Now that the cold is finally behind us, it’s time to look for any and all excuses to get outside and soak up the sun. If you’re like me, that means taking up new outdoorsy hobbies like gardening. If starting an at home garden feels like a summertime pipe dream too daunting to realize, trust me (a former plant-killer turned proud plant-mom) when I say that gardening is totally do-able. With a positive attitude and the right tools and accessories, you can channel your inner gardener and make your home garden the place to be this summer – whether it’s in your backyard or your living room. Read on for the modern gardening tools and accessories that’ll usher in your gardening era – and visit the Design Milk Shop for more outdoor essentials.
With its Nordic cool aesthetic, this Northern Watering Can conveniently doubles as a piece of modern home decor. The product of two conjoined steel cylinders, Grab’s slim, handheld design is free of bulky handles or looming spouts, while still offering a seamless watering experience – It’s the modern innovation we didn’t know we needed. It even comes in fun colors like plum, yellow, and green.
Leave it to the Wylie Hose Holder to turn a backyard eyesore like a tangled-up garden hose into a modern home accessory. The holder is made of industrial grade coated aluminum, essentially eliminating any concerns about rusting or durability. Whether your yard is big or small, you can count on the Wylie to bring order, function, and style to your outdoor space.
Growing plants gotta eat! Den Sustainable Soils’ Plant Food is an all-natural way to ensure your plants and garden soil get the nutrition they need, without any synthetic fertilizers. The star ingredient is what Den dubs, OurCarbon – carbon that’s been sequestered from organic waste that’s diverted from the landfills. Making this planet-friendly plant food! The modern packaging even makes it a great gift for a friend or mom who’s starting a garden of their own! $24 Shop Now >>
Plant-lovers of all levels should have a soil probe in their arsenal. Designed by professional horticulturists, the Brass Soil Probe determines your soil’s moisture levels, so you know when your plants need watering. Simply push it into soil, and the probe’s pockets will pick up samples of the soil as you pull it out, allowing you to check moisture at the root level and aerate the soil for optimal plant health! And it looks really, really good too.
The newest drop from renowned Dutch design brand Studio Frederik Roijé, the Size Matters Birdhouse is modern architecture for your backyard. The steel bird feeder has a geometric form composed of two intersecting birdhouses – designed to accommodate birds of all types and sizes and make a visual statement from every angle. Roijé’s cleverly designed Dish of Desire Bird Feeder is another ultra-modern fave!
This Self-Watering Herb Organizer makes growing your own fresh herbs easy thanks to its self-contained water reservoir and capillary mat that seamlessly transport water directly to the roots – so you never have to worry about over-watering. The modern herb planter fits up to 3 standard size herbs, making it the perfect home for your essential cooking herbs, like mint, parsley, and cilantro! It even makes a great Mother’s Day gift for chef moms looking to upgrade their dishes.
We love an apron while gardening to keep messes to a minimum, and to keep gardening tools close by. The Jack Selvedge Apron is made of a lightweight denim fabric that won’t bog you down in the heat but will still hold up against wear and tear. The roomy front pocket is perfect for storing your gardening shears, weeding hoe, and other essentials, and the smaller breast pocket keeps tiny items from getting lost in the shuffle.
If you’re looking for an expertly crafted garden tool that’ll stand the test of time, Master Shin is the maker for you. A family business run by the oldest blacksmith in Korea, Master Shin tools are masterfully made by hand using traditional techniques that involve attaching steel sheets to clay. The result is an artisanal gardening tool that’s as elegant as it is functional. We recommend Master Shin’s Small Weeding Hoe for beginners to tackle pesky garden weeds and combating compacted soil.
If an outdoor garden isn’t for you, don’t fret – you can still experience the satisfaction of growing your own food indoors with the help of Lettuce Grow’s Farmstand. The self-watering, self-fertilizing Farmstand can grow anything from kale and spinach, to strawberries, tomatoes, and zucchini! All you need is one of the brand’s Glow Rings for consistent growing light, access to power and water (the Farmstand needs to be refilled weekly), and of course – your seedlings! Fantastically futuristic in its design and function, the Farmstand is well worth the investment.
Shopping our go-to gardening picks? Share a photo of your haul and tag us @designmilk to be reposted on our Instagram!
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Alexa is commerce editor at Design Milk. She lives in Miami, Florida with her fiancé Alex and retired greyhound, Phoebe. A longtime art and design enthusiast, Alexa’s first stops in any new city are the art museums. When she’s not writing about her favorite DM shop picks, she might be buried in a book, binging reality tv or adventuring around her city with her partner and pup.
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