Benable — create shareable lists of things you recommend!
E.g., products you love, local businesses, travel recs - you can add anything to a Benable list!
Veggie and flower gardening in small spaces
30
items These are the tools, supplies, and problem solvers I use in my garden yearly. Seed starting, pest repellents, container gardening, and more, plus decor and special extras I enjoy outdoors.
Sections
3
Gardening tools and supplies
Seed starting supplies I use every year
Garden decor for the extra touches
Gardening tools and supplies
Mine have been in my garden for over 10 years without ripping. They hold plenty of soil and allow great air circulation and water drainage. The soft sides make them easy to squeeze in extra growing space anywhere you want.
Plant Grow Bags - Amazon.com
Make more space for large veggies using these 16’x4’ cattle panels as arched trellises. Secure the sides with t-posts and plant vining veggies beside them for a beautiful plant covered tunnel, better air circulation for plants, and to keep growing fr...
16 ft. 4-Gauge Cattle Panels 33150739 - The Home Depot
Firm, easy to drive posts for securing fencing and trellises. Mine have been in use for nearly 15 years, no leaning, no loosening from the ground or fastenings.
T-Posts & U-Posts - The Home Depot
This is tool allowed me to easily drive 16 fence posts into the ground when I set up my cattle panel trellises 15 years ago. Using a simple lift and drop motion to drive the t post straight into the ground, you don’t need to dig a hole and it’s much ...
Acorn Hardware 3 in x 8 in x 24 in Steel Heavy-Duty T-Post Driver Offset Handle TPDRVSLHD | Home Depot
You need these to secure t posts to wire fencing and trellises. They can be tricky to fasten on, so have a look in my list for the video I used to learn myself.
Fence Fork T-Post Clips for Fence Fork Installation Tools, 100-Pack
How to install t-post clips without a special tool.
How to install T-post clips - YouTube
Nitrile coated are the best gloves I have ever used in the garden. They’re inexpensive per pair, but also don’t wear out very fast with regular use in my experience. The coating keeps your hands cleaner and drier than fabric so you have less cleanup ...
Nitrile Gardening Gloves - Amazon.com
This knife is the one I carry with me for any sowing, digging, or transplanting. Its serrated edge cuts right through weed roots below the soil, and the sharp tip helps get nice deep holes. The sharpening tool it comes with is great. I wipe mine down...
Minamino Hori Hori Garden Knife for Weeding
The extendable handles on this and the other tools by this company really make gardening so much more accessible. I was gifted the trowel a few years ago and I use it whenever I’m feeling a little stiff or don’t want to be getting down in the dirt. I...
Corona Tools Extendable 3-Tine Hoe 18-32"
If you want a garden bed but havecno access to soil, this is your solution. I started my garden on a gravel-packed area next to my house using three of these filled with 4-6” of soil and everything grew great.
Fabric Grow Bag | Shop for 200-Gallon Fabric Plant Bags Online
I got this feeder last spring and kept it refilled with sugar water all season. The hummingbirds cannot resist almost as much as they cannot share! I’ve had one come right up to me as I was adding the refilled feeder, only to be chased away by anothe...
Perky-Pet Glass Hummingbird Feeder 10oz
If your feeder didn’t come with an ant moat, you need one, or the ants will definitely find your sugar water dispenser! This does a great job keeping them away.
Hummingbird Feeder Ant Moat & Hanging Hooks
I’ve had this one for two years, and it’s truly heavy duty. No cracking or denting. I like that it’s compact in shape, I can hold it from two angles to carry or tilt, the hole is toward the back not the middle so there’s less chance of spilling, and ...
Chapin 47998 2 Gal Watering Can, Drip-Free
This mosquito repellant was used by my family all season long because it works so well and has no toxic ingredients. I’ve watched mosquitoes approach and then retreat over and over, tempted but deterred. It’s a great feeling that small children don’t...
Repel Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent 4oz
These boots are the perfect thing to throw on to get out and garden in soggy weather or when you don’t feel like getting your bare feet dirty in Crocs. I wore mine out just recently after ten years, and plan to get another pair or two.
SLOGGERS Women's Rain and Garden Ankle Boot
We have thick yew hedges and perennial ornamental Miscanthus grass. I attach heavy duty extension cords and go to work trimming it all down and neatening up every spring and fall. It works perfectly well for its purpose; I never use it for stalks or ...
Hedge Trimmer | BLACK+DECKER
We don’t use gasoline powered outdoor tools at home, only battery or corded electric ones. It feels good to eliminate the smell, mess, and pollution while maintaining natural outdoor spaces. This trimmer is powerful, adjustable, and effective. The ba...
String Trimmers | Weed Wackers | BLACK+DECKER
We use this battery operated blower to clear away leaves and pine needles on decks and in walkways. It’s lightweight yet powerful, and the charge lasts around 30 minutes.
Cordless Electric Leaf Blowers | Battery Powered - Greenworks Tools
We use this duty rake with an extra wide span in fall because our backyard is shaded with several with oaks that never seem to finish shedding leaves. The tines are curved in two layers so they grab everything and quickly.
Ames True Temper Dual Tine Poly Leaf Rake 26"
This battery operated mower takes care of front and back yard, which was over a quarter acre of lawn until I turned 60% of the front lawn into garden beds. It’s compact, lightweight to push, and much less noisy than some gas-powered mowers. It’s also...
RYOBI 20in 40V Brushless Cordless Mower
Seed starting supplies I use every year
When I first started starting seeds indoors I bought the smaller standard size for one 10x20 seed tray. I quickly realized I was hooked it was nowhere near sufficient for the number of seeds I wanted to start sowing regularly. When setting up my gree...
VIVOSUN Waterproof Seedling Heat Mat 20x20.75
Garden decor for the extra touches
Make the great outdoors even greater with items that add beauty and function.
This fountain is much nicer than I expected. It has space in the bottom to add sand or rocks to weigh it down, and holes in the base to use with included anchors or your own more heavy-duty earth staples. The dish itself unscrews from the pillar so y...
Alpine 25" Outdoor Birdbath with Planter
I prefer this style solar pump because the panel stays put of the pond, which keeps it from getting covered in algae. The cord is sufficiently long enough that I can place it where it gets full sun all day and still be unobtrusive. For my purposes (a...
Biling Upgraded Solar Water Pump Kit
I added this to my birdbath which is in full sun and invites algae growth even with the fountain pump. It helps slow down growth.
Mellbree Copper Bird Bath Disk 0.6mm Pure
I have about a dozen deck rail planters that I fill with flowers every season. Mine have lasted undamaged for over ten years, with just a bit of fading in the ones exposed to the most sun. I put in trailing plants as well as annuals like pansies, col...
EMSCO Bloomers 24" Resin Railing Planter
My mother was gifted this chair to relax outside and loves it. Its nest-like width and depth topped by the canopy makes it a special zone for one person, and the rocking action with outdoor birds and breeze can easily soothe you into sleep.
Modern Luxury Outdoor Egg Chair w/ Canopy
I have had planters like these in my deck for over 20 years. I’ve both planted them and lined them with heavy duty pond liner to create a small pond with plants and fish.
Deck Box Planters for Functional Outdoor Spaces | Lowe's
These are gorgeous. Got these last season, all are in full sun, most not sheltered from rain. I left them out all winter too, and I have found no rusting or fading this spring. There are plenty of colors to choose from!
Pack of 8 Stainless Steel Gazing Balls 50-150mm
I use this type of arch to add a focal point a at one end of my veggie garden. This year I plan to grow colorful runner beans and winged beans on it, for edible decoration.
COSTWAY 9.5 FT Metal Gothic Garden Arbor
We purchased this swing about 10 years ago and it’s still standing. We placed it in a shaded, quiet area of the yard that gets dappled sun in the evening, and painted it a deep terracotta to match our deck. It’s very stable and soothing to swing on, ...
VINGLI 880 LBS Wooden Patio Swing w/ Stand