My husband and I have always gotten our mowers out of the trash. It is not that we can’t afford a new mower, it is just that my husband tends to feel more manly when he can push a mower that a lesser man was unable to repair. I don’t understand it either. I chalk it up to excess testosterone.

A few months ago, Troy-Bilt asked me to review a mower for them. My thought was that there was still snow on the ground and it is really hard to mow grass in the snow. They said, “No, silly” (they didn’t say that, but I bet they thought that) “In the spring we want you to review one of our mowers. We will even send you one to try.” Well, who can say no to that?

So a new XP Series lawn mower arrived in a big box (which was later adopted by my children and transformed into a coffin. I just don’t ask) and my husband assembled it. He was able to put it together in under a half hour without reading the directions (it is apparently not manly to read directions). But I assume that those clever people at Troy-Bilt know that their product is meant for testosterone addled men and they have designed the product accordingly.

The mower was also easy enough for me to start. That right there is a miraculous feat of industrial design as I sometimes need to go get my husband to start the electric weed wacker for me. I have pathetic arms.

My husband felt that there were too many safety features (testosterone again). I, being the daughter of a man who had once removed the safety feature off a power tool and subsequently lost 2 1/2 fingers, felt there were probably too little, though I could not think of any I would immediately add. I am still fairly certain my husband could figure out some way to almost injure himself with it in the name of being manly.

Then we (and by that I mean my husband) took it out for a run around the yard.

This model is a mulching mower, which I love. Our last dragged from the trash mower was “Not a Mulching Mower”, which I think translates to “Pain In The Ass” in Swahili. I don’t like raking my yard more than once a year.

The XP mower also cut beautifully. Nice, smooth even lawn, which is saying something with my lawn. The dandelions did not have a chance.

Then my husband let me try out the self prolusion system. Hmmm… I am not so fond of that. At level 1, you are walking at a pretty good clip, faster than I would like though my husband does not mind. At the highest level (4), you are training for a marathon with a lawnmower in front of you. I am not joking on that. I was literally pulled off my feet. When you try to mow the lawn without the self propulsion, well, the XP mower did not take kindly to its features being snubbed and did not handle well.

Of course a safety feature kicks in when you let go of the handle while using the self propelled feature. It cuts the motor so that the mower does not go tearing off down the road. But my biggest concern with this is that I have a 12-year-old son (read free landscaping crew). I am a little worried about this mower being used by him. I have visions of the mower akimbo and the half unscathed remnants of my 60 year old hydrangea bush and my son sobbingly explaining how he panicked and just did not let go. Underage mowing with the XP will need to be supervised for a few weeks, maybe months before I feel comfortable with it.

But, my paranoid insecurities aside, it did do a sharp job on the lawn in no time at all. It is a great mower, just a really powerful mower.

I suppose the thing to say would be that this is a man’s lawn mower. More power and all that jazz. Which is okay with me. It gives my husband something to expend his excess testosterone on. He is less likely to injure himself that way.

When I was a kid, I experimented with hydroponics (and not for the typical reasons teenagers do). I was sure that by the time I was an adult, this would be a valuable skill as we would all be living on the moon and maybe even Mars as my teachers had rather firmly told me that we would have decimated this plant due to our rapid deforestation of the rain forest. That didn’t happen.  I guess we just did not cut down enough trees to make it worth NASA’s while (don’t tell my sister I said that).

Which is probably a good thing as I killed everything I tried to grow in water. Hydroponics requires a little know how.

It was quite a few years later on a trip to Canada where I saw, from a distance, the hydroponic future of farming. There were many greenhouses in some of the colder parts of Canada where vegetables were (and maybe still are) grown for commercial consumption. It was always one of the reasons I never worried my pretty little head too much about the future of the vast amount of farmland here in the States. Using hydroponics, you can always go up.

So it intrigued me when, a few weeks ago, I was approached by a EasiestGarden.com to review their how-to video on creating a Hydroponic Lettuce Garden. Could I actually build a hydroponic system at home? So, I watched the DVD and read the manual to find out.

First of all, I do have to say that if you are interested in learning how to create a hydropnic garden, this is an excellent resource. The topic was thoroughly covered and every detail, right down to some darn handy tips and tricks, were explained in an easy to follow step-by-step manner. As a resource, it was great.

The video quality was so-so, but I was willing to forgive that. They at least used a tripod and the video quality does not take away from the content in the video.

The DVD and manual retails for $29.95, which is on the high side for a DVD and small paper pamphlet. Is it worth it? Well, I think that is up to you. This is a topic that is difficult to find really good, thorough information about and the DVD does make it easy for you to understand what could easily turn into a complicated subject. If you are looking for a great resource on this topic and you are committed to the project, than the $30 is worth it.

Now, to answer the question of whether I could build a hydroponic system at my home. Technically, with the directions outlined in this guide, I could but I have a small yard and the end contraption is not the loveliest thing in the world and I could easily see my kids confusing it with an oddly shaped jungle gym. So, my future career as a space station hydroponic gardener will probably have to go on hold. But it was fun to see how I could make such a garden, if I needed to… Say because we actually did go to Mars.

This week’s product to review was sent to me by Fine Gardening magazine. It was a set of DVDs that were presented to me by Fine Gardening as a great resource of information on very focused gardening topics. I got to take a look at Pruning and Propagation.

First, because I like to present good news before the bad, this is an information packed product. Each DVD covers in entirety all the questions that the average person might have about a topic and the bonus videos do make it a bit easier to understand the topic you may have a question about.

But… The dreaded but…

This was not a product that I liked. First of all, it is a program that automatically tries to install itself on your computer. I HATE installing anything unnecessary on my computer. I need all the space possible on my computer to store things like pictures of my garden and illegally downloaded songs. For information that I may only need to reference a few times a year, installing a permanent program is a hassle. It is like buying a reference book that you are told you can only buy if it stays on your coffee table year round.

I would prefer to just pop the DVD in when I need to and access the info from the DVD. This option is avaliable, but as you are prompted to install each time you put the disc in your computer, this may be confusing for less technical people.

I also was a little disappointed in the quality of the videos on the DVD. Don’t get me wrong, the information was all there, but the quality of the video was shaky and I mean that in every sense of the word. Unless there were minor earthquakes in every location that they shot, there is no excuse for shaky video on a professional DVD. For the cost of a single one of these DVDs ($24.99) they could have bought a cheap tripod and improved the professional look of the DVD by 100%.

I also thought the price was smidge high as well. I appreciate the value of information and, despite the free access to all kinds of crappy information on the web, I appreciate that quality information should be paid for especially when it is organized. But the fact is that you can find well illustrated books with similar information for less.

Who are these DVDs for? Well,

• If you do not mind installing several programs on your computer to have easy access to quality information
• or you understand how your computer works enough to feel comfortable navigating it
• If you don’t need to take Dramamine to make it through a Disney 3-D theme ride
• If you are lacking in space for books

If the above describes you, this would be a good product for you. As I said, the information is solid but the execution leaves a little something to be desired.

Read other reviews of this DVD:
Guest Review: Fine Gardening’s DVD on Propagation
The Fine Art of Teaching Pruning

Yesterday I reviewed the book “The Truth about Organic Gardening” by Jeff Gillman. I had the good luck of being able to do a Q & A with Dr. Gillman. Below the results…

1. Just we get it out of the way, are
   • you single?
   • looking for someone?
   • can I forward any emails from interested parties to you?

I am married, but there is nothing sexier than a man who likes to garden and I have to ask for the sake of the single women in the audience.

It’s nice to know that gardening is considered sexy! But, if you saw what my garden looks like, you might be a little disappointed. I garden a little at home, mostly veggies, but do most of my gardening at work where I maintain a nine acre research nursery. I’m happily married with two young children. Forwarded messages from people interested in anything beyond gardening wouldn’t be a particularly good idea…

2. How do you feel about big business jumping on the organic bandwagon? With all the new organic lines and products, do you feel this is a good trend or one that will cause problems?

To be perfectly honest I’m not that crazy about big business jumping on the organic bandwagen. I like the small producers who I can ask what they’ve done with their crops and get a good honest answer. What happens to organic produce from the big producers before it reaches the table is much less clear.

As I frequently point out, organic doesn’t mean pesticide free and often organic poisons are as bad as synthetics. Do the big producers regularly use these poisons? Well, sometimes they do and sometimes they don’t. It’s impossible to know without asking.

I should also point out that while I see many benefits to organic production I am by no means a purist and do not believe that currently organic production is necessarily better than more conventional production (depending on the specific crop, the specific producer and a whole lot of other stuff).

3. The food industry has seen a movement where organic is now “organic” or “local”. Do you think this kind of trend will develop in gardening world? Will we soon be having gardening products and methods that are labeled “Organic” and “Organic Local” (where the method uses items found in the natural local environment)? If yes, is that a good thing? If no, why?

I think it would be nice if gardening supplies and methods became more local. I think it would entice gardeners to plant more greenery that is native to their area thereby preserving many species that might otherwise be threatened. Is this really a developing trend? Here in the Midwest I really haven’t seen it yet.

4. Should the home gardener treat organic and chemical methods differently than a nursery operation or a farming operation? In other words, should the scale of an operation be taken into account when deciding what methods and products to use?

YES! The home gardener can afford to lose more of their crops than the farmer can and should act accordingly and be very conservative in adding any pesticide be it organic or synthetic. Additionally, there are many cultural methods of controlling pests that work really well on a small scale (such as putting bags around fruit to protect them from insects) but aren’t practical on a large scale for economic and / or logistical reasons.

It is my opinion that most (>90%) home gardeners should be using pesticides very rarely (once a year or less). This is a rule that I try to follow around my house.

5. What chemicals (if any) do you use in your personal garden and yard?

I use 2,4 D once every 2 years or so, just enough to keep the dandelions from completely overtaking the yard and I use Round-up once every few years when I get an overgrown spot where I can’t pull out weeds by hand. I practically never use fungicides or insecticides with the exception of wasp spray once every few years (we had a nasty yellow jacket nest last year that was attacking the kids).

6. What is your favorite plant and why?

My favorite shrub is butterflybush. I worked with this plant when I was a graduate student with Mike Dirr at the University of Georgia. The butterflybush that you’re familiar with, Buddleia davidii, is a non-native that often gets kind of large and leggy. But it sure does attract adult butterflies. If you want a native (and I do endorse planting native if you can) there is a butterflybush native to the west Texas area called Buddleia marrubiifolia which is just fantastic. Great fragrance. Pretty plant. If you live in the South give it a shot! It’s tricky to grow, but it’s worth it.

I find organic gardening to be an odd beast. A search on the internet would have you believe that the gardening world is overwhelmingly organic fanatics, while anyone who uses any sort of chemicals is akin to rapists and Osama Bin Laden .

I have long found this view to be disturbing. Just because something is natural does not mean it is good. Cocaine, heroine and dog feces are natural elements, but I am not so sure that you would want to put these natural, plant and animal derived bi-products in your body (unless you were rich, famous and wanted to die at the height of your career).

So when I was approached to review the book “The Truth about Organic Gardening” by Jeff Gillman, I was intrigued. You mean the organic world is not black and white? You mean that the national media is allowing the people to publish information that does not follow the politically correct lines that the world should all be organic and those who are not, are slowly killing the Mother Earth?

The book covers the pros and cons of both organic and chemical treatments for your garden, and almost every treatment has a pro and con. The information was unbiased and laid out so that you could make an informed decision on what treatment works best for your situation.

What was even better was that I found the book to be well organized, so that it could be a reference book when you needed it. Want to add corn gluten to your garden? You can find that quickly and see if that would be a good choice for your yard. Thinking of using Round-up? You can find out hard facts (as opposed to fanatical rhetoric) to decide if this is a good choice for your garden.

I also like the fact that Dr. Gillman touches on a subject that is frequently left out of all the talk about organic gardening, and that is the local aspect. For example, using diatomaceous earth is technically “organic” but how much a part of the environmental moment is it if you ship it in from 3,000+ miles away?

This is a book that I felt had no hidden agenda, but really did lay out the facts clearly so that you could decide the best options for your garden.

As an extra bonus, I was able to interview Dr. Gillman, so if you pop on in tomorrow, you can read that interview. You can find out a little more about the man who dares to buck the popular media opinion that organic is the only answer.

I do recommend that you read this book and its companion, The Truth about Garden Remedies. It is time we took back the gardening world and made it what it was intended to be, a hobby (or obsession) and not a political agenda.

Other Reviews of the Book:

• Gillman’s The Truth About Organic Gardening & And here’s Jeff! - Garden Rant
• The Truth About Organic Gardening: Book Review - Cold Climate Gardening

So a few weeks ago (well, months ago, really) I received a new book from the University of Chicago Press. It was called “Life in the Soil: A Guide for Naturalists and Gardeners” by James Nardi.

With any book I receive, gift or promotional, I try to read cover to cover before making any comments on them. That was hard with this book, and I have to confess I did not do that.

It wasn’t because it was a bad book. It is a great book if you remember what it is. It was packed full of interesting information that was written well. It was just that it just not the kind of book you read from cover to cover. When they said Field Guide, they meant Field Guide. This is what I would refer to as a flipping book.

You open it up and read the first chapter or so, flip through the pages thinking “I’ve seen one of those before” or “I didn’t know that” and then read the last chapter or so. Than repeat the process many, many times over the course of several years without ever knowing if you have actually accomplished reading the whole book. And of course, you would use it as a reference in the field (i.e. your garden).

So what is this book a field guide of? Life in the soil, of course. If it can come out of the ground, it is in this book. For you bird lovers, this is to dirt what bird field guides are to the air. And when I say everything, I mean everything. They even cover Puffins, who nest in burrows in the ground. Any book on dirt that covers Puffins has to have covered everything.

So who would this book be for? Any one who frequently works with things close to the ground. This would mean the typical gardener, a lawn lover, a landscaper or even an avid hiker. Anyone who might at some time point at the ground and exclaim “Holy shit, what was that?” accompanied with or without a small shriek when the object of the question initially reveals itself.

Wonder what that buggy is that just skittered away? What will that grub turn into? How far down do woodchuck holes go? The book has all of this and more.

Every creature’s profile includes a drawn picture to help you match what you saw to what it is. It also includes more information than you thought possible about the individual critters as well.

I will say that this book is not a “fun” read. It is a practical book meant for a practical purpose. You may pick it up on a rainy day out of curiosity, but I doubt you will find yourself settling onto the couch riveted to the pages while enjoying a bottle of wine.

But, Christmas is coming and this book should belong on your wish list if you are the type of person curious about life in the garden beyond the birds and the butterflies. It will become a well worn feature on you gardening bookshelf.

Other reviews of this book:
In the Garden Online

I am finding that being a blogger has certain advantages. These advantages are mainly concerned with getting free stuff. Free books, free garden things and this week, it is a free almanac (or two, actually).

This week in the mail I received 216th edition The Old Farmer’s Almanac and the 2nd edition of The Old Farmer’s Almanac for Kids. This just tickles me to no end (and not just because it was free). I have many a fond memory of The Old Farmer’s Almanac.

If you haven’t noticed, I am a trivia freak and you can’t get much more trivia packed into a book than The Old Farmer’s Almanac. When I was a kid, I would sit for hours reading the copy my mother bought every year, looking at all the strange and wonderful facts as well as the predictions for the year to come. In many ways, it is almost like the country version of the supermarket tabloids. The predictions, zodiacs and news for the upcoming year have that same feel of dubiousness, the true stuff is just fascinating and the ads are almost spot on the same.

By the way, if any of you happen to be looking for some quality choir gowns, Regency Cap & Gown (page 186) has the “finest fabrics including permanent press and wash & wear” or your very own composting toilet (page 177) or the answer to Psoriasis (I didn’t know it had asked a question but the answer is on page 87). Okay, so maybe not spot on the same but the ads have the same feel.

To tell the truth, reading The Old Farmer’s Almanac reminded me of something. It reminded me that there really are places left in the US that are still more innocent than where I live. Where real cowboys wear real hats and boots and real farmers get up each morning to feed chickens and milk cows.

Alright, you got me. I knew they were there (I grew up there and while trauma induced memory loss has wiped out some of those memories, it has not wiped them all out) but I just forgot what that world felt like or, rather, what I always wanted that world to feel like.

I got some of that feeling back while reading. The people who religiously read The Old Farmer’s Almanac are people who listen to the hog prices on the local radio station and still have to walk a half mile to get to a neighbor’s house. They have homemade apple pies, cute little scrubbed kids on Sunday and lonely looking white washed houses that are spotless inside and out. A romanticized version, no doubt, but a nice one to think about.

This rural world is fast disappearing as noted on the next to last page of The Old Farmer’s Almanac. They note that according to the United Nations, sometime in August of 2008, in the world, the number of people living in cities will finally outnumber the number of people in the rural areas.

As a gardener, I find it fun to read The Old Farmer’s Almanac.  As a trivia freak, it is just a feast for the brain.  But in reading it, I sometimes wonder if I am peeking into the leading edge of a dying lifestyle.

I suppose since they sent this to me free I should mention that it is coming to a book or feed store near you this September 12 (Get yours today… er… next week). The Kids version is already out in stores. It is not as folksy. Think Discovery Channel meets Jeopardy meets a twelve year old.

Several years ago I went to see a movie called “American Pimp“. And yes, that is exactly what it was about. I had an odd feeling all the way through the movie that was hard to explain. I was fascinated because while I knew that such an underground world existed, I didn’t really know that that world existed. I thought somehow that the “pimp” world was really just a fabrication by the movie industry and to find out that this was not the case was definitely… disconcerting.

I had exactly the same feeling while I was reading “Backyard Giants” by Susan Warren. The subtitle for this book is “The Passionate, Heartbreaking and Glorious Quest to Grow The Biggest Pumpkin Ever”. At 1,500+ pounds, the phrase Biggest Pumpkin Ever just does not seem big enough.

I want to say first of all, I did enjoy the book. As unsettling as I found the material to be, the book was well written and well-paced. I think that in the hands of a less capable writer, the subject matter could have quickly turned dry or tabloid-ish. But that is not the case. Ms. Warren presents a lot of information in a fun to read story.

But the subject matter is a whole other world of gardening that I knew existed but never really knew existed. Imagine spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars on your garden (okay, so that is not so hard to imagine) but with the sole intent of growing a pumpkin near the size of a small car. Something that a pumpkin isn’t suppose to naturally do. A single pumpkin vine grown in an attempt to grow a giant pumpkin will not only suck down hundreds of dollars in fertilizers and other chemicals but will need as much coddling and man hours as the rest of your garden combined. You will not eat it. You will not be able to decorate with it. It may not even make it through to the weigh-off at the end of the season… Disease, animals and even just its own grotesque weight could kill a giant pumpkin without warning.

To me, the world of giant pumpkin growing is fascinating and yet frightening. Part of me says that it is not any different than my tomatoes or my husband’s uncle daylilies (he grows a few hundred varieties) but somehow what giant pumpkin growers do seems, well, wrong. All that time, money and effort all to grossly abuse the limits of what Mother Nature and a squash plant never intended? Even as a gardener, I can’t understand it. But I suppose it is their obsession and they are welcome to it.

I do recommend reading the book. It is an intriguing (albeit slightly creepy) look at a world most of us don’t even consider in our daily puttering in the garden. Me personally, if I could get a pumpkin to Jack-o-Lantern size, I would be thrilled. But I do suppose that a giant pumpkin would give the passers-by something else to gawk at besides the Shrub Monster.