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• Position: Consumer goods

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HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

(*) With springtime finally here, green thumbs start twitching and thoughts turn to a summer full of bright flowers and fresh vegetables. The problem, of course, is the effort that goes into bringing a garden to fruition. While not all of the hard work can be avoided, a couple of items may cut into it.

The Raised Bed Garden System from VegHerb, LLC, Carmel, N.Y., is virtually self-explanatory. A half-dozen stackable corner pieces lock a series of 2" x 6" x 44.5" timbers together to produce an above-ground garden bed. The corners can be set at any angle from 60 [degrees] to 180 [degrees], allowing a variety of shapes, from rectangles to squares to octagons. Once the bed has been constructed, fill it most of the way up with topsoil, mulch, minerals, and whatever other items will promote growth, then plant your seeds and/or seedlings and wait for Mother Nature to do her thing. For those with limited space or seeking a novel floral arrangement, beds can be stacked in an overlapping manner to produce a terraced garden.

Why plant above the ground instead of into it? The advantages are many, not the least of which is avoiding the entire digging operation. The soil inside the raised bed drains better; is warmer than earth, which has spent the entire winter in frigid conditions in much of the nation, making earlier growth possible; and provides a richer topsoil level where the existing soil is poor. The raised height makes the garden easier to work on, with corresponding strain reduction on knees and back. Moreover, the raised bed--whatever the shape--is aesthetically pleasing and permits gardening in small, odd-shaped areas.

The basic six-corner system runs $39.95 at garden supply stores. Additional pieces can add to the overall size, as desired. The garden timbers, made of recycled polyethylene in a deep brown color, are $11.95 each and are resistant to rot and fading.

Whatever their composition, gardens need water, as do lawns, trees, shrubs, and other growing vegetation. Unless you have an underground sprinkling system, this probably means that you'll have to fall back on the common garden hose to accomplish the task. The trouble with hoses, though, is that they invariably cause an infernal mess, kinking, uncoiling, and winding up covered in mud. We've gone through any number of reels and other proposed solutions designed to maintain unruly hoses in a semblance of order, but, up until now, none of them proved satisfactory.

Finally, however, someone has built a better mousetrap, or, in this case, a reel that tames the most ornery hose. The Ames Auto Track ReelEasy Deck/Patio Hose Reel from Ames-True Temper, Parkersburg, W. Va., is a box-like device constructed of heavy-duty polyethylene which houses a rugged reel that holds up to 200 feet of hose. The Auto Track system glides back and forth along a bar in front of it as the wind-up crank is turned. This steers the hose from side to side on the reel, making for easy winding and unwinding and preventing snarls.

The reel comes with five feet of leader hose and rust-resistant brass couplings to prevent leakage and allow for easy connection with your garden hose. The box shape keeps the hoses almost entirely out of sight when wound up, avoiding the usual eyesore around the faucet area. Best of all, the unit comes fully assembled, a near impossibility for anything nowadays. This handy reel--no, we're not going to repeat the entire jaw-breaking name--can be found in garden supply stores for a suggested $45.

COOL SHADES

(*) From late spring to early fall, the outdoor season is in full swing. Along with sunblockers and baseball caps, sunglasses proliferate exponentially. In many cases, though, wearers of the latter regard them more as a fashion statement than a necessity to ward off the evils of heightened exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. To combine good looks and good health, turn to the optically correct glasses from Tasco, Coral Gables, Fla.

Solini sport/sunglasses ($89) come in aviator style with a sleek nickel silver frame. A quartet of impact-resistant, interchangeable polycarbonate lenses allow you to switch them back and forth to accommodate virtually any sun condition--blue for normally bright days; gold to intensify contrast and light on cloudy days; amber to filter out blue light and UV rays while reducing glare; and mirrored silver to cut overall glare as well as give you that state trooper enigmatic glower. The lenses snap in and out effortlessly and, while not in use, can be stored within a wallet-style holder with individual pockets. A soft fabric drawstring pouch holds the glasses and lenses, or you can let the glasses dangle from their elastic lanyard when not needed to be worn or you wish to make real eye contact with someone interesting.

Tasco's fishing/sport glasses ($16) with their deep-blue lenses are polarized for eye protection and specially tinted to cut glare. The black matte-finish nylon frame is lightweight to the extreme...