Troy-Bilt Triple Blade Lawn Edger TB554 Review

Have you ever wondered how to keep your grass from spreading in to your planting beds?  It takes a bit of diligence along with the proper tool. I'm kind of a stickler for keeping a clear delineation between the grass edge and whatever plants frame my beds. Just like mowing the lawn regularly is required for healthy grass, edging the grass is a repetitive gardening task required for clean edges. Edge every time you mow and you will keep the grass out of your planting beds.

Routine gardening maintenance, like mowing and edging, is repeated often during the growing season and can become mundane. For these tasks, reliable tools save time and get the job with better efficiency. I'd rather spend my time planting and creating than mowing and edging the lawn.

I discovered a long time ago that a walk-behind edger provides the cleanest edge. I've owned several of them over the years, each made by various manufacturers.


As a member of the Troy-Bilt Saturday6 Team, they provide me with Troy-Bilt equipment of my choice each year. I get to keep it. I also test and review it. Sweet! One of the products I chose this year is the Troy-Bilt Triple Blade Lawn Edger TB554.

I wanted this edger because it had all the features I look for in a walk-behind edger:
•Self-sharpening, heavy duty 9" triple-edge blade
•6-position edging depth up to 2 1/4"
•3-position adjustable bevel for easy edging along walks and flower beds
•Curb wheel included
•Premium 7" front and 8" rear steel ball-bearing wheels
•158cc/5.0 ft-lbs* gross torque Briggs & Stratton 500 Series engine
•*ft-lbs gross torque per SAE J1940 as rated by engine manufacturer @ 3060 rpm
•2-year limited warranty

Additional features I especially appreciate about this edger:
•Easy start: the pull start is easy enough for me to pull and it cranks the motor with the first or second pull.
•Manageability: It is lightweight and easily maneuvers through the grass.
•No tilt: It has excellent balance when going around curving borders.
•Reliability: this edger contributes to efficiency in the garden and saves me time.

It is also particularly useful for shaping the circular ground cover of Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) in the back garden.

I love the triple-edge blade! It is sharp, powerful and precise.

I don't need the feature for changing the angle of the blade for my sandy soil and St. Augustine grass, but it could be beneficial for clay soils.

In the front garden, the edger shears off the Asiatic jasmine (Trachelospermum asiaticum) ground cover and keeps it from growing over the drive way.

I highly recommend this edger**. It has been a great complement to my Troy-Bilt lawn mower for keeping what's left of the lawn in the back garden tidy.

What tool do you use to keep your lawn from spreading in to the planting beds?


**Reviews, recommendations or opinions expressed by me regarding Troy-Bilt® products are my own. I am being compensated for my partnership with Troy-Bilt® as one of the Saturday6 team members. This post is in conjunction with that partnership. The Troy-Bilt® product I've reviewed has been provided to me free of charge.

Full of Thanks

My house is filled with yummy smells of pumpkin and sweet potatoes and cornbread this morning. Tomorrow we celebrate a day signified by giving thanks. Family will gather here and favorite foods will flank our table. We are counting our blessings, small and large, on this day and every day.

I want to wish each and every reader a Happy Thanksgiving if it is a holiday you celebrate. I'm thankful you come to this little 'ole blog and visit, whether I ever hear from you or not.

"We should live every day like it is a holiday, being thankful and spending time with family, and looking hopefully to the future." unknown author

What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? Meems

Delicious Autumn

A November view through the back circle garden from the patio 

Delicious autumn!  
My very soul is wedded to it, 
and if I were a bird
I would fly about the earth
seeking the successive autumns. 
 ~George Eliot

'Postman Joyner' Caladium in foreground and 'White Queen' in background.

Vibrant caladiums are not necessarily what we expect to see in November. With careful planning, the central perennial garden at Hoe and Shovel is alive with colorful foliage from coleus, ornamental bananas and caladium this autumn.

Caladium 'Postman Joyner' shooting out of the ground this month.

This year I tried something new. I planted caladium bulbs each month since June. The outcome has been delightful. As the colorful foliage leaves from those planted in June and July have faded, new splashes of bright colorful foliage replace them.

'Highlighter' Caladium sprouting this week. Planted in a brand new planting bed created in October.

'Red Ruffles' Caladium for autumn replaced  'Roseglow' Caladium growing in this container through the summer.

'Red Flash' and 'Freida Hemple' Caladium combined in a perennial bed with native coontie and red firespike close by.
Var. aztec grass holds them in as the border.

Autumn is a glorious season in Florida even though we don't offer moutainsides with leaves of trees turning to brilliant oranges, reds and yellows. Our gardens are a place of respite after an endless summer. We finally revel in cooler temperatures and mild evenings. I hope you are getting outside wherever you are to breathe in the beauty around you! Happy gardening, Meems


*** If you haven't already ... click over to Hoe and Shovel on Facebook to see the daily plants/flowers photos and discussions. Click on the LIKE button under the header to be part of the conversation. Would love to hear what's going on in your garden.
Meems

Contained Edibles

An EarthBox creates a contained/isolated environment for growing herbs and edibles. I have only two of them in addition to my in-ground edible garden.

Tomatoes growing in Earthbox

One of my Earthboxes has tomatoes growing in it for fall. I planted seedlings 9.2.12 and tomatoes are forming on happy, healthy plants! I've attached the extension rods you can add to an Earthbox and also a mesh net that towers about 7'. The net is especially helpful in bracing up vigorous vines.

This week I cleaned out the second one (it was home all spring/summer to Rue herb that hosted dozens of black swallowtail) and I planted basil starts (sweet and purple). In the same box I also planted a row of lettuce and spinach *seeds* .

I switch out my Earthboxes with new plants/seeds for each growing season. I always remove all the *old/used* soil, wash the container thoroughly and replace the soil medium/lime/fertilizer with fresh ingredients.

Various containers can be turned into a well-draining pot for edibles. It doesn't have to be an Earthbox, of course.  It's just easier for me to purchase them because they are ready to go. I like the idea of easy set-up. My experience with them has been successful. I keep mine on the back open patio where it's easy for me to water them every 3-4 days. Do you plant your edibles in containers?

Happy gardening and enjoy your weekend,
Meems

*** If you haven't already ... click over to Hoe and Shovel on Facebook to see the daily plants/flowers photos and discussions. Click on the LIKE button under the header to be part of the conversation. Would love to hear your opinions.
Meems