Environmentally Friendlier Garden Products Tested and Used by Fred
Updated 3rd November 2008
It could be said that most of the products that I feature on Fredshed are environmentally friendly as I have chosen them for their quality and longevity. I like tools and equipment that lasts a long time because I don't need to replace them so often and they don't end up in a landfill site like poor quality tools. The current trend today is to mass produce cheap tools in the far east. Many of these tools are copies of innovative quality products and are in big demand as they generate huge profit margins compared to the genuine product. These cheap, poor quality tools contribute to the degradation of our environment as they use the same amount of energy to produce as good tools but don't last as long. I know for a fact that many of these products are designed to fail so that you have to revisit the shop and buy another. Below is an example of a copy of a quality item that I obtained for testing. It lasted 5 minutes cutting hard twigs and would cost more to send back to the catalogue than it is worth.
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| Felco secateurs, made in Switzerland, used by professionals,
lasts for years. Spares are always available and models continue in
production. A tool like this could last your lifetime - if you don't lose it
on the compost heap!
buy Felco secatuers online from a discount supplier (this supplier is a Fredshed affiliate and offers the best prices on Felco tools) Compare prices on Felco secateurs at another Fredshed recommended supplier
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A cheap copy, made in the Far East, lasted 5
minutes.- blade not tempered. All the fuel and man hours that went into
mining this metal, manufacturing the tool, and shipping this product were
totally wasted and this in now landfill. Tools like this can be bought in places like supermarkets for £2 but are a total waste of time and money. GOT A SMALL LAWN? Modern push mowers are surprisingly easy to use and will reduce your carbon footprint and waistline! go green with a qualcast push mower
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Organic Weed Control Fabric Under testing Weed control fabric is one of my favourite garden products. This thin black fabric will save you so much time and let you get on with growing your flowers and veg. Until now Weedblock was made from oil based materials but now a new version is available that is made from a starch based product called Ingeo. Although it us ultimately bio-degradable Weedblock natural is guaranteed for10 years. The new Weedblock Natural is made by Easy Gardener Products Ltd and a .88 *12m roll costs £14.99 from B&Q.
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Get 10% discount of weedcontrol fabrics, fleece and netting from Harrod Horticultural Just quote 'FredShed' in the offer code box at checkout to receive 10% Discount on all Harrod Horticultural's Netting and Material products that's anything listed in the Garden Netting Category |
Multi-coloured recycled tyre Mulch
| This brown coloured mulch is a fantastic new product that is made from
recycled fork lift truck tyres.
It comes in other colours including mixes of Greens, and Browns and yellows so that it looks like leaf fall. Rubber mulch is particularly useful for children's play areas as it offers maximum protection in the event of a fall. Rubber mulch makes a safe and longer lasting mulch that is less likely to blow away than woodchip since it is heavier. This product is very expensive initially but will last at least 10 years if it does not get blown away or mixed in with your soil . This and the high cost makes rubber mulch more suitable for play areas and golf courses than garden borders.
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Now Available as strips and round discs for border edges and around trees! Fredshed tip - buy a garden shredder and make your own mulch .
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Eco Friendly Wood Preserver
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Preserve your garden furniture Is part of the rainforest in your garden? Even if you had the best intentions it is quite likely that your garden furniture was once a part of the world's disappearing rainforest. When your grandchildren say - "grandpa what happened to the rainforests?" you can at least reply - "your sitting on it boy!" To make my hardwood furniture last as long as possible I use and recommend Ecowood furniture oil, made from natural nut oils rather than petro-chemicals as found in the most popular brands of wood preserver. Available in clear, teak and mahogany shades. This oil is manufactured in Australia where they know how to protect and preserve wood and do it in the most eco-friendly way possible.
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Wooden Decking - Preservation tips I have 3 separate areas of decking and just love it. I can go outside anytime of year and enjoy my garden without getting my feet (tyres) muddy. However I am NOT impressed with the crap that is sold under the name of "deck stain". I bought some last year at great expense and it has flaked off already. I suspect that it is because it is water based and just washes or wears off.. It "did what it said on the can", stained the deck, but it doesn't last, was a waste of money and god knows what's in it! This year I am testing a special combination of natural oils from Australia. If anyone knows about protecting wooden decking it should be the Aussies, "crack open a tinny Bruce and chuck another Sheila on the barbie" - what a lifestyle! Back to decking- once the old flakey stain was wire brushed off the oil went on really quickly, smelled fantastic and left a superb finish. I will be reporting the durability of the Ecowood decking oil on this page. E-mail me for details if you want some. RRP £49.99 for a 4 litre tin |
Update October 2008 Supplier details available - e-mail me |
Composting Equipment
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Wormeries, Worm farms, and Worm Composting Bins
Buy Composting Tumblers and More Traditional Compost Bins from a Fredshed recommended Supplier
click to see a cheaper tumbling compost bin
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Solar Powered Garden Lights - Are they really environmentally friendly?
Over the last 7 years I have been testing many types of solar powered lights and my conclusion is that overall most are not environmentally friendly as the minuscule amount of " free"energy they produce it outweighed by the fact that the batteries and plastic parts will only last 2-3 years and then become landfill. The cheapest all plastic lights may actually work as well as expensive models but the main reason for failure is degradation of the plastic covering to the photovoltaic panel caused by Ultraviolet light. Also most batteries will not survive the freezing temperatures of the British winter. Most "solar garden lights" don't light up much at all and are merely waymarkers. One of the best applications for outdoor solar lighting is when it is used with PIR detection so the light only comes on when someone approaches. This way more light can be given out over shorter periods, making the light more comparable to normal lighting. The £30 welcome light I use over my front door is similar to a 40w bulb. There are new and improved lights now that are made mostly of glass and metal with larger panels that will actually light plants and paths.
I click this link for my recommended supplier
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NEW STYLE COMPOSTER, USES SOLAR ENERGY AND BACTERIA TO DIGEST MEAT AND FISH BONES
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| Whilst this looks like just another
plastic compost bin let me tell you that it is not! Really this is a
Tardis like time machine to take you to another dimension! Nah not really!
Seriously this is a solar powered, chicken eating compost bin known as the Greencone. Below the cone is a plastic basket dug into the ground and screwed to the cone to keep out rodents and "things". The cone has 2 skins and traps heat from the sun to speed up decomposition of your organic rubbish. If you add a special organic powder mix, (supplied in a little pepper shaker) the Greencone can digest, meat fish and other stinky things that would otherwise putrefy in your dustbin. I have used this product for over 5 years now and it seems to work very well even though I rarely put the bacterial powder in.
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Garden Bucket or Trub made from re-cycled materials
Tubtrugs - the toughest - most versatile garden and DIY container
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The little bucket on the left is called a "Tubtrug".
It is made in Spain from recycled plastic and is a wonderful product for
gardening and DIY.
Tubtrugs come in 3 sizes and are so tough and flexible that they can be used to mix and pour concrete. Tubtrugs are easy to clean by flexing the sides so that the debris cracks and falls off. Tubtrugs are cheap to buy but beware. Only the black ones are made from recycled plastic and there are copies that are more expensive and are not made from recycled plastic! click here for sizes and price info sod the environment I want a pretty coloured one made from virgin plastic
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Still can't find the tool
you are looking for?
For free
expert advice - on buying tools, (on and off-line) mail me at
fred@fredshed.com
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© Fred Walden 2008 |
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