The Prepara Power Plant is basically a soilless indoor gardening system. You can grow herbs, fresh flowers or any plant you want.

Based on reviews, I’d stick with herbs or something small since this is the “mini” version.

So fire up the ol’ power plant, get out that great spaghetti recipe and get your fresh herbs at home. Or, even better…how about getting out that mojito recipe and getting your fresh mint right there in the kitchen?

Prepara Power Plant Mini $39.99

Rain chains capture runoff from your porch, deck or roof. The flower shaped cups hold the water and let it trickle down the chain where it can flow into a rain barrel or even your garden.

The water makes a wonderful waterfall-like noise when it’s trickling down the chain, too. And it’s way nicer than a downspout.

Copper Sundrop Rain Chain, 8.5 foot $79.95

I heard about this a couple of years ago, but haven’t seen it in action. Now I’m seeing these planters online and in lots of catalogs. So I guess it’s time to see what all the fuss is about.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve planted tomatoes this way. How you water them, if they dry out, etc. Many people have had a lot of success growing them this way.

This planter is an affordable way to try it.

Topsy Turvy Upside-Down Tomato Planter $13.99

The trio comes with a 13-inch tray and three 7-inch cute little pots. You also get seeds to grow basil, oregano and chives. And you get organic soil and growing instructions. Fool proof!

Makes a great spring gift for yourself or someone else.

Italian Herb Trio $39.99

You will learn how to build a raised bed garden, how to work the soil and what kind of soil mixture you need, how to plant things and how to take care of them and keep them growing.

There are all kinds of great ideas for things like cucumbers (you can grow them ‘up’) and carrots (you space them according to seed pkg. and not just throw handfuls of seeds around).

I learned a great deal from Bartholomew’s book and highly recommend it. From novice to expert, you’re sure to find something that will pique your interest. In my case, it’s the fact that he says you’ll never have to fertilize again. And I wanted the new building plans for his trellises. He does some amazing things with PVC pipe and string.

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew $11.99

There is a reservior chamber in the bottom of the pot that you fill with water. The plant waters itself, and you just keep an eye on the water level and refill as necessary…see the little line at the bottom there? That’s where you can see how much water you have left.

It’s a great idea for growing herbs in your kitchen. Or maybe mint for mojitos! Or cilantro for salsa. But I’m leaning toward mint for mojitos! All year round!

Grobal Baby Self Watering Pot $15.00

Campy planters from Perch! design are made of earthenware. They’re 6.5 inches tall and 4 inches in diameter.

You can choose the ball and base color.

Perch! design Campy Planters $72.00 (free shipping now until 2/1/09

This will make a perfect garden or deck light, or a night light for kids’ rooms. It has a light sensor inside so it will automatically come on when it gets dark. My kids would love these!

Oh, and they’re water tight so they can be left outside.

Sun and Moon Jars $34.99

In the interest of keeping the plant alive and not wasting my money, I decided a self-watering container of some sort might be in order. The Aqua Planter will fit the bill nicely. Just check the water level indicator occasionally and that’s it.

Aqua Planter $34.00

Wouldn’t it be nice to have a bright “Big Smile” sunflower to chase away the winter blues?

This sunflower kit comes with seeds for the “Smiles” and compost. The compost is made from a certain Vermont-made gourmet ice cream. Hmmm, wonder who that could be?? You can grow your flowers right in the container.

Terra Fuela Sunflower Kit $4.95

It’s called Gardener’s Supply and I think I love everything in their catalog. Everything. And not only that, if you don’t want to have more paper in the form of catalogs in your life their website is fantastic.

I just recently got a compost crock to keep in my kitchen for all those veggie and fruit scraps, and coffee grounds and eggshells, etc. 

It has a charcoal filter in the top so you don’t have to smell all those lovely fruits and veggies until you empty the crock. And, it’s dishwasher safe.

It’s easy to use, and I love the color choices.

Mine looks great on the kitchen counter, and I can usually go a few days until I have to empty it.

The price is right, too.

These are some of the lowest prices I’ve found, and I did quite a lot of looking.

Check out the Gardener’s Supply website and let me know what you think.

No, that’s not a typo. Forty Percent!?!?!

Because of that, many of us in the neighborhood are doing what we can to conserve water. A rain barrel is great for saving water that hits your roof and usually just runs off into the storm sewers. You just set it up under the downspout from your gutters and…

Presto! Gallons of water for the yard, flowers or the garden…and the best part is the water is FREE! As in Zero Dinero Free.

The water is rainwater so it’s even better for your plants than the stuff from the tap because it isn’t loaded with chlorine and other chemicals, though I would have to advise against drinking it. You can hook a few rain barrels together so they’ll daisy chain off each other when each one fill up.

It has a hose attachment at the bottom that I like to use to water my veggie garden. I hook it up to my garden hose and it’s good to go. You can get the size barrel you need and save some money on the water bill year round (well, year round for us Texans anyway).

The only thing you might need to add to the water are a few mosquito dunks, just in case a mosquito gets past the debris screens that are supposed to keep them out. Just drop one in your barrel and it’ll keep mosquitoes from breeding in the water.  They’re inexpensive and work great.

Happy watering!

Prices:
$158.65 for the Achla RB-02 Rain Catcher Water Barrel with 75-Gallon Capacity from Amazon.com
$199.98 for the Achla Model RB-01 Rain Catcher Water Barrel with 54 Gallon Capacity from Amazon.com
$17.99 for a 20-pack of Mosquito Dunks from Amazon.com