2018 Golden Shovel Awards for Best Gardening Products
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At the end of each year, the Gardening Products Review takes a close look at all of the products we’ve reviewed. We then award up to five products with the Golden Shovel Award for outstanding garden product.
In 2018, we had more great products than ever to choose from, as we reviewed over 80 new gardening tools and accessories! We revisited the products that we reviewed earlier in the year, checked how well everything was holding up after extended use, and looked at which items got the most use from our testers and home gardeners. We then evaluated the top-rated items against an a detailed list of criteria to choose those that truly stood out from the pack.
After weighing the pros and cons of all of the gardening products, we’re proud to announce the 2018 winners of the Golden Shovel Awards! Congratulations to all the winners!
This is one of our favorite gardening containers. It produces bountiful crops, is self-watering, protects plants from birds and other pests, and takes up limited space – great for patio gardening. With the optional stand (with or without casters), you can garden at waist height. The cover keeps pesky critters away, is easy to open and close, and has an integrated watering system. It does take patience to assemble all the parts but the instructions are very clear. It comes in 3 sizes and has a 10 year warranty. (Note: Prices for the kit start around $160.)
Redback does it again with a lightweight yet powerful offering with its new 120vRX Lithium-Ion Cordless String Trimmer. It’s simple to use, runs non-stop for about 70 minutes (the weeds will run out before it does!), operates at 6,000 RPM to easily tackle even tall, shrubby weeds, and is highly maneuverable. Plus, it’s very competitively priced. Of all the string trimmers we’ve reviewed, this is the one we most recommend.
The Allsop Premium Grow Stake is a strong, sleek, aluminum stake with several unique features that make it a worthwhile purchase for staking larger, heavier plants. Unlike bamboo or plastic stakes, this plant stake is built to last. We like the adjustable telescoping pole that you can extend as the plant grows, as well as the 'foot' that stabilizes the stake in the ground. The adjustable tie-down cleats make it easy to secure tree trunks, stalks and other plantings without tying a lot of knots. And the 2-½ foot wire atop the stake is an excellent retaining system (although it can be tricky to adjust). We loved this so much we bought six more!
This vertical garden kit from Watex lets you create an outdoor green wall in minutes. It’s simple to install, gives you multiple design options, and keeps plants nicely irrigated with minimal effort on your part (even through the extreme heat of a Tucson summer!). It’s the best vertical garden system we’ve used to date.
Monica is the founder and Editor of the Gardening Products Review. She's had a lifelong love affair with gardening and a fascination with gardening tools. She's been known to disassemble tools just to see how they work and has a tendency to break tools while testing them in the garden.