Show of hands: How many times have you gone into the garden, merely to water the plants or refill the bird bath… and then find yourself trudging back to the house with the bottom of your shirt rolled up, filled with a bunch of tomatoes you hadn’t intended to harvest, while you juggle another handful of peppers… all because you didn’t want to make multiple trips? (Am I the only one who does this??)
There are days when I wish I would’ve worn a larger shirt. Or one that wasn’t white. Or I could just bring a basket out with me every time I go in the garden… but I always forget and then I’m too lazy to run back to the house for one.
For people like me, there’s the Roo, which was given to me for a hands-on (or is it hands-off?) review.
The Roo is a gardening apron, but that doesn’t mean you’re expected to chef up a farm-to-fork meal right there in your garden. It’s a hybrid of an apron and a collection pouch that makes harvesting easier. Think of it as a mobile basket or wheelbarrow that you wear.
The apron is fully adjustable, with straps that tie in the back as well as cords that can be knotted at different lengths to shorten or lengthen the pouch as needed.
Not only is it handy for harvesting the fruits of your labor (I’ve filled it with several pounds of citrus and the apron felt quite sturdy), but it’s also perfect for the little jobs, like holding weeds, bulbs, seed packets, or maybe a bottle of water while you’re roaming around the yard.
But the key feature of the Roo is what happens after you collect everything in the pouch.
Usually, I like to harvest a lot of things at once. Bending down to a basket after every handful can be a pain, literally, and then you have to keep moving your basket around as it gets heavier and heavier. With the Roo, I can quickly collect a pocket full of feijoas without breaking my rhythm. (If you have a feijoa tree, you know these things drop to the ground in bucket loads!)
When the pocket fills up, I simply pull the cords on the sides to release the Roo…
The apron unfurls and out come tumbling all the feijoas into my harvest basket.
Reattach the cords, harvest, fill, and release again. This simple apron has really made hefty harvest days much more convenient and easy on the back. It’s small enough to stash on a shelf or hang from a hook, so you really have no excuse not to have it close by for all your garden chores.
As I use the Roo more and more, I find plenty of other uses for it too — most recently, to gather a bundle of straw to mulch my beds with. And with these blustery days of fall, you could also use it to move piles of dead leaves around. The water-resistant nylon interior keeps you high and dry, but the whole garment is machine washable should you get a little too harvest happy in the dirt.
For one lucky winner, Roo is giving away a cotton apron ($29.95 value) in your choice of color — or your loved one’s color of choice, as this would make a great Christmas gift for the green thumb in your life! (You might think it’s too early to start thinking about Christmas, but I just heard my first rendition of “Carol of the Bells” on TV last week — replayed twice an hour, every hour — so don’t even get me started!)
How to enter: Simply leave a comment below and tell me how you would use the Roo around your house! To receive an additional entry, follow @gardenbetty on Twitter, and leave a second comment below indicating your Twitter username. You have two chances to win!
The giveaway will end at 11:59 PM Pacific Standard Time on Friday, November 16, 2012. Winner will be drawn at random and announced the following week. Good luck!
Giveaway Rules
- Giveaway begins November 12, 2012 and ends November 16, 2012.
- No purchase is necessary. To enter, leave a comment on this blog post.
- Only US and Canada residents ages 18 and older are eligible to enter.
- Two entries allowed per person.
- Odds of winning are based on number of entries received.
- Winner will be drawn at random.
- If winner does not respond within 48 hours after time of contact, that entry will be forfeited and a new winner will be drawn.
This post is brought to you by The Roo. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that support Garden Betty.
Update: A big thanks to everyone who entered!
This giveaway is now closed. The winner has been announced here.
I could never look as cute as you in this apron .. but I LOVE it! I am always sticking tomatoes and peppers in pockets and even down my shirt at times during the garden harvest because I forgot to carry a basket .. this APRON is perfect!!!
I always wished for a third arm, but with the Roo I can start wishing to win the lottery instead. This year my 21 tomato plants made my back sore, so this would be perfect!
very cool. i grow alot of peppers so i would of course use it to bring them inside.
This Roo look good. It seems to hold all sort of veggies and fruit in those big pockets.
I would love to win the Roo! What a great idea.
I would use the Roo to harvest all those pesky ripe tomatoes that hide in the middle of the garden, I always seem to find some I’ve missed!
Following on Twitter @JustOneAcre
When I saw the link to the contest in your Twitter post, I had to enter! Perfect for the roof top gardening I started at work! It would definitely assist in taking the produce back to the break room or even down to my car.
This would be perfect for apples! Would love to win! 🙂
Although I’ve recently taken to gardening in my new home…I would give this as a gift to my little sister who is a MUCH more avid gardener than myself. What an awesome idea!!! LOVE it! (and if I don’t win, I may just have to order a couple of them anyways) they are tres cool!
I would use the Roo to harvest green tomatoes. Seems there are always lots of late bloomers so I make fried green tomatoes!
I need this for the 12+ varieties of cucumbers I insist on planting every year! Those suckers grow so fast! What a cool product, thanks.
Now following on Twitter @liberty_crys:disqus
Just found your blog last week and loooove it!
i follow on twitter @whitetrashtrish:twitter
i am new to gardening so until my garden sprouts, it would be used for pine cones!
This looks so awesome! I was needing one of these when I harvested tomatillos a few weeks ago – trip after trip from garden to house with my pockets bulging with tomatillos and not a basket or bucket in sight. This would have been great! Thanks for the giveaway. Junie.None@gmail.com
I LOVE THIS! How adorable! I would like to WIN it please!! LOVE & PEACE!!
This is awesome! I am always dropping my produce after picking too many to carry!
i love it!
I have never seen this and would love it!
The Roo is a nifty garden tool. I need one!!
Love it! I can’t even tell you how many t-shirts I have with berry stains on the bottom half! 😉
That is genius–perfect for puttering around harvesting or transporting weeds to the compost pile.
To harvest anything and everything in the garden! Would be great for collecting eggs from the girls as well!
Would definitely use the Roo to help harvest okra, tomatoes, cucumbers – basically anything in the garden!!! What a great idea for a product!
I have seen the Roo in action and have prepared a large garden space for my family. We have a child with leukemia and are changing our eating habits to all plant based. I know this would come in handy.
I just discovered your blogsite will tell you that it is top quality on instructions and suggestions for the home gardener. And with this suggestion, and associated pictures, I will laud your site again. Thank you Betty!
I live in a high rise and do all of my shopping at local fruit/veg markets on my bike. This apron would be great for transporting it from basket to elevator to apartment. Great idea!
Why didn’t I think of this!?! I sometimes think I lucked out when I go out to the garden to pick a few ripe fruits wearing my kitchen apron with the big pockets….I can see me picking even more fruits and veges with the Roo!
I would love to win this for my father in law…Papa John, his garden is up the hill and he always has hands full of veggies, leaves, sticks, anywhere he can stick stuff they its there. I see this apron as a wonderful tool for him. In green of course…Thank you for this fun opportunity!
I would use it for the same purpose you are. I am ALWAYS carrying tomatoes and eggplant in my shirt. Great idea.
I would use it to pick tomatoes in the summer and carry bulbs in the fall. What a great apron!
What a good idea! I usually bring out my basket with a handle, but it gets too full and I track dirt into the kitchen when I go in to dump it and come back out to gather more tomatoes, cukes, oranges , lemons…
I am forever trying to juggle lemons and grapefruit! This would make all the dropping, stop and picking up a thing of the past!
i would use it to haul pecans! i have a huge pecan tree in my new backyard and I have been gifted with a generous amount of pecans! no more buying those expensive theings for my Christmas Holiday Pralines!
I’m a twitter follower under my username @shespeaksbark:twitter
I would love this! I always do the rolled up t-shirt thing, and its never big enough for what I’m needing. I always think I should be bringing a basket, yet always forget. I would use it to collect eggs too!
I would use it for not just harvesting, but carrying plants or bulbs to their intended destination. Handy little tool!
The Roo would be perfect for my mom who has a large backyard garden that she tends to while also doing “granny nanny” duty for my daughter! She could always use an extra place to put something.
I’m being promoted to a new office 3hrs from my home in the Ozarks. I have already planned my next garden on the roof of the new office, using tubs. I can totally see myself using The Roo to help me carry my produce back downstairs to the office and to my car. Another great “tool” in my home away from home “commuting pack” !