Thursday, May 28, 2009

Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter

URL: http://www.topsygardening.com/
Does it work? Cool

Two caveats, one, is that the planter requires a lot of water; more evaporation since it's out of the ground and exposes more surface area. (it's science!) Secondly, it's heavy, and requires a sturdy hook to hang upside down. Well, it does work. Tomato and other plants do grow in the planter and it's good for small spaces.

My main reason for using the Topsy Turvy was to avoid the critters. But thinking about it now, it would probably would just as easy to build a platform off the ground for a planter box.

One more thing, I didn't find it that easy to use. (I had a hard time getting in the plant in upside down - it's not as easy as it looks)

Links
A pretty fair review
http://howtogardenguide.com/2009/04/08/topsy-turvy-tomato-planter-review-an-update/

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Jokari Fizz Keeper Pump Bottle Cap

URL: http://www.jokari.com/products/gadgets.html
Does it work? Yup, yeah bubbles!

The science behind the product is hard to prove either way, but in my humble opinion it seems to work better than just the original cap. I was able to save multiple 2 liter bottles for 4-6 days, with almost no difference in taste and bubbles. (Some sodas seem to do better than others, wonder if it is the bottlers methods for adding carbonation to the liquid...)

A couple of rules to remember would be 1) don't shake the bottle while pumping (or anytime, it release the carbon dioxide from the liquid) 2) don't pump to hard or risk cracking the cap.
For comparison, I will also be trying the "Fizz Keeper Pump and Pour" in the coming weeks.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Garden Weasel - Garden Claw

URL: http://www.gardenweasel.com/

Does it work? Recommended, but think small

First thing, this the "claw" product, not the original "garden weasel" with the spiked wheels than overlap. The "garden claw" is the pole with 4 spikes thing that digs down about 6 inches and then is turned.

The claw works for small areas (pretty obvious by the size). Good applications would be creating a garden bed or breaking up the ground to plant trees or bushes. It's also pretty good at combining soils with fertilizes, compost, or new soil. I use it instead of a traditional hoe and pitchfork.