Gardening with clean energy

Gardening is a great pastime that lets you connect with nature and allows you to literally enjoy the fruits of your labor. It beautifies your home, provides food, and looks impressive to the neighbors. To garden effectively, you need a variety of tools, many of them powered by some sort of engine. But traditional powered gardening tools rely on a substance that counters the clean and natural benefits of a home garden: gasoline.

As a kid, I remember having to fill the lawnmower with toxic gas every few mows. It was messy, and I had to be very careful that it didn’t spill it on anything—especially the grass. Why? Because it would kill it. I know, old news. But now there are better ways to do your gardening while still benefiting from the power of motorized tools through the power of electricity. And they require a lot less maintenance, which means fewer repairs on your end. Here are some great electric tools to get your yard looking spiffy.

Electric Lawn Mowers

An electric lawn mower is probably one of the most beneficial upgrades you can make to your yard’s toolkit. Gas-powered lawn mowers and other tools contribute to a substantial portion of the total air pollution in major cities. If you’re looking for something like a traditional push mower with an electrical upgrade then Black and Decker and Ryobi offer products to meet your needs. And recharging them is as simple as placing the battery on it’s charger as soon as you’re done mowing. But if you’re looking for a little extra luxury, Robomow makes automated electric lawn mowers that will do the work for you. Like a Roomba, this device can sense where it’s going and cut the grass to your liking. So you can get back to not doing chores.

Electric Leaf Blowers

An electric leaf blower will clear your lawn in no time with just as much power as a gas-powered counterpart. Black and Decker also has a selection of gas-powered leaf blowers available, as well as lesser-known companies such as Worx. Worx even has a 3-1 combo tool that can blow leaves, mulch, and vacuum. It beats raking leaves in frigid fall weather.

Electric Hedge Trimmer

With a heavy-duty blade, you can find electric hedge trimmers with enough torque to cut through tree branches. There are even models with two blades instead of one, or lighter options to save yourself from getting too tired, too quickly. One of these can help you shape your garden to perfection with a single tool instead of several.

Garden Cultivator

If you’re looking for something better suited to a small garden, cordless electric garden cultivators are great. They can do some of the same work as a gas-powered tiller but are lighter and better for the planet. Which is the whole point of gardening, isn’t it?

Why Electric?

As we said, electric tools are better for the earth than gas-powered options. And if you’re growing a garden, you don’t want to work with something that is adding harmful fumes to the air, negating some of your hard work. Beyond that, electric tools are just simpler to use. Other than plugging them in or recharging the battery, there really isn’t much else you have to do. They have a lot less moving parts, so there are a lot fewer chances of something breaking down.

Plus, you no longer have to worry about having enough gas or changing the oil to keep your tools healthy and functioning. As I said, trying to carefully fill the tank without spilling gasoline all over myself, the tools, the floor, or the yard wasn’t easy. And there is nothing worse in lawn care than gearing up to do some work (or convincing your kid to do it) then finding out you don’t have any gas. With electric tools, you won’t have to worry. On top of that, if you are powering your home with solar, then you are doubling down on how much you are benefitting the earth. Not only are you powering your tools with cleaner and more efficient energy, but you are generating that energy in one of the cleanest ways possible. So if you want a garden that really blooms with fewer setbacks, electric tools are the way to go.