Ohhh, this weather is making me siiiinnnngggggg!!! 🙂

Happy Easter weekend, folks! GA HQ is closed for Good Friday so you’re getting a blog a day early before we dash off into the sunset of a 3-day weekend.

Last week in the newsletter we looked at 5 gardening tools that make the tasks at hand a cinch. This week, we’re going a step backwards and sharing with you fine readers the places that we get these wonderful tools (and other gardening must-haves). Without further ado:

1. Martin’s Produce Supply: I’ve been working at GA for almost 3 years and I still don’t know how we came to such a fruitful partnership with these fine folks, but at any rate, we have counted on Martin’s basically since the beginning of GA itself! Located in rural Casey County, Kentucky, Martins’s is owned and operated by a Mennonite family and they sell just about anything and everything related to gardening that you can think of. Chris purchases most everything needed for high tunnels from them. Their friendly service cannot be beat (as well as their prices!), and they will do more than just serve you as a customer; they’ll treat you like family. We have been sending our partner sites to Martin’s for years! They do not have a website, but you can call them at 606-787-9389 and ask for a catalog.

2. Earth Tools: No one in the business does their business like Joel over at Earth Tools! Selling high-quality, state-of-the-art gardening tools and hand tools, as well as the infamous Grillo walk-behind tractor, we’ve relied on Earth Tools for all things tools for a number of years! Added icing on the cake is that Earth Tools repairs Grillos as well! Earth Tools is a family-owned business located in Owenton, KY, approximately 30 minutes north of Frankfort.

3. Earthway: We have not purchased from them in a while (to my knowledge) but the products we do have from them are certainly worth sharing about! We purchased a hand seeder from them and boy, does it make sowing a snap! It is perfect for large areas of garden space or for uneven terrain. They’re based in Indiana and sell their products through other agricultural distributors, such as Southern States, Gemplers, and Amazon (of all places). And speaking of them…

4. Amazon: Ok…Bet you weren’t expecting that one. But if you’ve ever been on there, which in this day and age is not a stretch, you can find anything. Literally anything. Some of our site coordinators buy their gardening tools for their participants from there, usually because there are different sellers to choose from and, in some cases, they may be cheaper. Things like soil thermometers and pruning shears are going to be cheaper here as well. For instructional gardening books and cook books, it’s our number 1 go-to spot. Plus, we buy a lot of “odds and ends” for the office from Amazon as well. So I suppose that’s not technically tools, but you get the idea!

IMG_4608

Behold the Grillo!

 

There you have it- light on text but hopefully helpful in making your garden-related purchasing decisions! I hope these recommendations, especially the first two, will be as helpful to you as they have been to us. Have a wonderful Easter weekend, everyone! Get out there and enjoy the sunshine! 🙂