9 Perfect Gifts for Vegetable Gardeners
Do you have a green thumbed friend in your life and want to get them something special? Here are the best gifts for vegetable gardeners.
Some people are hard to shop for. They either have everything they want, or they are one of those non-materialistic types that you just can’t think of anything for.
Gardeners can be like that… they tend to live a little more simply than some people and it’s hard to think of what they might want for themselves. Luckily, there are many gardening tools and accessories that they would love to have. Here are some of the best.
1. The CobraHead Weeder
Well, no one likes to weed, but it can be less irritating with the right tools. If your gardening friend doesn’t have one of these, they will love it. It’s basically a special tool that glides through the ground easily so you can get the whole weed, roots and all. Maybe you are thinking that a weeding tool doesn’t make a great gift. But I think gardeners are a practical bunch, and it will be much appreciated.
2. Long gardening gloves
Gloves are always an appropriate gift for the gardener because they are always getting lost, stained, or torn. These long ones are perfect for dealing with thorny weeds or plants, and because they are big, they are harder to lose out in the yard. I have a pair of these and they truly hold up, even when pruning roses. I also like to use them while harvesting prickly cucumbers.
If you have a garden-loving child, little kids gardening gloves make great stocking stuffers paired with little tools.
?? Related: The Best Gifts for Stay at Home Moms
3. A new grow light
Grow lights lose power after a few years, and the new LED panels are inexpensive and very powerful. These little flat panel ones are on clips can be attached anywhere.
If your gardening friend has never started seed indoors before, then a beginner seed start kit would probably be very welcome. To get started, they will need a heat mat, trays, seed starting mix, and a cover. A nice kit like this one has everything covered.
4. A paper pot maker
If the gardener in your life is a seed starter, then they know the annoyance of having a million little plastic pots for seedlings. This pot maker turns newspaper into seed starting pots that can be simply tossed in the compost or planted right in the garden. It makes slightly larger pots than you would want to start seeds directly in, so its best to use a tray to start and then transfer them into these paper pots once they’ve grown a little. This one would make a great stocking stuffer.
5. Squirrel Buster bird feeder
Gardeners love birds. They eat bugs, sound cheerful, and make the garden a happier place. Gardeners hate squirrels. They dig things up, and eat the bird seed. Enter the only squirrel proof bird feeder that lives up to its promises. It’s the the perfect gift for vegetable gardeners. I have two of these and love them both. When something heavy climbs up onto the feeder, they pull it shut and can’t get any seed.
6. A gift card for plants or seeds (plus one thing that is NOT a good gift for vegetable gardeners)
Unless you know this person very well and know there is a specific seed variety they want, never EVER buy seeds for a gardener. The most fun part of vegetable gardening is planning your seed order and its very personal. So let them pick.
But if you feel like your gardening friend would want more seeds, a gift card would be very nice, especially paired with some of the other times on this list. My favorite suppliers for vegetable seeds are Johnny’s, Park Seed, and Renee’s Garden.
You could also give a gift card for plants like fruit trees, dahlias, or onions. These tend to be offered by specialty places, so much certain that your gardener wants fruit trees before you give them a gift card that can only buy fruit trees!
7. Nice quality tomato cages
Anyone who has grown tomatoes has bought cheap tomato cages and lived to regret it. They break, fall over, and become utterly useless just as the tomatoes are getting ripe. But the nice quality ones are very expensive and seem like an indulgence. This makes them the perfect gift! These tomato cages are not cheap, but they have lasted multiple seasons for me and I hope they will last many more.
Your tomato grower will think of you fondly as they unfold these every spring.
8. A gardening book
But not something dry and dull. Those “basics of vegetable gardening” books are super boring. I have a few favorites that any gardener will like because they are not just informative, but interesting to read. Some that will will make a great gift for a vegetable gardener are:
- Gardening When it Counts by Steve Solomon. I love this one, which is all about gardening without fancy tools and expensive raised beds.
- Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Zeigler. Another favorite, this is very readable and details how to use cutting flowers to improve your garden as a whole.
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Okay so it’s not just a gardening book, but if your gardening friend has never read this, they will love it. It’s a memoir that is beautifully written and all about the joy of the gardening life (among other things).
- Betty Crocker’s Kitchen Gardens. An absolutely charming gardening book illustrated by Tasha Tudor, this one has classic gardening advice, sample gardening plans, and extensive information on herbs. It’s out of print but can be found used.
9. An outdoor rinsing table or basket
Now here is something for the serious vegetable grower. An outdoor table like this can be paired with a hose or an actual faucet to rinse your harvest off right in the garden without bringing a mess into the house.
For the more casual harvester, you can get them a big garden hod that they can pile up with veggies and then rinse outside.
More gift ideas:
- Bakers will love these beautiful and practical baking gifts inspired by the Great British Baking Show.
- Books are always a good idea, and these homemaking books will be appreciated by the right person.
