NEW PRODUCTS

Growing organic vegetables just got easier with the introduction of the Organic Ready-to-Grow Kit from EarthBox.

The kit contains everything your favorite gardener needs to grow organic vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers quickly and easily. Included are bags of organic OMRI Registered potting mix, fertilizer and dolomite with trace elements.

The heart of the system is the patented EarthBox growing container, which measures a compact 29 inches long, 13.5 inches wide and 11 inches tall. The EarthBox controls soil conditions as water is wicked up from the water reservoir into the potting mix. The result is twice as many tasty tomatoes or other veggies as conventional gardening — and all you need is a porch, patio or balcony.

The Organic Ready-to-Grow Kit is available directly from EarthBox (www.earthbox.com) for $52.95, or at garden centers nationwide.

Worms turn junk into compost for garden

Worm composting is an efficient way to convert kitchen scraps — and even junk mail and shredded newspapers — into nutrient-rich compost for your garden. Just as the worms in your garden eat organic matter and continually improve the soil, the red worms in a worm composter turn kitchen scraps and other waste into nutrient-rich worm castings. These worm castings are a powerful kind of compost that will energize your garden plants.

The Worm Factory is a self-contained worm composting bin that makes it easy to create and harvest worm compost. The Worm Factory’s unique, stackable, multitray design allows it to hold the largest capacity of compost in the smallest amount of space, making it possible to compost indoors year-round — even underneath the kitchen sink.

Each Worm Factory comes with a 16-page instruction book and everything you need to get started. (Worms are not included with the bin, but a list of sources for worms is included.) The Worm Factory sells for $89.95 from Cascade Sales at 866-592-2403 or www.cascadesales.com.

Hawaiian Volcano Plant really rocks

Here’s a unique gift for any gardener on your list. The Hawaiian Volcano Plant is a red anthurium that has been specially hybridized to grow as a trouble-free houseplant. It’s planted on a responsibly harvested, hand-selected volcanic cinder that has been blessed by a Kahuna (a spiritual leader of the Hawaiian community) to bring joy and prosperity to anyone who possesses it.

Each rock is unique and original and provides an excellent habitat for growing exotic plants. The red anthurium will continue to flower when grown in bright, indirect light, and the flowers last for weeks.

Keep the lava rock in a shallow saucer of water. The lava will soak up water like a sponge, making an ideal growing medium for your plant.

Each plant sells for $19.95 from Logee’s Tropical Plants, 888-330-8038, www.logees.com.