We all know a gardener or backyard farmer in our lives.
They’re the ones who arrange for chicken sitters the way other people arrange for dog sitters. They avoid taking vacations in summer when their gardens are going off. They give away jam made from fruit they’ve grown, and foist massive zucchinis on anyone who will take them.
So it goes without saying that a backyard farmer—whether it’s a friend, a neighbor, or a coworker—is someone good to know!
Say thank you for all those zucchinis they keep giving you (and get on their radar when they have a glut of juicy heirloom tomatoes to share next summer) by sending one of these thoughtful gifts they’ll love.
And if you’re stumped on what to stuff their Christmas stockings with, check out my other gift guides for 26 Perfect Stocking Stuffers for Gardeners Under $25, 18 Awesome Adventure Gifts for the Outdoor Lover, and 20 Unique Non-Cheesy Gifts for National Park Lovers.
Disclosure: If you shop from my article or make a purchase through one of my links, I may receive commissions on some of the products I recommend.
The best gifts for gardeners, backyard farmers, and urban homesteaders
1. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook – I’m starting off with a recommendation for a book that every vegetable gardener should have. It’s the perfect gift for anyone who grows their own food and wants to find out what to do with it all.
These are the kinds of easy and approachable recipes you won’t find anywhere else, with delicious tips and inventive uses for all the odds and ends of plants you never knew you could eat. Think: radish tops, carrot greens, pea shoots, squash shoots, pepper leaves, and fava bean leaves.
By knowing exactly what to use and how to prepare the plants you already grow, you can essentially double your harvest every season without adding more work, more plants, or a bigger garden.
2. Instant Wall Planter – If you love the idea of starting an indoor vertical garden but feel intimidated by how to put one together without all your plants falling out, this instant wall planter makes easy work of it!
It comes with everything you need (except the soil and plants) to grow a beautiful piece of living art on your wall. You can start small with the 4×6 size or go bigger with the 8×10 frame.
3. Sun Printing Kit With Dish Towel – This crafting kit uses only the sun and water to create a photographic print of a plant specimen from your own yard, right onto a dish towel.
Great for adults and kids alike, I think this is a really neat way to immortalize a sentimental leaf, flower, or other botanical treasure from a home, hike, or other special moment. You can also opt for the paper version to make cyanotypes that you can hang on a wall.
4. Herb-themed dish towel set – You can’t go wrong with a new set of dish towels which everyone needs. This set has a cute design featuring different herbs, and is packaged in an even cuter paper carton wrapped with twine.
Gift it as is, or use the towels to wrap another small gift, like these lightweight herb snippers, beeswax food wraps in fun patterns, or herb keeper container.
5. Canvas Harvesting and Gathering Bag – For someone who likes to spend time in the garden, forage in the wild, or simply visit farmers’ markets, a versatile bag like this one helps keep all their treasures together.
The bag is made from weather-resistant waxed canvas and can be carried multiple ways with its convertible straps: on the shoulder, on the back, or across the chest. A drop-down bottom makes emptying the harvest quick and easy.
6. Leather Work Gloves – There’s nothing flashy about these gloves, and that’s one of the things I love about them. They’re classic leather gloves and feel sooo soft and buttery on your hands!
Besides gardening, these gloves work well for a range of tasks around the yard, from grilling to woodworking. The palms are reinforced to protect against cuts and punctures, and I dig the green color.
7. Matcha Superlatte – I’ve been trying to cut down on my daily coffee, and this instant drink mix helps me feel energized without the inevitable caffeine crash.
It’s blended with non-dairy creamer, adaptogens, mushrooms, and probiotics (a superfood in one convenient pouch), and it’s super easy to whip up: just add hot water and froth to your liking. I also love their Chai SuperLatte (made with the same adaptogens) and Golden SuperLatte (a turmeric latte), but they carry other flavors too.
8. Galvanized Seed Saver Kit – This deluxe kit contains everything you need to save and store a tidy collection of seeds.
You get a sturdy galvanized steel bin with five compartments, glassine envelopes to keep seeds dry, and cardstock dividers to organize things at a glance. There’s also a mini seed saver kit for new or younger gardeners.
9. Galvanized Garden Tool Storage Caddy – I bought this a couple years ago on a whim, and loved it so much I ended up buying another one!
If you’re the type to misplace your tools in the garden, or always wish you had a few things handy when you’re out watering or harvesting, this storage caddy helps you keep your favorite items close by. I have mine hanging on my raised beds on opposite ends of the garden, and I’m seriously thinking of getting a third. It’s that useful!
10. Walnut Handle Scissors – Scissors are my #1 gardening tool above pruners and clippers. Why? Because they’re small, easy to clean, and easy to tote around.
I have several that I use for harvesting, pruning, cutting twine, opening bags, and other everyday tasks. Some of them are pretty plain (office-type scissors) but this walnut-handled pair makes an ordinary tool look and feel special.
11. Hori Hori Knife – I love my hori hori knives (yes, I have multiple!) as I find them super useful in the yard for lots of different tasks: cutting twine, cutting open bags or boxes, digging holes, transplanting seedlings, pulling up weeds, and so on.
This particular knife is high on my list because I’m lusting after the green color of the stainless steel blade—it’s so unique! Plus, I own other tools by this company and have found them to be very high-quality and totally worth gifting (or buying for yourself).
12. Lion’s Mane Mushroom Kit – You’ve probably seen similar mushroom growing kits-in-a-box, but this is the first time I’ve seen one for shaggy lion’s mane.
If you have a friend who’s always wanted to try growing mushrooms (or maybe you do as well), this indoor kit makes for an easy, mess-free experiment. The same company also makes boxed mushroom-growing kits for pink oyster, blue oyster, and golden oyster.
13. Shiitake Mushroom Log – If growing mushrooms in a box isn’t your thing, try growing them in a more natural environment: a hardwood log.
This hand-cut log is inoculated with shiitake mushroom spores; all you have to do is soak it in water, then watch it grow. You can harvest multiple crops from the same log for up to three years!
14. Glow ‘n Grow Scented Candle Kit – Candles seem to be the defacto gift for party hosts/hostesses or someone you might not know well. Instead of giving them an ordinary candle, give them this one, which is actually two gifts in one.
Once the candle is burned down, the ceramic pot can be used as a planter. Included with every kit is a packet of seeds, plant food, and soilless growing medium, all you have to do is choose your favorite pint-sized plant (basil, Gerbera daisies, or aloe).
15. Folding Garden Seat with Essential Tool Kit – How handy is this thing to keep in the garden or put by the door of a potting shed? It’s just the right size and weight to stay portable yet keep all your important tools on hand.
The garden seat is made with a durable steel frame and canvas seat, and comes with a detachable storage bag (which can stay clipped under the seat) as well as all the wood-handled tools you see pictured.
16. Womanswork Hip Holster Tool Belt – Sometimes I just don’t have enough pockets on me to tote around the various gardening tools I need, and this is when something like a tool belt would come in handy.
I like that it’s not too unwieldy—small and light enough to live comfortably on your hip, but roomy and versatile enough to hold a few tools and other necessities. Mine usually holds a pair of scissors, a hori hori knife, and vine clips or Velcro ties for when I’m making my rounds in the garden. (Those are all links to actual items I own and use.)
17. Flower Pot Bread Baking Kit – How’s this for adding some rustic charm and whimsy to a weekend brunch?
The kit includes four terra cotta pots, plus all the dry ingredients to make a batch of bread and lavender butter. There’s enough to make four bread pots, but you can save the recipe and reuse pots for future batches. You can also try their other “flower pot” baking mixes for garlic herb bread, cinnamon swirl bread, and spice cake.
18. Flower Pot Cupcake Kit – This adorable baking kit comes with six silicone “flower pot” baking cups, baking mix, frosting mix, and dried lavender so you can make your own potted lemon lavender mini cakes!
If you’ve got a skilled hand with cake decorating, they’d also look amazing with piped buttercream flowers or green foliage on top.
19. Mason Jar Fermentation Kit – I’ve tried a few airlock systems for my fermenting projects over the years, but these are far and away the best for how easy they make it, even for beginners.
The kit comes with a wooden tamper, glass weights, and airlock tops to turn any mason jar into a fermentation crock for kimchi, sauerkraut, and other ferments. It’s my favorite fermentation system ever!
20. Bulb Vase Trio – Sold as a set of three, these mouth-blown glass bulb vases artfully display bulbing flowers as they grow.
While you can gift this set alone, I think they’d make a terrific addition to a package of bulbs that can be forced to bloom, such as paperwhites, hyacinths, amaryllis, and tulips. (This time of year, it’s pretty easy to find amaryllis bulbs for winter-forcing.)
21. Set of 4 Simple Syrups – Simple syrups are some of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen. I use them in cocktails, sparkling water, coffee, tea, lemonade, and desserts.
This set is from a local Bend, Oregon, maker that I adore. (I try different flavors every year and always buy more as gifts.) The artwork on the bottles is divine, and the bundle includes their latest holiday concoctions: Winter Forest, Gingerbread, Sugar Plum, and Candy Cane. So delicious.
22. Plantable Botanical Candle – First of all, a tomato vine-scented candle?! The herbal scent is more delightful than you’d think!
But the real kicker with this particular candle is that it comes in a biodegradable, seed-infused box that lets you grow the actual plant the candle is based on. This one has packaging infused with brandywine tomato seeds, but if you prefer a different plant, other choices include lavender, thyme, mint, Siam poppies, and sunflowers.
23. Swag Wreath Base – Got a crafty friend who also loves to garden? Then they’ll love this half-wreath base for all their foraged art creations.
The coppery metal frame looks just as good on its own as it does with stems, branches, pinecones, feathers, or string lights hung on it. Keep it up year-round and change it out with the seasons! (There’s also a circular wreath base—in the same cool copper pattern—if you prefer a more traditional look.)
Our kids love contributing to our homemade wreath bases (we own both shapes) for all their backyard finds: flower stems, autumn leaves, pieces of bark, and other natural treasures.
24. Bamboo Sateen Sheets – I’m pretty picky about sheets, but I’ve slept on this bedding for the past two years and can say it’s my absolute favorite yet.
These are made from sustainable CleanBamboo fabric that’s free of harmful chemicals, so you can sleep soundly knowing your sheets aren’t off-gassing anything weird. The sateen weave is also silky smooth without being sticky, and for people who tend to sleep warm, they feel really nice and cooling while also being incredibly cozy. I just want to stay in bed all day!
25. Natural Rubber Boots – As a gardener, I’ve tried all kinds of muck boots and rain boots.
These ones, by far, are my favorite. (I have the Alpine Green pair, but am really hankering for another color.) The boots are made of natural rubber and are so comfortable to wear not only around the yard, but out on the town, too. New for this year, they’ve introduced tall boots, which I’m loving for tidepooling on our PNW beaches.
Now that temps are dropping, I’ve found them to be surprisingly warm down to 35°F (so far… we’re not that cold yet). And that’s saying a lot, since my toes always freeze in regular rain boots. Best of all? They’re unisex.
26. California-Crafted Olive Oil and Vinegar Set – These high-quality olive oils and vinegars definitely take things up a notch in the kitchen—and yes, you can really taste the difference. So fresh, bright, and rich in flavor, perfect for the foodie in your life. (Not to mention the awesome artsy labels.)
I haven’t tried everything from this company, but I’ve tried this Essential Capsule, which comes with two bottles of cold-pressed EVOO, a balsamic vinegar fermented with Zinfandel grapes and Triple Crown blackberries, and a champagne vinegar fermented with chardonnay grapes and Valencia oranges. They’re delicious and now I want to explore their other flavors.
27. Ooni Fyra Pizza Oven – What do you get for the person who has everything? Their very own backyard pizza oven, of course.
My favorite kind of pizza is vegetarian, and I love to load mine up with food from the garden: fennel, onions, peppers, peas, corn, tomatoes, basil, squash, spinach, arugula, anything really!
I bought (and love) this compact, wood pellet-fired Ooni Fyra last year, which makes 12-inch pizzas in less than 2 minutes. Ooni also has a few other sizes and options, including larger models that make 16-inch pizzas and ovens that run on wood, charcoal, propane, or natural gas. Don’t forget the pizza peel, infrared thermometer, or carry cover either!
28. Mod Hod Gardening Basket – Here’s an updated take on the traditional garden hod, which adds foldable feet and handles to a more streamlined and durable design.
But the feature that seals the deal for me is how you can stick this in your sink to wash off vegetables, or rinse it with a hose before you bring in your harvest. If you buy several of these Mod Hods, they even stack to save space while storing your produce.
I have all three sizes of Mod Hods and use them frequently for harvesting as well as carrying tools and other things around the yard. (Honestly, I could use more around the yard because they’re so durable and useful.)
29. Garden Cart – This is a pretty spendy item, but for that special someone who’s a passionate green thumb, it’s the best gift you can possibly get them.
How do I know this? Because I have one and can’t live without it. (And yes, I have that fabulous purple color.)
The medium cart is plenty big for the average garden, and I find it much more useful than a wheelbarrow for everyday chores like hauling plants, tools, soil amendments, and piles of leaves and sticks for my compost. (It’s even great for carrying a kid or two to hang out in the garden with me.)
In my humble opinion, every garden needs one.
30. Pollinator Garden Gift Set – For the friend who wants to start her own pollinator-friendly flower garden, give her this beautifully packaged gift set that includes three flower mix seed packets, a tote bag, and a sticker.
As with all other Botanical Interests seeds, the packets contain a wealth of planting info including spacing, watering, light requirements, and best times to start seeds indoors or outdoors.
31. Self-Watering Microgreens Planter – Most microgreens planters are rather basic, if not utilitarian. But I like this one because it turns your microgreens into a pretty plant for the windowsill.
It’s a kit that comes with a reusable self-watering terracotta planter, compressed organic soil pellets, and four packets of seeds to get you started (radish, arugula, beets, and tatsoi). There’s also a larger version that lets you grow more microgreens at a time.
32. Hydroponic Microgreens Planter with Grow Light – Want to step up your microgreens growing game but still stay within a small footprint?
This kit is attractive enough to keep on the counter and makes growing microgreens super simple. It’s a hydroponic system that includes automatic LED grow lights on a stainless steel frame and a ceramic bowl in multiple colors. (I like the rose color pictured here, but there’s also black, cream, and mint.)
You also get three pre-seeded pads to grow kale, arugula, and broccoli microgreens with guaranteed germination in seven days (no soil needed!).
33. Kombucha Brewing Kit – Make 1 gallon of homebrewed kombucha with this starter kit, which includes a glass brew jar, organic loose-leaf tea, organic sugar, kombucha starter culture (grown in Wisconsin), pipette, pH test strips, temperature gauge, and detailed instructions that are easy enough for beginners to follow.
The kit is shelf-stable so you can send this to a friend without worrying about the starter, and the company guarantees your first batch to ferment or they’ll replace it for free.
34. Staub Dutch Oven – Hands down, this is the most-used pot in my kitchen, especially when it’s soup-making weather! I love my 7-quart dutch oven and use it for not only soups, but also roasting, braising, and making big one-pot meals
What sets Staub apart from similar pots (like Le Creuset) is the design of the lid: the underside features little spikes that drip the juices back down onto the food, retaining moisture and flavor.
35. Chili Crisp – At home, I have a handful of sauces and seasonings that I always turn to when I want to dress up my vegetables with something a little more than just olive oil, salt and pepper. One of my go-to condiments is chili crisp, and this is my favorite brand.
Chili crisp is especially good on sauteed or stir-fried leafy greens, roasted vegetables, eggs, dumplings, tacos, avocado toast, soup, noodles, and rice. (Anything, really!) It adds that layered, spicy and savory zip your meals need, and turns an ordinary meal into something special.
If you’re new to chili crisp, I recommend a gift set like this one, which includes the original Sichuan Chili Crisp, Zhong Sauce (a sweet and savory hot sauce), and Chengdu Crunch (an extra crunchy hot sauce).
36. Electric Water Bath Canner – If you have a loved one who loves to can but is still using an enormous pot on the stove to do so, this electric water bath canner is a must-have. I own an older version of this and can’t imagine going back to stovetop canning!
An electric canner makes it possible for you to take your canning to the kitchen island, dining table, garage, or even outside, and it heats up water more quickly than a conventional burner. For someone new to canning, you can also add in this set of canning tools to get them up and running.
37. Microwave Flower Press: – Traditional flower presses make you wait days (or weeks) for fully dried and preserved flowers. This microwaveable terra cotta flower press creates a floral masterpiece the same day!
It comes with thick wool pads that you place your flowers between. Heat the whole thing in the microwave, and the wool and terra cotta work to absorb all the moisture fast.
View the Web Story on best gifts for gardeners.
Really excellent gift suggestions. I am definitely going to utilise many of them. Just one thing. At the top of your article you show a gorgeous German style wooden carousel with candles. . I hoped that that was going to be on the gift list. Do you know where they can be purchased? I have a similar one, but I bought it in France many years ago, and so many people ask me where they can buy one!
Thank you! And unfortunately I don’t have a source for that carousel, it’s my mother-in-law’s and she’s had it for many, many years!
so many great ideas … I have many gardeners to shop for, and this really helps! as always, spot on, Linda!!! Thank you!!
You’re very welcome Irene!
Linda, you have become so pathetic. Little actual content, just a shill. You should be embarrassed.
That’s funny. I put out plenty of free, high-quality content on my blog every week. You can bookmark this page, which lists all of my recent posts (newest first): https://gardenbetty.com/blog
You can subscribe to my email list, where I share helpful resources (exclusive to my list) and links to seasonally appropriate posts: https://gardenbetty.com/subscribe
You can also use the search function (the magnifying glass at the top) to help you locate relevant content on the blog. With over 600 posts and more that are added/updated constantly, you might be able to find the help you need. And I’m always happy to take suggestions from readers for future topics they want to learn about.
Beautiful response Linda LY! I love these Christmas/gift lists, I found many great products I was unaware of. Gardening is just one part of this journey, your giving us creative ideas and products to bring our garden into our home!
Thank you!
Great list! Congratulations on the new book!
Thank you Sally!