Great Father's Day Gifts For Your Gardening Dad: Most Less Than $50

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If you are looking for a Father's Day gift, here's a selection of gifts to consider for your gardening dad. Most cost less than $50.

Coleman 40 Qt Wheeled Cooler - As it gets hot this summer, its nice to have a cooler that can be wheeled into the garden or patio that will hold a supply of drinks and keep them cool for hours. This one is available from Amazon for $45. And if you're really want to be good to be good to dad, think about filling it with beer.
Mason Bee Box - If you want to ensure good pollination, putting a honey bee hive in your garden is a good idea. But honey bees are expensive to install and require ongoing care. If you want to increase pollination in your garden, with a minimum amount of work for dad, put Mason Bees to work for you. These solitary bees produce no wax and normally make their homes out of mud which they form into tubes. However, you can encourage them to live in your garden by giving them a nice place to live. Wooden mason bee houses are said to be better than plastic. These hand-crafted ones from Etsy cost about $20.
A Gardening Class - A wide spectrum of organizations offer local gardening classes on topics such as: how to start a vegetable garden, drip irrigation, composting, container gardening, etc. I like the idea of giving a class as a gift because your giving the experience of the class and potentially additional knowledge which will help dad build his garden. In the San Francisco Bay Area, most of the courses I found were $15-$30 range. For example, Common Ground in Palo Alto and Garden For the Environment in San Francisco, both offer a full range of very affordable classes. To find gardening classes in your area, just do an internet search for "Gardening Class" plus the name of your location. You should turn up a variety of options.

Felco Pruning Shears -a precision made pruner from Switzerland. The blade is as sharp as a scalpel and the handles are very comfortable. If you should wear through the blades, they are replaceable. About $40 at Amazon.com.

English Gardening Tools - Burgon & Ball has been manufacturing high quality tools in Sheffield, England since 1730. They manufacture a full line of gardening tools including many hand tools such as trowels, scoops, hand forks and widgers. Most of the small hand tools can be purchased for about $15. If you are in Palo Alto, California, Common Ground (559 College Ave) sells them at their retail store. If you are outside the area, you can purchase tools via Arbor and Vine's online site.

Hammock - They say that gardening is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it. But when your back can't take it anymore, or when you just want to have a bit of a rest, how about giving dad a place to lie down -- like on this Pawley Island hammock. This one is available at Wal-Mart for $79.

Gardening Books - There are lots of great gardening books out there. Here are two to consider for dad. How to Grow World Record Tomatoes by Charles Wilbur provides tips and trick on how to grow tomatoes successfully. Wilbur claims to routinely grow tomato plants that are over 20 feet high and to have taken over 1,000 pounds of tomatoes from a single plant. Mere mortals might not get such yields, but Wilbur does provide a variety of useful tips and tricks. The writing in the book is clear and there are plenty of B&W photos to illustrate the points he is making, but you'll need to look past the attitude in the book; let's just say he doesn't have any problems with self esteem. The books worth the $10 that Amazon charges. How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons is also worth putting on dad's bookshelf if he is an organic gardener or wants to be one. Jeavons covers pretty much everything you need to know to raise food in your backyard garden from bed preparation, to composting and seed starting. There are many detailed tables in the book that provide information about each type of veggie - seeds per ounce, yield per acre, plant spacing and depth, days to maturity, nutritional value etc. etc. The tables alone are more than worth the price of this book -- $14 at Amazon.

Tool and Knife Sharpener - Sharp blades not only make it easier to get the job done, they are also much safer; it's the dull blades that are the dangerous ones. The Work Sharp 2000 is a grinder and sharpener in one tool. It will sharpen axe blades, hoes and other garden tools, chisels, scrapers, screw drivers etc. The Work Sharp is available at Amazon.com, Rockler Tool and other retailers for about $99. You can also buy an attachment for an additional $40 that allows you to sharpen kitchen and other knives.

Tilley Hat - The only hat with a cult following, the original Tilley was designed for adventure travelers who needed a hat that was durable, comfortable, and, if needed, could be washed and dried quickly. I've had a Tilley hat for years and love it. The company now offers a much wider line of hats and also clothes for travelers. If you buy a Tilley hat for gardening, get one with a wide brim to provide sun protection. You buy Tilley hats directly from the company at Tilley.com. A hat will set you back about $70.