Our Favorite Things
Check out all the best things we’ve discovered while following our curiosities down dirty trails and internet rabbit holes. We hope you find something that inspires your own little moments outside!
Outdoor Toys
The best toys for outside play are not toys at all. Sticks, rocks, water, leaves, sand, and time for the imagination to wander are the best “toys” of childhood. Throw in thrifted or excess household items like jars, cups, plates, spoons, rope, and shovels and they’ll play for hours. If you really want to level up on outdoor play, these are some of our wildlings’ favorite outdoor toys that have outlasted weather and hard labor.
Wheelbarrow
Probably our wildlings’ most beloved outside toy. This little wheelbarrow has carried stuffies, sticks, chicken eggs, acorn collections, you name it!
Garden Tools
These garden tools invite kids to rake, scoop, and weed alongside you and on their own! My teacher brain loves to watch their gross motor skills develop while learning to use big tools.
Red Wagon
Timeless for good reason, the Radio Flyer Red Wagon is a family favorite. I use it to haul stuff from place to place and my wildlings use it like coffee for their imagination.
Hand Tools
These metal garden tools have stood the test of time at our house, unlike plastic tools that crack and end up in the landfill.
Rubber Boots
Quality rubber boots are something we choose to invest in every year. Warm, waterproof boots are the keys to the kingdom. Cold, leaky boots will send kids back inside, cranky and resentful. Brands we love are Muck and Bogs (fall/winter), and Lonecone (spring).
Seed Suppliers
We are passionate about growing from seed because it’s cost effective, promotes genetic diversity, and is intensely gratifying. Big box store plants are grown without real sunlight or pollinators, removed of their wild and heart. Planting seeds is like casting a vote for nature or scratching a butterfly behind the ears. You will find creating life by just sprinkling some seeds in the soil is magic personified.
Indoor Seed Starting Supplies
Once you grow from seed, you’ll never buy starts again. Starting seeds indoors provides a jump on the growing season, broadens what species you can grow, and creates ideal conditions for your little plant babies. This is a time where having the right gear really matters. I’ve trialed a lot of different products and these items have produced the best results.
Wire Shelving Unit with Wheels
this rolling shelving unit is the perfect size and strength for seed starting indoors. I’ve started thousands of seeds on mine and it’s just getting started!
LED Grow Lights
When those little plant babies germinate they are going to start looking for light! To prevent leggy seedlings, hang these full spectrum grow lights from your wire rack and watch them thrive! I love how the LEDs are super efficient and kind to our energy bill.
Plant Labels
Used with the garden marker, these plant labels will last for season after season. They are the perfect size and sturdy enough to handle weather, kids, and pockets.
Heat Mats
These are an absolute non-negotiable for successful indoor seed starting. Heat mats create the ideal temperature for germination so you can get a jump on the growing season.
Garden Marker
While I love a new Sharpie, they fade quickly and I loathe re-writing my plant tags every year. This garden marker doesn’t fade in the sun so you can use your labels season after season.
Soil Blocker
I started seeds in plastic trays for years with decent success but I couldn’t turn a blind eye to how quickly they ended up in the trash can. Soil blocking produces zero waste, produces healthier seedlings, and doesn’t clutter my garage with plastic seed trays.
Soil Blocking Recipe
Lisa and her team at The Gardener’s Workshop share a wealth of knowledge about soil blocking on their site, including this killer soil blocking recipe.
Garden Essentials
Great gardens don’t actually need much. Consistent water, healthy soil, sunshine, mulch, and a little putzing is all you need. These essentials help us do more putzing and less watering, amending, and weeding.
Cover Crop
Hands-down the best way to care for your soil is with a cover crops. Cover crops pull nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots, adding nature’s fertilizer to the soil for you. When you’re ready to plant, chop down the cover crop and leave it on the surface. The mulch protects the soil, conserves water, and decomposes to add yummy organic matter. The living roots retain moisture, prevent erosion, and add organic matter, which is the love language of soil microbes and worms.
Drip Tape
My worst gardening season ever, brought on by clogged drip tubing during a hot spell, led me to the magic of drip tape. Not readily available in hardware stores, you have to go hunting for drip tape but it’s 100% worth it. Since switching to drip tape, we’ve had zero issues with clogging or uneven watering. Lay the drip tape, set up a timer, and let the good times roll! This link will take you to the Homestead & Chill Blog, which provides a detailed tutorial and product links.
Oya Waterers
We use these handy self-waterers for anything that’s not on a timer, like porch pots. In the heat of the summer, I fill them every couple of days. I’ve learned that if a plant’s survival depends on me remembering to water, its odds are slim.
Tool Belt
The only thing that would make this better is if it held a coffee cup. I no longer lose my phone, snips, pruners, garden marker, etc. since getting this tool belt.
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