Your Chance to Win aTroy-Bilt Chipper Shredder

By now you probably all know how very much I love and use my chipper-shredder? It has become my all-time favorite power tool and gardening friend.

Just look at how it shreds large oak leaves, turning them into yummy useable organic goodness. Do  you know what's great about shredded leaves? Well, I'll tell you just one of the best things. I can literally scatter them on top of massing groundcovers like asiatic jasmine or mimosa strigillosa and the small bits of leaves find their way through the plants and to the soil. Beautiful. Okay ... two things. I also love it for newly seeded places in the edible garden. Shredded leaves/limbs are light and small enough to allow the small seedlings to push up through it easily.

I can operate it by myself. Mr. Meems helps me get it started the first time if it's been sitting for a while. After that, I'm good to go.
There is a chute in the front for limbs up to 3" (edit update~ yes, 3 inches~ this chipper-shredder is for residential use; it does not possess commercial capabilities). The hopper on the top is for leaves and smaller sticks. It quickly takes a full bag of whole leaves and in a few seconds shreds them and shoots them to the catch-bag on the side.

I collect fallen sticks from around the garden and smaller limbs we trim off of trees and shrubs. They get chewed up and go right back into my garden as mulch. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.



For a closer look at the specs on the CS 4325 Chipper Shredder 2-in-1 Heavy Duty Wood Chipper and Shredder you can go here.



As part of the Saturday6 Blogger Team, I am SO, SO excited Troy-Bilt is giving YOU the opportunity to win this fabulously handy home-gardening tool. I've told so many people about it and how valuable it is in my garden.  I can't tell you how thrilled I am that my regular readers now have a chance to have one, too.

TO ENTER the GIVEAWAY:
All **you have to do is respond to this post in the *comments* section  and tell me how you will put this beautiful machine to work in your garden and why you would like to own one.

 

RULES~~ Yes, there are RULES. Please follow for your entry to be valid.
1. One **entry per person.

2. An email address must accompany your comment.
3. When you leave your comment, you MUST have a link back to a website that includes an email address, or you must leave your email address within the comment, or you can email me if you aren't comfortable leaving it within your comment.
3. Anonymous comments are welcome, however you must leave your (first) name and an email address within your comment in order to be entered into the contest.
4. If there isn't a clear way to contact you, your comment will not be valid for entry to win.

**Each contestant must have a street address (no P.O. Boxes) within the continuous 48 states.
Contest is over September 9, 2012 at 12:01 EST.

Winner will be randomly drawn and announced September 11, 2012. Email notification will be sent to winner in addition to announcement. 

If you have any questions or problems entering your comment email me at
hoe and shovel garden at gmail dot com.

Thank you and good luck,
Meems

Disclosure: My reviews and/or recommendations are always my own thoughts. 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. Troy-Bilt is providing a CS4325 Chipper Shredder to one winner of this contest.

Cranking Up The Troy-Bilt Saturday6 Team

It's that time of year again when gardeners everywhere look forward to a good long day of gardening when Saturday rolls around. I know I love a Saturday without obligations so I can garden completely uninterrupted. A full day in the garden is a treasured commodity for gardeners.Troy-Bilt is a company I admire for their hard-work ethic and family owned values. They started their company in 1937 with the first tiller introduced into the market. Florida doesn't use tillers as much as the rest of the country. They offer a wide range of dependable lawn and garden equipment with caring customer service.

Above we are visiting The Chef's Garden Micro Greens Grow House and taste testing (I'm not in the picture).

Last year Troy-bilt put together a team that makes up the Saturday6 bloggers from different parts the U. S. You can read my articles describing our adventures so far here and the link to my Saturday6 page is here.
Each of us will individually choose products to review, write helpful articles to help make all of our Saturdays in the garden more successful, and we will include some videos to show you how we do it right here in our own gardens. Sound like fun?
I'm still in the process of choosing the Troy-Bilt products I'd like to review this year. But without the least bit of hesitation I'd like to remind you of how pleased I am with the lawnmower and the chipper shredder I was given in the last campaign.

Of course, it goes without saying, the lawn mower has become necessary equipment to crank up weekly for mowing that last bit of lawn in the back garden.

My chipper-shredder? Oh, it is a life saver and a favorite power tool.

Our oak leaves fall in the winter/spring and provide oodles of organic goodness to return back to the garden in the way of mulch and organic amendments.

All I have to do is wheel it out of the garage, give it a start, and I am on my way to shredding glory.

It is always at the ready for helping out in the garden. I love what this machine accomplishes for my garden!

Watch for Saturday6 monthly articles when you sign up here (click on Tips, Advice, and How-to's) for 'The Dirt' newsletter Troy-Bilt publishes.

You can *Like* Troy-Bilt on Facebook to see what fellow gardeners are saying and doing.

Disclosure: My reviews and/or recommendations are always my own thoughts. 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.

Bogs to the Grocery Store?

You betcha!

When I purchased my Bogs this fall while on a road trip (in another state) I thought it was kind of a frivolous buy. For wearing later in Florida? I honestly didn't think I'd get much use from them. At the time I didn't care because it had gotten colder than we had expected and we were heading to a football game in the pouring down (did I mention cold?) rain.

Surprisingly, since then, they have become my gardening shoe of choice. I still love my Birki's mules as my all-time go-to gardening kicks. But for winter gardening my Bogs have stolen my heart.

As for the grocery store on a soggy day or running to the organic co-op to volunteer in the rain? My flower design Bogs have really come in handy donned with a pair of jeans. And they're cute don't you think!

They've kept my toesies warm and dry more than their money's worth this unusually wet winter.

Do you have a favorite gardening shoe?

**** Neither Bogs or Birkenstock have any idea I am a fan. ****

The Chipper Shredder that Troy-Bilt

Initially when the over-sized truck pulled up in the front of the house it caused me to question just how large was the machinery being delivered.

A couple of months prior Troy-Bilt made a generous offer that I could pick out anything from their catalog for under $1,000 if I would agree to use it and write a review on my blog.

They only asked that I let my readers know if I was pleased or not pleased. That sounded fair enough. It didn't take long to decide what Hoe and Shovel could put to good use right away. At the time the driveway and walkways were daily covered with fallen oak leaves like a thick brown carpet.

By the time that pretty red (a bonus in my mind)machine showed up on my doorstep we were more than ready to give it a good whirl. Leaves were bagged and ready to be shredded. Limbs were trimmed from the trees and a rather nice sized pile was set to be chipped.
Mr. Meems even got involved in the action with the promise of all that power flowing through all that torque eating up tree limbs. He read the manual, filled it with gas and oil and cranked her right up. No problem. As we got used to feeding the limbs through the designated shoot we added a bag of leaves to the back hopper to mix the two ingredients for our final outcome. No problem. The hopper made quick order of each bag of leaves shredding them into fine particles of yummy mulch in no time flat.

I cannot tell you how long I've wanted a leaf shredder in order to make better use of the wonderful leaves that fall freely each spring as new growth arrives on the oak trees. Oak leaves are my main source of mulch often placed right into the beds prior to composting.
But what if they could be shredded into fine particles, easily spread, and subsequently broken down into the soil for all the micro-organisms to grow! A finer mulching product would be so beneficial for tender new spring plants and favorite hardy shrubs alike. What could me more perfect to use as mulch for the veggie garden!

Oh, the sight, the smell, the feel of wheelbarrows full of that luscious mixture of oak branches and shredded brown leaves. It is like gold! All I could think when we were piling it up was ... "this is a very beautiful thing." Very exciting stuff.
We put our new red Troy-Bilt Chipper Shredder CS4325 through a rigorous first workout and it met the challenge. It exceeded my expectations actually. I can honestly say I am more than happy with the efficiency of its performance. It is simple enough for me to use all by myself as it transports easily on its 10" x 4" tires and cranks very smoothly.
What a great feeling to put those tree limbs back into the cycle of life in the garden rather than pile them up for the trash man. I know my plants are as happy as me about those gloriously fine chips and shreds of organic materials protecting their roots.

My Second Favorite Pair of Gardening Gloves

It might be surprising to know that a really good pair of gardening gloves is not all that easy to come by. At least that has been my experience. I consider myself somewhat of a good test case being that I wear out a pair just about every 3 months or so.


It's always that middle finger on the right hand that gets a hole in it first (and sometimes long before the rest of the glove is worn) followed by a seam or two giving way between my thumb and forefinger.
Over the years I've tried all manner of gloves from the cheapie styles found in the big box stores to the expensive brands ordered on the gardening Internet sites. Finding a quality glove is a thing I consider essential to my gardening experience. As a gardener living in a climate that allows me to garden all year long, let's just say, my gloves are used a lot.


Last summer Ethel gloves contacted me and offered to send me a free pair for me to try out.

I have to tell you, my first impression was favorable. I LOVED their website and their product packaging was impressive as well. In the scheme of things neither of those factors would matter one wit if the gloves weren't effective. But, in my book, good marketing along with a product to back it up is worth noting.

Slipping my fingers into Ethel's lightweight signature style glove, to give them their first workout, immediately I had the inkling I was going to like them. They are pretty, too. So chic. Again I prefer pretty, and I'm not ashamed to admit it, but not necessarily over function (in this case anyway). So off we go to check out "function."

My Favorite Pair of Gloves

For years I didn't wear gloves. Much like for years I didn't wear sunscreen. Both my hands and my skin are telling the tale these days. I still find myself digging up a weed, pinching off a dead bloom, squeezing the life out of a grasshopper or leaf-eating worm with my bare hands when strolling through the garden. When I come inside with dirty fingernails and tomato plant stains (man, that stuff is hard to get off) on my fingers I remember that I forgot--- ha --- remember that I forgot... these things happen with age I'm told.

Oh, and of course, I never sow seeds with gloves on. How does anyone do that?

These Ethel gloves have seen some serious gardening. They've assisted with digging, planting, pruning, sawing, mowing, edging, weed pulling, sweeping, mulch spreading, worm digging, power trimming, and everything in between. They've been soaked with muddy dirt, rinsed and hung to dry; they've also been properly washed with mild detergent several times.

They do all of this without getting stiff or shrinking ... or ... important to note here... without losing their prettiness. All important factors.

Honestly, they've lasted much longer than any other glove I've ever used. That's saying a lot! And honestly, I like them more than any other glove I've ever worn. That's saying a lot.

I've bought a few pair as gifts for other gardeners because I recommend them so highly and love to share what I find to be useful.

And Now For the Second Pair of Favorites...

So a month or so ago I ordered a second pair for myself. This time I chose the style "expression" because ... have I ever mentioned how much I love red? They are well used now but they clean up nicely.

Just when I was on the verge of placing an order for another pair (stocking up for spring) I saw that Kylee was having a give-away for a free pair last week (or was it the week before?). I put off placing that order ---just in case I happened to win. Alas, it was not meant to be. But congratulations, Victoria.

If you are in the market for a fabulous and fashionable glove at a very reasonable price and no shipping charges Kylee is offering a 10% discount with a code you can use from her blog post if you go here.

BUT if you order today, the Ethel website is offering a 15% discount (through today) because it is their way of celebrating their own very Happy Birthday.

Happy gardening! Meems

note: Hoe and Shovel gets no kick backs or discounts aside from the initial pair of gloves given to trial.

I'm Not the Hoe You Might Think I Am

There are probably some explanations that would be fitting. A back story of sorts might help dear readers to understand my predicament. My blog title is Hoe and Shovel. Okay, that isn't news. Given the name, though, you might think I am a grand proponent of the tools used in my blog name or maybe you think me a collector of them or maybe even that I am a ... oh my... is it possible anyone thinks 'that' when they read my blog title? I can't bear to think of it.

We Should Move On to the Explanation


I DO love my 'shovel' and definitely couldn't live without it. My shovel could really be considered an all-in-one tool being that I use it for almost every project. That and my hand trowel. But truth be told Hoe and Shovel is not the owner of one single helpful hoe.

So the back story is simply that my (adult) daughter thought I should start a blog (almost a year ago). So much so that she created my blog template initially, called me on the phone as she was setting it up and asked me what I would like to name it. One of the first names I thought of(shooting from the hip) was Hoe and Shovel... simply because I thought it sounded like a cool blog name for a passionate gardener. I admit I wasn't really taking it seriously that I would ever really blog... I barely knew what a blog was at the time.

That's how we got the name... it was later to be learned there was a whole world of garden bloggers out there ... but that's a post for another day.

Back to the Hoe Story
When I think of how much has been accomplished with so few hand-tools at Hoe and Shovel it is kind of remarkable and even surprising on some level. Normally I wouldn't even give it a thought but all this talk of hoes and hoe downs over at May Dreams Gardens and so many other bloggers joining in got me started contemplating my lack of long-handled implements.

Wow, now Carol gets some serious work done with the help of all her hoes. Not only that but some of them are such attractive hoes that it should make everyone think they need at least one or two hoes hanging around for good measure.

About the Hoe Down
All along I had resigned myself to the idea that I wouldn't participate in this particular fun project in terms of posting. After all, it would be kind of shameful for a blogger with the blog title Hoe & Shovel to come clean about not having any hoe experience to share at a hoe down. Of course, I wanted to read everyone else's hoe down post.

I'm pleading the 5th on Carol's post: Gardening Lessons From The Hoes
"#5. Different hoes work in different ways.

...Every gardener works in different ways, too. You can watch how other gardeners work, but for many gardening tasks there is no right way or wrong way. You should find your own best way to work in the garden, to get your best results."

Here's the Part Where You Might Wonder Which Is The Sharpest Hoe in the Garden?

This week I was helping my toddler grandson understand how to use some kid-sized John Deere tools I recently bought for him. I was showing him how his circle hoe loosens the dirt or moves the leaves out of the way so he can dig properly.

These two mini-tools are actually quite handy (and well made too). Being that adult look-alikes have never been used around here before ... at this point I'm having a bit of a dawning in my thoughts about this. I've kind of always been guilty of getting by with less-than-great tools.

A side note: That doesn't include my power tools which ARE great... the mowers, the edger, the blower, the trimmer... those really have to be up to par in my opinion. But for some reason I tend to use few hand tools ... sort of making the ones I do use work double duty and overtime. I'm not sure why this is but all this talk of tools has certainly got me being introspective about my methods.

It happened to be time to fertilize the veggie garden today. Usually it's my trowel that breaks up the soil for blending in the nutrients. With this new dawning I was experiencing, it was decided to use the kid-sized circle hoe and the kid-sized hand rake-- the kid was no where around. Just the gardener using the kid's toys. Later in the day they also came in handy when adding fertilizer to all my potted containers and for moving the leaves out of the way under the impatiens for an application of Osmocote.

So here's the low down .... errr, I mean hoe down. The infamous (above photo) 'do almost everything' shovel, the trowel that gets used for everything else..... and I allowed the mini hoe & rake in another photo since they've proven so handy this week.

Lastly, since rakes were allowed in the hoe down the above photo displays the only other well-worn (and very old) long handled tools I use for all the garden projects here at Hoe & Shovel.

Rake & Shovel just doesn't sound as good as Hoe & Shovel.

So... here's what I'm thinking ... the Hoe gets to stay. What do you think?

Will Work for Mulch

Hoe & Shovel is blessed to have a surplus of oak trees. The photo above is a look to the north from the driveway. The trees are pretty much mirrored on the south side of the drive and then meet together to canopy over the pavement. In the back garden there are many more.

Trees were on the 'must-have list' for me when we were house shopping and purchased this house 24 years ago. So often in this part of Florida contractors are known for buying up abandoned or non-producing orange groves and then leveling the land to create massive stretches of housing complexes. We were looking for something with a more "old Florida" feel and a smaller more secluded neighborhood than the typical sprawl of homes with cookie cutter style. Gardening was only a dream for me way back then. I honestly had no idea the first thing about it but I was determined to take on this "big yard" at the time.

The trees provide my garden with numerous advantages. Probably the most important being the shade from the often brutal temps in the summer. The layout of the tree cover supplies an almost perfect balance of sun and shade for all the foliage I've used in my underplantings.

This time of year when the new spring growth in the oaks is bursting forth it is also releasing the spent leaves. So they are dropping to the ground in record numbers as I can only imagine they must do in the fall up north. In Florida we don't really lose our leaves in the fall- it isn't cold enough. I know--- another thing the northern gardeners must think is all backwards. But... it is all we know down here in the tropics. Leaves falling like mad in the spring.
This is the way my driveway looks (above) every 24 hours for the past three weeks. Now I'm not complaining, believe me. I aggressively collect them from the driveway and street side gladly. My handy Echo gas-blower is my friend along with a rake and my trusty wheelbarrow. The natural showering of organic material provides every one of my planted beds with the mulch needed to protect them all summer long.
Willingly, I cart wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow full of this precious commodity around to every bed in my garden and gently hand distribute under all my plantings. It has been years since I've spent money on mulch of any kind.

The weekly mowing right now sort of turns into more of a vacuuming as the majority of what's bagged consists of leaves. Typically I most often pile the grass clippings on top of the compost pile and wait for them to breakdown. My compost situation is a whole other story I could cover in another post. I've never really done much of my gardening by the book which goes for my compost area as well. Would I love to have a compost bin all neat and nice? It is on the wish list but this has worked for me all these years. So, this is the "pile" located on the "back 40" where no one else can see it but me. I deplete this pile occasionally as well to work the "black gold" into my beds.

Oak leaves break down beautifully when used as mulch. It's natural and it's acidic which is what most of the tropicals require for best growing conditions. The layers and layers my soil has received over the years has provided me with a remarkably rich and loamy environment for all my beds... not a typical environment found in this part of Florida. It's worth all the work and effort it takes during this already busy gardening season.


In addition, there are so many other reasons to keep either existing trees or to add trees to your garden. Not only do they help moderate weather extremes such as hot sun or strong winds but trees and shrubs offer habitat for wildlife and privacy for humans by screening adjacent property. They also increase soil porosity, allowing water to infiltrate rather than run off. Vegetation helps protect water quality by filtering out nutrients and pesticides that could otherwise reach a lake or stream and cause algal blooms or excessive plant growth.


What is your mulch of preference? I'm especially curious about gardeners north of Florida. What kind so you use and where do you get it? I go through this routine in the spring and then by the time winter rolls around I've dug and planted and moved plants around so much that I find I need some shoring up of the mulch. That's when I deplete my compost pile which gets quite large at times. Don't forget, we mow the lawn all year long.

weekend ramblings

woo-hoo! that's my excitement over the great rain we are finally getting this evening. just one nice steady rain like we're having is better than a week of irrigation for sufficiently watering in the lawn fertilizer i put down a few days ago. not to mention we just need the rain to help the
drought conditions we are enduring.

i broke in another pair of new gloves this weekend made by the rumford gardener. i had purchased them back in September in a little gardening store in north carolina. they are goat suede and spandex and washable. they protected my hands quite well and i like the way they fit. several pairs of workable gloves are helpful to have on hand (no pun:-) depending on the type of gardening necessary.

over grown ginger plants --before

severely trimmed back ginger plants --after

saturday was my third consecutive day of diligent fall clean-up (and more to go--yes, it's true). the weather was nearly 10 degrees cooler (80) than the days prior and the humidity was down enough to make the day very manageable. so i worked right through the afternoon hours with no trouble. the section of my front yard shown in the photos above is quite expansive (not fully visible here) and consists of several layers and variety of plants. along with trimming the ginger and all the palmettos, the droopy caladiums in the front of this area had to go. it is ready now for new fall annuals. not sure what i will plant there yet... still designing in my head.

my sweet elderly neighbor, helen, i have spoken of in previous posts came out to chit-chat as we were both doing some gardening. i always like to take a few minutes to walk around her garden with her because she loves to talk about her latest gardening triumphs and woes. before long she insists i dig up seedlings of some sort to transplant to my garden. when i'm in her garden it is as if around each corner and at every turn there is another unusual flowering plant. she rarely knows the names of many of them, like me, she just knows what works and doesn't work.

this blue ginger plant is now happy in my garden and i am happier to add it to the many wonderful plants she has shared with me over the years.

this is an example of a plant helen gave me a few years ago that she doesn't know the name of still and i can't find it out either. it drops its own seeds and sprouts up new plants quite easily.


i planted a butterfly bush and some daisies in one of the smaller areas i cleaned out. I still have a couple of firebush plants and the rest of my petunias to go in the ground. much more left to do in the next few weeks.

superior fit and dexterity

sometimes the gear gets me as excited as the hobby. strange, i know.

every avid gardener needs a good pair of gloves (or two, or three). once i started wearing gloves... yikes... i actually did all my gardening bare handed for years. for some reason i couldn't get used to having gloves on my hands. not being able to 'feel' as i went along did not appeal to me. unfortunately, my hands are all the worse for it now. needless to say, i made myself get used to them and i am incessantly on the hunt for the perfect gloves.

my current favorites from smith and hawken... only when they get wet-- which is a given-- the leather fingers dry stiffly making it necessary to soften them up and i don't abide taking the time to do this with each use.

i have experimented with many different variety of gloves over the years: short , long , leather, thorn resistant, all purpose, lightweight, water resistant, sturdy, and even form-fitting knit gloves. typically my right thumb and next two fingers wear clear through the ends of the glove long before the glove itself wears out.

i may have discovered the glove of all gloves. while i was working my day-long project on friday the pair i had recently ordered from smith and hawken arrived in the mail. without delay i excitedly donned them to assist me in my tasks and to give them an immediate test-run.


my new digs ( a pun - yes)--VERY comfortable-- i dare say the MOST comfortable pair i have ever owned. they are light lime green (a favorite color of moi), not pale yellow as they appear in this photo.

here's the scoop:
Fashionable and functional, these sturdy, lightweight gloves protect your hands while offering superior fit and dexterity. They are ideal for digging, weeding and planting in the garden.
Fingertips and palms reinforced to resist abrasions, punctures and tearing

Superior grip in wet or dry conditions
Ventilation panel with moisture-wicking mesh keeps hands cool
Terry-cloth thumb panel acts as a brow wipe
Carabiner hook quickly attaches to a belt loop
Adjustable wrist closure
Machine washable

power tools

well... this is sort of a power tool. yesterday my husband brought home this new toy for me. i am so excited. my old McLane is completely pooped-out. these jewels are hard to find...he had to go to St. Petersburg to pick this up from a mom and pop store that carries McLane walk behind edgers. for some reason everyone uses those stick edgers now. but i like the old fashioned heavy duty sort like this.

this one is 3.5 hp- my last one was only 3 hp. my hubby is so sweet to make sure i have good equipment (I haven't gotten a new kitchen yet, but we're working on it). i haven't cranked this baby up yet but i hope to give it a good work out tomorrow. isn't it pretty? and it's red, too.