening Gardening is shifting towards more sustainable methods that reduce waste and energy use while still giving plants the best conditions. Materials play a major part in this change, and acrylic panels are proving to be an eco-friendly option. Acrylic greenhouse panels are practical, durable, and recyclable, making them ideal for gardeners who want to reduce their environmental footprint. Read on to discover the ways acrylic panels support modern sustainable gardening and why they’re becoming a popular choice. Providing Lightweight Durability with Acrylic Panels Acrylic panels support sustainable gardening by offering strength without the … [Read more...] about Are glass or acrylic panels the best choice for a greenhouse?
How to Grow Bell Peppers: Tips from a Master Gardener
Want to Learn How to Grow Bell Peppers? Here is Everything You Need to Know to Grow this Tasty Vegetable! Bell peppers are one of the most satisfying warm-season vegetables to grow in the home garden. I’ve been an active gardener for many years, and I love to recommend growing bell peppers to new and experienced gardeners. Bell peppers are right up there with tomatoes and zucchini when it comes to easy-to-grow veggies that produce lots of delicious homegrown produce. You might want to harvest shiny green bells for a fajita night. Or perhaps you want to wait for those same peppers to ripen into reds, oranges, or yellows for a sweet snack. Few crops are as colorful—or as versatile as sweet peppers. Here's everything you need to know to grow your own bumper crop of bell peppers. How to Grow Bell Peppers: Seed vs. Starter Plants Starting from Seed: If you like the challenge and control of growing your plants from the very beginning, starting bell peppers from seed is a … [Read more...] about How to Grow Bell Peppers: Tips from a Master Gardener
Best Cordless String Trimmer
The best cordless string trimmer is a combination of key features and your personal tastes. But the editors of Home Garden and Homestead are confident one of these trimmers will be the perfect model for your needs and your budget. If you’re reading this story, we assume you are considering a cordless electric string trimmer, or “weed wacker.” Now you want to know which one is the best. We believe battery powered outdoor equipment is the way to go. You never have to buy gasoline. Instead, you simply recharge the battery pack. A new cordless electric string trimmer won’t emit smelly gas fumes. Rechargeable electric power tools are clean running and very quiet. And perhaps best of all, they start easily with the push of a button. No more pulling on a cord to get a finicky gas engine to start. We’ve reviewed the available models of the best cordless string trimmers to find the models we like. All the models reviewed in this story will easily cut through grass and weeds. They help … [Read more...] about Best Cordless String Trimmer
Best Electric Garage Heaters
The best electric garage heaters can turn your chilly garage into comfortable, usable space. Why freeze every time you venture into your garage in the colder months of the year? Virtually every suburban home built in the last 50 years has a garage. Nearly 80 percent of owned single-family houses and condos have a garage. The two-car garage is by far the most common size. A 2017 Garage Living poll revealed 18% of homes had a 1-car garage, 61% had a 2-car garage, and 22% owned a 3-car garage. But there might not be a car parked in your garage. According to a U.S. Dept. of Energy study, 25% of people with 2-car garages don’t park in them at all. Another 33% can only park one car in their garage because of the clutter stashed inside. An Electric Garage Heater Can Improve Your Life Here are two more statistics that give insight into our garages. More than half--55% of Americans--spend 1-2 hours each week in the garage doing hobbies and other activities. And a whopping … [Read more...] about Best Electric Garage Heaters
