Tags
boots, Buck knife, ChapStick, clogs, cultivator, garden essentials, lip balm, list, Lucerne Farms, mud boots, mulch, must-have, Premium Ground Cover, rototiller
I have begun to believe there are two types of people – those of us who are addicted to lip balm, and those of you who are not. If you are uncertain to which group you belong, check your pockets now. If you find a tube of something to apply to your lips, chances are you’re with me.
A quick rummage through pockets, bags and drawers gathered this embarrassingly large assortment of lip balm.
An affinity for lip moisturizers seems not limited to humans. Years ago when our Boston Terrier puppy friend visited, he ate a ChapStick belonging to our daughter, Hannah. The tale of Willie’s supple lips continues in family lore to this day.
Willie, puzzled by Hannah’s outrage
How, you might wonder, is lip balm relevant to this list of gardening essentials. A preference for objects of small size and high function provides inspiration for my first item of garden must-haves.
1. The Perfect Knife
Last summer, when I mentioned to my husband that a simple pocket knife “no bigger than a ChapStick”, would be helpful, he found the perfect knife – small, but orange and easy to see if I dropped it onto the ground.
2. Comfortable, Functional Footwear
It’s essential for this happy gardener to have happy feet, and that requires three kinds of footwear. Most frequently I can be found in my beloved old wood and leather clogs, many times repaired. My mud boots are simple and black. Work boots, which fit so well I believe they were made just for me, complete the trio.
3. Premium Ground Cover – The Right Garden Mulch
As the gardens here on our land grow in size and number, I’m challenged with the task of working more efficiently. This land is my work, and we want to make a life and a living here. Finding ways to spend less time weeding and watering has been critical, and mulch (www.PremiumGroundCover.com) has proven to be a solution. The soil is well nourished as the mulch decomposes during the growing season. Soil, not carrots, onions or herbs, always is our first and most important crop.
One day’s harvest
4. A Favorite Tool
My oldest tool, a three-pronged cultivator, originally may have had a long handle. It has been with me so long that I don’t even remember where I got it, but it was old even then. Somewhere in its lifetime, someone wanted to kneel and scratch the earth, so the handle was sawed, and it suits me well.
5. The Best Partner
I’m blessed to be on this journey with a good-natured husband, who shares my constant longings for a few more fruit trees and bushes, a bigger garden here, another garden there. He’s willing and cheerful and often silly, and he works hard away from the farm so I can be here doing what makes me happiest. Then he comes back home to help. With a common vision, we work this land together, and that, we believe, is what’s most essential.
Tim breaking ground for another garden
A 3 Acre Farm 
I checked and, yes, indeed I had a tube of chapstick in my pocket 😉 Great post!
We are many in number! Thanks for reading and for your kind words!
Great post! 🙂
Thank you! It was fun!
Sweet. I, too, am addicted to chapstick. And mud boots. But I don’t yet have a pocket knife. Perhaps I should put that on my ‘must acquire’ list!
My knife is in my pocket all the time now – right next to my lip balm!
I’m not a chapstick fan and I’m not even crazy about my basic black boots (the left one seems larger than the right) but I love my air-conditioned canvas flats. What I like best about YOUR garden essentials is the silly partner.
Silly can make work a whole lot of fun! Thanks for coming for a visit!
I’m a big fan of chapstick when I need it (usually cold days when I get dry), but I can only use natural varieties with no added chemical ingredients. Even Burt’s Bees which proclaims to be natural really just makes my lips MORE chapped because of all their strange ingredients. I recently found an awesome local brand at a craft store that I’m stoked about! Totally oil based, all natural.
Without question, the more I use lip balm, the more I need it. How nice that you found a local brand that you like. Buying local goods is always best! Thanks for reading!
The best thing about this local brand is that it actually HEALS my chapped lips! So after I use it a couple of times, my lips are no longer chapped! I’ll be making my own chapstick very soon and offer it in my apothecary shop – rootsapothecary.etsy.com. Just need to get some supplies. 🙂 Love your blog!
Awww, cute! But how does your husband feel about being on the list? 😉 Lately, I’m a lip balm addict because it has been so cold and dry around here. This was a fun post!
My husband is delighted that he “cracked the top five”, as he calls it. I didn’t tell him before I posted, so it was a happy surprise for him. He’s a great guy and a huge help. Thanks for reading and adding your comments!
Great blog and my favorite lip balm is Whole Food’s organic pomegranate. Cheap, nice tasting, and earth friendly. I have them in many drawers, both sides of the bed, my purse, and a few new ones ready for use. A must for this gal gardener! Fun blog! Stop by mine. Diane
Thanks for the tip about the pomegranate lip balm. I’m always ready to try something new. Thanks for visiting!
I always avoid petroleum based products so I always read labels and never purchase even the smallest item with that ingredient.
Great list. My wife and I make our own lip balm, so you can guess which camp we’re in!
It’s hard to imagine that some people NEVER use lip balm…
Though I don’t often need lip balm, I love how it feels. Ever take that little drop of olive oil from the outside rim of the bottle and give your lips a treat? Divine.
I completely agree!