It's easy to find gifts for the gardener

Gardeners are fairly easy to buy gifts for. You can spend a few dollars, all the way up to however rich you feel. But some of the best gifts are under $30 or $40.

We have fruit trees and grape vines, so the gardening tools that I use quite a bit are a pruning saw and a pair of by pass pruners. I personally like Felco pruners or shears. They run from about $30 up to about $70. If the blades become damaged, you can buy replacement blades. I use a Felco pruning saw and an Ace Hardware Shark hand saw with a 15-inch cutting edge.

Our garden is fairly large at about two acres. If you have a gardener who needs a good hoe, there is no better gift then a Rogue hoe. They are made in Mexico, Missouri, and are a quality product. They are about $30 to $40. The first Rogue hoe you buy probably should be a 6-inch. I have a 6-inch and a 10-inch. With care, you can pass these hoes down to your grandkids. They are tough. I also like a collinear hoe from Johnny's Seeds. They cost about $35 or so.

One of the handiest gifts -- and it will last years -- is a roll of bailer twine. I buy mine at one of the farm stores or at a favorite tractor dealer, whether it be green or red or whatever. They come in pairs and the two rolls of plastic twine will cost you between $30 and $40. Each roll will be from 7,000 feet to 12,000 feet. Go in with a friend and each of you can get the roll of string for under $20.

Another handy gift, and it won't cost you much at all, is an old butcher knife. I probably spent a dollar or two on one at an antique stores. I don't like the stainless steel ones and I don't like plastic handles. I like a good steel blade that will rust and a wooden hickory handle. New ones will probably cost you $10. Remember no stainless or plastic! Foam kneeling pads will cost a couple dollars. A can of bag balm for cracked hands will cost $10 or so at a farm store. It'll be in the cattle section. It's used to heal cracked udders on cows. There is nothing better to heal cracked and dry hands then bag balm. A roll of masonry string from a store like NuWay.

If you like to build stuff for your gardener then build him or her a garden hod. A garden hod is a container to carry whatever you want to carry from tools to veggies to flowers. Mine is about a foot wide and 2 feet long. I made mine out of 3/8 plywood. If you want the dimensions, email me.

Another really handy item you can easily make is a couple dibblers. I have one that's about 1.5 inches in diameter and then one that's 3/4-inch in diameter. Both are made of pine lumber. I use a dibbler to punch a hole in the soil from an inch down to three inches deep. I use a dibbler to plant onion plants and garlic.

As gardeners get up in years, and this will happen to all of us, it gets increasingly harder to get up when you have been weeding or planting on your knees. If I'm out in the middle of my garden, I almost need Marge, my wife, to come help. So when my get-up is having trouble, I drag an old hickory cane along for assistance. I ordered it from Lehman's and it cost me $20. Every now and then I give it a coat of wood preserver. I don't like the metal ones or plastic ones. I like a good wooden cane, made right here in the U.S.

Happy shopping!