The holiday season is well underway here in late December. The winter solstice has just occurred, and we are turning to increasingly longer days in the northern hemisphere, on our way to spring.
And it’s almost time to welcome the new year and new beginnings.
Maybe you’ve already given all your gifts, or perhaps you have a holiday gift exchange in the coming days. Regardless, I believe there’s never a wrong time to give something to make someone else happy!
It’s a good idea to celebrate family and friends in the colder winter months. And since this is also the right time to get in your seed orders and plan for spring growing, perhaps you’d like to give the gift of growing with gardening gifts!
When you give the gift of seeds or a good garden tool to a loved one, it shows not only that you care about them but also that you care about good food, grown locally!
Here are some great ideas for gardening gifts that much better than something random off the shelf. These gifts that biodegrade, don’t come in lots of packaging and can build a resilient future! I’ve put these in order of cost, lowest to highest, though some can be produced or made yourself.
1. A selection of heirloom vegetable seed packets
Pick up a few packets (or more) of your favorite vegetables. Consider what the person loves to eat. And perhaps choose varieties that you know how to grow so you can share knowledge on how to grow them.
Some seed companies have mixed seed collections, too. Or you can cherry pick a custom arrangement. Seed packets can even be a wonderful item to set into the tree like ornaments.
Hint: Organic and open-pollinated seeds from your garden make great gifts too! Also, some seed companies give discounts for early or bulk ordering in larger quantities. So consider ordering a bigger bag of seeds, dividing these into 10 portions and using small envelopes that you (and maybe the kids) can decorate to send to friends and family.
Read more: Garden planning? Plan to grow some heirloom crops this year!
2. Hand-harvested trellis stakes
If you have trees on your land or access to a woodlot, you could cut custom trellis stakes. Find a coppice of trees with stems around 2 inches in diameter. This might include sprouts from a weedy tree species whose main stem was cut a few years previous. Or it could just involve thinning out a hedge or finding understory trees in your forest land on the homestead acreage.
Anyway you saw it, you can cut multiple stems to 4-, 6- or even 8-foot length with a hand saw. You can sharpen the tips or leave them blunt.
These can be dried inside until spring to help trellis tomatoes, pees and more. As funny as it sounds, bundles of six, 12 or 24 stakes make nice gifts for anyone who loves gardening.
Hint: You can also buy 2x4s and cut them down to 2×2 stakes if you don’t have access to a woodlot.
3. A good ergonomic shovel
Never underestimate the need for the quintessential garden tool. Look into your friend or family member’s shed and see if they have a great garden shovel.
Most people pick up a $15 to $30 shovel. But I can tell you that once you get into the $75 range, looking carefully at the quality and style, you can find truly useful tools that can last years and years.
Keep an eye out for a strong, well-made shovel, with a step for your foot to help you dig into the ground.
Hint: A really good garden store (not a big box store) is the place to find quality shovels.
Read more: When you grow, you need a good shovel. Here’s what to look for.
4. A subscription to a CSA basket program for 2022
For those friends and family members that don’t garden or may not have access to land, consider sharing the cost with others to get them a seasonal CSA basket.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) subscriptions provide individuals and families with a basket of fresh veggies, fruit and sometimes even meats, eggs and other edibles on a weekly basis during the summer and fall, often even through the winter. This is an amazing gift for those who love good food and contributing to a truly meaningful way of changing the face of our landscapes and societies through local food action.
Hint: You might also be able to find gift certificates to farmers markets!
