Ho-Ho...O! Organic Gardening Gifts and Tips for the Holiday Season

Whether you're an organic gardener or you're just shopping for a beloved OG for the holidays, there's lots of great gardening stuff on the market in varying price ranges. In fact, these gifts would probably be welcome to nearly any gardener, organic or otherwise.

Check out the resources area at the bottom of this article for links to online shopping areas carrying many of the items listed. Most require orders to be submitted by at least 12/12 to guarantee Christmas delivery.

Stocking Stuffers:

• Compost tea bags in a decorative box or tin
• Gardening gloves
• Natural soaps and lotions (especially lavender...yummy!)
• Garden stakes and markers
• Gardening magazine subscription (put the verification postcard in the stocking)
• Seed collections
• Garden twine
• Frost cloth
• Gift certificates for local nurseries or online plant & seed companies

General Bulkier Gifts:

• Compost aerator
• Compost sifter
• Mushroom growing kit
• Seed starting supplies
• Seed saving kits
• Watering Can
• Hand tools
• Rubber clogs or boots
• Gardening books
• Bee, bat, toad or bird houses

Here are some more gifts that range from $50 on up:

• Compost bin or tumbler
• Rain barrel
• Bronze or iron garden statuary
• High-end containers/pots
• Cold Frame
• Greenhouse
• Potting bench
• Raised bed kit
• Vermiculture (worm composting) kit
• Tool sharpening kit

Christmas Tree Tips

If you have a live Christmas tree in your house this year, be sure to replant it or donate it for replanting. If you've got a cut tree, here are few ways it can be re-used once the holidays are over:


• Lay it in a corner of the yard for wild birds to use as a refuge from cold temperatures and predators. Hang orange slices, suet cakes and seed balls from the boughs for birds to munch on.
• Sink it into your private fish pond as a refuge and feeding habitat for fish.
• Cut it into smaller pieces and toss on the compost pile
• Use small branches as freeze protection for outdoor plants.
• See if your city's recycling program collects and chips trees for community mulch.

Other Wintertime Tips

• If you live in the colder regions of the world and are hosting an uncovered compost pile, put a tarp over the pile during the winter months. This keeps the pile warmer, which helps maintain microorganism activity. Also, be sure the pile stays somewhat moist, and give it a few pokes every once in awhile with a pitchfork or aerator to ensure it's getting adequate oxygen.
• Try to keep indoor houseplants away from furnace vents.
• Run humidifiers near tropical plants that have come inside for the winter.
• Feed the birds.
• And finally, before you ask: Yes, reindeer manure makes great compost. (That info comes straight from Santa!)

This is the time of year for giving...be sure not to leave Mother Nature out of the picture. She gives to us every moment of every day, and it's important for us to give back.

The copyright of the article Ho-Ho...O! Organic Gardening Gifts and Tips for the Holiday Season in Organic Gardens is owned by Tamara Galbraith. Permission to republish Ho-Ho...O! Organic Gardening Gifts and Tips for the Holiday Season in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic