Product Review: Pruning Shears #pruningshears

*I received this product for purposes of testing. All photos and opinions expressed are my own.

Check it Out!  I have a pretty large yard and being a widow I now have to take care of it all by myself!  Yikes!  Having the proper tools is very important in being able to do the jobs that I have to do to maintain not only the grass and flowers but the trees and shrubs. From rakes and shovels to pruning shears, there are a ton of tools that will make these jobs easier.  

I recently received a pair of pruning shears for review and I had a ton of things to use them on!

One of the first things I had to prune was my fig tree.  I am so looking forwards to a new crop of figs this year.  My mom really loves them and they are so expensive in the store. These pruning shears made the chore so easy.  These shears are sharp and they have a very comfortable grip that allows for prolonged use.  They have a simple and easy to use locking mechanism that keeps the blades closed when not in use.
Made from all steel and solidly constructed, these shears have no weak aluminum parts and come with a no hassle 180 day unconditional guarantee. 
You can get more information on this product and purchase them on Amazon HERE. 

Product Review Update: Pennington SmartFeed Sprayer System #Gotitfree

*I received the product in this post compliments of Pennington via BzzAgent for purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.

Check it Out!  About a month ago I shared my garden pics and told ya'll how I was using the Pennington SmartFeed Sprayer sytem via BzzAgent on my garden this year.  You can check that full post out HERE.  Now I wanna give an update and show ya'll how it's going one month in.

So as a reminder, here is a pic of my garden on day one. 

Now in my BzzKit, I received a full size tube for Flower/Blooms so after my 2 applications of the Plant feed that came with my kit, I used one of my coupons and got me some more of the plant food.  I have been using  1 tablet once a week for the entire month and just look at my garden now.  Please do look past the weeds though, I can not get a leg up on that stinkin' grass that keeps coming up!  Does Pennington make something for that?  I'd love to know!  Anyway.... 

Here are my cucumbers:

And my yellow squash.  I know you see that bloom in there!  

And here are some of my tomatoes!  

I am so excited about the progress of my garden and the Pennington SmartFeed system is the reason.  Easy and mess free with fab results!  Now that is my kinda product! 

Tuesday's Tip - Keeping deer out of the garden, naturally

Check it Out!  Since I have plenty of room this year I have decided to get the garden started.  A few weeks ago, I got my plot picked out, my soil turned and ready for planting.  I then put in 7 tomato plants, 1 pepper plant and some cucumbers.  Within 1 day of planting, I began to notice the deer tracks, and then I noticed he ate 3 of 7 of my plants!
The pic above is my garden a few days ago and it is kickin' butt!  But I had to come up with a way to get rid of the deer.  We aren't hunters and I don't like poisons because of my furbabies so I set out to find a way to do it naturally.
After several suggestions and trying things like hair and swinging nets, I heard that soap works.  A friend said she just nails a bar of soap on the post next to her garden and the smell keeps the deer away.  And when it rains the smell is released even more.  Well I have soap!  After spending 6 months in a hotel I also have a ton of those small travel hotel soaps, so I figured I would try them first.  I also don't have any trees in my yard, thanks to the previous owner cutting them ALL down, so I decided I would hang my soap and to cover my basis I would hang them in all 4 corners.
So using a nail, I put a hole in my soap and used cable ties to make loops to hang.

Again since I don't have trees, I used these trellises that I found in the shed, and hung a soap from each one.

I water my garden in the evenings if needed and when I do I be sure and hit those bars of soap to keep them smelling strong with the water.  So far so good, no deer have returned since coming and finding the soap bars.  I even broke a few in half and placed them in the dirt on the corner they are known to come from, that way when they put their noses to the ground they got that smell and not my tomatoes!  

Do you have a natural remedy for getting rid of pests in your garden?  I am open to all suggestions!

Product Review: Pennington SmartFeed Sprayer Sytem #Gotitfree

*I received the product in this post compliments of Pennington via BzzAgent for purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own. 

Check it Out! I was so excited to get into the Pennington Smart Feed Sprayer System BzzCampaign because I had just started my little garden.  I do mean little, but ya gotta start somewhere, right?  I have 7 tomato plants, some cucumbers, and peppers.  I also have some flowers and 2 trees that I have just planted, so finding a fertilizer that is easy and effective is super important to me.  

Here is what came in my BzzKit

I received the Smart Feed Sprayer handle, a container of Flower & Blooms Tablets, my BzzGuide and some great $4.00 off coupons.  

My Smart Feed Sprayer was already loaded with 2 All Purpose Tablets. 

I have used so many different types of fertilizers in the past and it was always such a job!  Either I had to mix the solution in water and then add to the plants or I had to wrestle those stupid bottles you attach to the end of your hose, I really hate those things because I have never had one that worked properly or effectively.  And I hate handling granules.  In other words, I don't like messy!

I really love this system and here is why...

As I said my garden is small, so I was able to remove one tablet from the easy to use chamber and it was the absolute perfect amount for my garden.  The sprayer handle itself is again super easy to use, just unscrew the cap, open the handle and add your tablets.  

Here is a look at the Smart Feed Sprayer in action.    

What you can't see, is that the tablet is spinning inside the chamber, which in turn allows it to dissolve quicker and more evenly.  There is even an adjustable tip to allow for different spray settings, along with a trigger button so you can stop and start the spray.  

Each pre-measured Smart Feed tablet fertilizes up to 300 square feet and retail for around $9.99.  The Smart Feed Sprayer System itself sells for about $12.99, which I think is a very reasonable asking price.  

I love that I don't have to measure, I don't have to mix and I don't have to get messy because one of my favorite things about this product is the self clean up. 

Because the Smart Feed Sprayer has a clear chamber, you can see when your tablet is fully dissolved and there is no clean up.  I just open it up and set it to air out.

An added benefit of the Smart Feeder is that it only takes about 10 minutes to deliver 100% of it's  nutrients which not only saves have the time, but half the water!  A typical water-soluble garden feeder uses nearly 100 gallons of water per application! Smart! 

As far at the effectiveness, well that will have to be seen over time and I will update to let you all know just how that is going over the rest of the spring and summer.

The Pennington Smart Feed Fertilizer Sprayer System is available at Walmart, Home Depot or Lowe's.

*I received the product in this post compliments of Pennington via BzzAgent for purposes of this review, however all opinions are my own.