Farmers Weekly Review

Before I get to the other topic of the week, I wanted to take a moment for special thanks. Thanks to you, our readers, for your loyalty and kind words. Thanks to Nick and Mike for allowing me this weekly space to share some practical, research-based information. And since this is an on my-own column, not specifically always work-related, I can share my more personal thoughts as well.

But most of all, my thanks go to our farmers. Whether you were gathered around a large table with many people looking at an incredible Thanksgiving feast, or if you were just taking that TV turkey dinner out of the microwave in solitude, I hope you took a moment to thank our farmers. I think thanking farmers should be a daily, if not hourly, ritual.

For every moment of every day, our lives are literally made possible, because of that 2 percent. Farmers are 2 percent of the United States population, but they keep the other 98% fed, clothed, sheltered, and oh, much of the world, too.

And since we are talking numbers, I am most thankful for the 96%. That statistic stands that proudly Illinois can boast that 96% of our farms are family-owned. We thank all of your family, from the farmers — men and women — who know there is no such thing as an 8-hour day or a 40-hour week. To those farmers’ spouses and partners, who drive out to bring meals to their farmers “outstanding in their field.” To the farmers’ kids, who often put in a full day of chores before they head off to school and then again in the evening. For this I (and hopefully) you give thanks.

Now on to the other topic of the day, because when that dinner is but a memory, many people use the Thanksgiving weekend to start to make their holiday wish and shopping lists. And if you are a gardener or you have a gardener on your gift list, here are some gifts that are great for gardeners:

If you are a gardener, I am sure you have that one area of “those gifts:” not that we are not thankful for everything we receive, but well-meaning non-gardeners often get us garden-related doodads that are often expensive, but not really useful.

Why not put some practical gifts on your wish list instead? Start by evaluating your gardening tools. Remember the old saying, “The cheapest tools are actually the most expensive tools.” I find this applies to both pruners and cake pans alike. If you are really into a hobby, taking time to find the best tools of the trade is money-saving in the long run.

Take basic hand tools, like a trowel, garden rake or dandelion picker. Single-forged is what you want. That means the entire tool is one piece of metal. I am sure you are all familiar with that “crack” of digging in our unforgiving clay soil. I can’t understand why some of the most expensive tools are two pieces. If you are looking for a gardening hand tool that will last, my choice are the Fiskars brand tools you can find in most big box stores.

These single-forged tools are extremely durable and have a nice grip. My favorite gardening hand tool has become the garden knife by Fiskars. It looks like something a hunter or fisherman would use with its serrated cutting edges. But it can dig in to the most hardened soils like a butter knife into warm butter.

As far as power tools are concerned, one of the most useful garden implements is the cordless reciprocating saw. I know you are thinking, “Isn’t that for drywall and PVC?” Yes, but so much more. For me, using the cordless reciprocating saw is the easiest way to prune up to medium-sized branches, particularly when you have a tight pruning situation, like that lilac you haven’t properly pruned in a decade.

Remember, all those spring blooming shrubs need pruning at ground level after they have flowered. And it isn’t always easy in late-May to get to within one inch of the ground to prune out those thickest branches with a pruning tool or hand saw. Enter the cordless reciprocating saw.

This tool also makes quick work of pruning ornamental grasses. People have different opinions as to when the floofy seedheads and tall waving-in-the-wind grasses should be cut down. I am in favor of leaving them up through winter. There is nothing so beautiful as snow- and ice-covered grasses.

Other folks prefer to cut them down in the fall. But whichever you choose, take a bungee cord, or piece of pantyhose, and cinch up all the grasses tight, then cut at ground level with your new cordless reciprocating saw. You will never go back to another method again.

If you want to want to give a gardener a gift that is literally worth its weight in gold, give worm poop. Technically called castings, worm poop is one of the best fertilizers. It can be used on indoor as well as outdoor plants. It also brings a hoot and holler at the family gift giving celebration to those who don’t garden.

And finally, why not give the gift that keeps on giving and supports an important cause? Give a Will County Farm Bureau membership to all your family and friends, regardless of if they are gardeners or not. The membership provides so many discounts that fit anyone’s interests.

Priced so reasonably at $20 for non-farmers, and I would need the entire paper’s space to talk about all the benefits. Contact Linda Matthews, the Will County Farm Bureau staff in charge of membership at [email protected]