This article contains an excerpt from the “Ultimate Off Grid Gift Guide for Modern Homesteaders.” Click here to read the full article.
There’s something refreshing about getting my hands dirty in the garden and knowing that food is growing to feed my family every month of the year.
Even in the snowiest months of winter, I have roots buried below the frost line in my garden, waiting for the first warm days of spring to send up shoots and grow with renewed vigor. Sunchokes and garlic cloves stay fresh under the soil, ready for me to dig up a handful to prepare comfort food as needed.
I leave the extras so they can sprout and divide (or multiply!) in the spring and summer months, but I can harvest a few here and there no matter the season.
Winter holidays might not seem like the best time of year to give gardening gifts, but if your loved ones are like me, gardening supplies are always a welcome beacon of the spring that is yet to come!
This site is supported by our audience. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I only recommend products I love and/or use.
Yard and garden
Gardening gloves: Gardening can be tough on hands and fingernails. Protect your loved one from splinters and callouses by gifting them a pair of rubber-coated gardening gloves or rose pruning gauntlets to protect tender forearms.
Heirloom seeds: Is your favorite off-gridder worried about the apocalypse … or do they simply enjoy gardening? Either way, a seed vault with non-GMO, heirloom seed varieties is sure to be a serious gardener’s delight!
Composting bin: Composting outdoors in the winter can come to a halt when temperatures drop below freezing. Give this cute indoor compost bin to keep kitchen scraps out of sight until the weather warms up.
Compost barrel: Compost should never be stinky, but it can be dirty (and backbreaking) work to turn a large compost pile with a shovel. Save your loved one’s back and the mess by gifting them a tumbling compost barrel.
Indoor gooseneck grow light: An indoor grow light is a necessity for seedlings and herbs that have been brought indoors for the winter. This gooseneck grow light provides full-spectrum lighting for those little plants you just can’t bear to leave outside.
Trail camera: Solar trail cameras recharge with the sun, so you never have to worry about running out of battery in between camera checks. By adding wireless technology (and a monthly wireless plan), you can see images from your trail camera on your phone day or night. Choose a trail camera with high resolution and long-distance views plus infrared so you won’t scare the critters away at night.
Chicken coop: Although I’ve always let my chickens have the run of the yard, a chicken coop is a great way to start baby chicks or keep banties safe from hawks. This nifty chicken coop with a wire run is great for beginning hobbyists.
Cast iron dinner bell: My dad could never hear my mom yell for dinner when he was out in the workshop at the back of our acreage. She kept a cast iron dinner bell, like this one, hanging from the porch rafters and sent me out to ring it when supper was ready.
Rain barrel: Rain catchment is an excellent way to save water and use it in the garden during a dry spell. How about gifting a rain barrel kit (made from recycled materials) to supplement your loved one’s water supply?
Gorilla cart: This is one of those things that you don’t think you need until you actually need it! I love using a gorilla cart to lighten my load and haul groceries, bags of feed, and gardening soil. Get one with removable sides to make unloading even easier.
Gathering basket: I can’t count how many times I’ve gone out to the garden thinking there would only be a few tomatoes to pick and ended up using my shirt to carry loads of tomatoes, squash, and peppers into the house. A gathering basket makes life much easier and keeps my shirt clean. And for gathering eggs, try this egg gathering apron with individual pockets to prevent the eggs from cracking against each other.
Poultry balm/chicken first aid: While we’re talking about eggs, how about gifting your off grid hobbyist with a chicken first-aid kit or some poultry balm to help those little chickies stay healthy and protected from leg sores?
Newspaper pot maker: Talk about sustainable living! Turn sheets of paper into biodegradable seedling pots with this handy wooden newspaper pot maker.
Steel forged garden tools: Anyone who lives off the grid and raises their own food knows that having the right tools for the job makes all the difference! Gift your gardener some sturdy, steel forged garden tools. If you think they already have all the gardening gear they need, how about something a little different, like a hori hori knife for cutting through roots or stems and poking holes for planting seeds?
Walking stick for your wildcrafting and gathering hikes: I enjoy wildcrafting, and sometimes looking for berries takes me a little further into the wilderness than I had originally planned. I love my Black Diamond walking poles—they’re collapsible, lightweight, and easy to carry in my pack.
Tree diapers: A tree diaper refills during rain and slowly releases the water back into the soil to keep young trees protected from drought. If your off grid loved one is trying to establish an orchard or planting fruit trees for the yard, tree diapers will help establish a moist growing medium for their newly planted saplings.
Rain gauge: Why depend on the local news to find out how many inches of rain fell on the garden last night? Give this glass rain gauge to your favorite gardener, and they’ll never have to wonder how much moisture fell.
Arbor Day membership: I’m all for planting trees! Give two gifts in one with an Arbor Day Foundation membership. Your loved one will not only become a member, but they’ll also receive free trees as part of the deal.
Boot scraper: All that mud needs to go somewhere, and tracking it in the house on the bottom of your boots isn’t an option. How about giving an industrial-strength boot scraper so the dirt can stay outside where it belongs?
Need more gift ideas? Check out these 21 Gift Ideas for Outdoor Chefs!