@Nico
I agree with all these ideas. An irrigation kit plus a timer would be great too. I recently bought myself a wide-brimmed hat, UV (and scratch-resistant) sleeves, and a gardening apron. A nice pair of shears and a harvesting basket would also be lovely additions. I like keeping a notebook for garden planning and notes—small luxuries that make gardening more enjoyable. Kudos to you OP!
A basket for harvesting.
Yes! I have one from the gardener’s supply (Garden Hods), and it’s fantastic.
A birdbath and solitary bee houses would be great additions. I’ve heard that if you provide birds with water, they’ll leave your tomatoes alone.
I enjoy listening to and watching the birds in the morning.
If she’s looking for new plants, consider taking her to the nursery or garden supply store and going with her to pick out some nice things. Quality time spent together plus the chance for her to choose what she wants is always a hit. I know I light up when people around me want to discuss my garden. My partner’s help also means a lot to me.
If you want to surprise her with tools and gifts, all the suggestions in this thread are excellent. My friend once got me a garden knife for my birthday, and I LOVE IT.
Here’s what the knife looks like: Amazon.com : Fiskars Steel Garden Knife, Multi-Purpose Weed Puller Gardening Tool for Planting, Weeding, Digging, and Cultivating with Hanging Hole : Lawn And Garden Hand Tools : Patio, Lawn & Garden
Decent skincare products can be useful too. I like this salve with comfrey in it: https://gingerwebb.com/product-category/body-care/
It helps heal bad cuts and scratches. If there’s a local small business that makes such products, they may be able to make something even if they don’t currently carry it.
A good-friendly nailbrush works wonders. I find natural fiber bristles gentler than hard plastic ones. YMMV.
A well-fitting pair of gardening gloves is key; not every task requires rubber-coated stretch gloves, even though those wash well. I find using some hand tools (like hoeing) more comfortable with a good pair of goatskin gloves. Fit is crucial. Keep the tags and receipts if you get her gloves.
I agree with others about Felco pruners. If she has smaller hands, there’s a specific Felco model designed for that: https://felcopruner.net/felco-14-small-bypass-pruner-f-14.html that makes a difference in how fatigued her hands feel at the end of the day.
A Felco owner wouldn’t want pruners (secateurs) without a sharpener. I spend time cleaning, sharpening, and oiling mine. Felco also sells replacement blades, so you don’t have to buy a completely new tool if the blade gets nicked.
Bootstrap Farmer 1020 trays are incredibly sturdy and feel like they’ll last forever. Greenhouse Megastore also offers heavy-duty trays, though I’m not sure how the prices compare.
I bought a set of three pruning snips with bright orange handles for under $10 on Amazon. They perform as well as my older favorite set. I’m not sure how long they’ll last, but the bright handles make them easier to find in the garden compared to the old black-handled ones.
Consider getting a worm farm! It’s super beneficial for the garden and helps reduce waste. I started bringing scraps like coffee grounds from work, and the worms love it!
Anything that eases the back-breaking work is appreciated.
High-quality compost that can be delivered and dumped directly into the beds is perfect, though it’s pricey.
Irrigation is key, as watering beds and pots by hand can take a long time, especially during the season. Automate that.
Gardening classes can also be a great gift—like signing her up for a master gardener course in your area. It offers a great networking opportunity, even if the volunteer hours are supposed to be meaningful. Encourage her to check out Reddit and YouTube for great gardening content.
Tools are essential: multiple pairs of gardening gloves. I prefer mixed styles, using rubber for the hands and breathable fabric for the back of my hands. A hori hori knife and a couple of five-gallon buckets would also be great additions, along with a wide-brimmed sun hat.
@Zee
I agree about the manual labor! My husband builds my beds (I help) and gets all the compost, mulch, and materials into them. Then I can enjoy the fun part!
I also vote for irrigation. Last year was my first time gardening, and my two 8x4 beds had soaker hoses on timers. It was fantastic—not having to worry about everything drying out if I got busy.
How about getting gardening gloves with her name stitched on them? Or hand trowels and tools with engravings? You could also look into a monthly subscription for a gardening magazine.
Gary Pilarchik’s or Jessica Soward’s books would be great gifts. A long-handle CobraHead weeder would also be useful. You might also consider a gift card for Baker Creek Seeds since they offer so many varieties that shopping their site can be a lot of fun.
There are plenty of good ideas here. Not sure if anyone has mentioned yet, but a lightweight garden hose, like one of those cloth-wrapped styles that are easy to pull around the yard, would be a great addition. Just keep in mind that there are various qualities, and I particularly like the black ones from Costco.
A beautiful basket for gathering her harvest! It’s nice because she can rinse the veggies before bringing them inside.
A really fun small gift is a gardening hod. It’s a small basket for her harvests and also makes for cute storage for root vegetables. Plus, Baker Creek’s deluxe seed catalog is a breathtakingly gorgeous coffee table book if she enjoys those.
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I love my Garden Bandit. It’s the weeder I didn’t know I needed.
Consider building her an irrigation system.
A worm farm is awesome if she doesn’t already have one.
It allows you to turn kitchen and garden waste into garden gold (worm castings). Caring for them is rewarding by itself.
If it’s hot where you live and you can’t bring them inside, consider in-ground worm farms (especially in raised beds), as they deliver some casting directly to the roots.
I crafted my own from buckets, but there are prepared options available.
They could be the size of a few buckets (you’d need several, but that’s beneficial if you want to spread out the advantages) or a standard-size farm.