Power Planter Feature

Gardening Gains with Garden Tech: Power Planter

by Dominic Dominguez

As the weather changes and years go by, the end of each growing season yields the additional opportunity to reflect on lessons learned. As a practitioner of horticulture, I ask myself three questions that aid in critiquing the outputs of the closing season. What new strategies or technologies went well? What techniques or systems can be feasibly improved for the next growing cycle? And how might we plan for these improvements or new implementations?

This past year, Gardopia Gardens was gifted several pieces of new garden technologies from our friends at Power Planter. Power Planter is a family-owned business located in Illinois. The company designs, manufactures, and distributes highquality augers of varying sizes and models for any and all gardening needs. All augers operate as attachments that can be fixated to

any at-home hand drill, making the Power Planter auger one of the most versatile tools in your garden kit.

How many times have we done the following routine: lifted our 30-pound shovel, drove our shovel into the earth, and repeated this motion well over one hundred times to prep our garden space for planting? This story is all too familiar for the average gardener who would typically spend one to two hours performing this activity. At first use, Gardopia Gardens staff noticed that the auger made digging more efficient by combining the downward motion commonly utilized by a shovel with the ingenuity of the spiral feature provided by the Power Planter auger.

Think about it. When commercial engineers are breaking ground for new development, they are typically using large automated drills for digging; even though the at-home garden is a smaller project, this same efficiency principle holds true. This past spring at Gardopia Gardens, the staff watched three volunteers plant over half of the community microfarm in less than five minutes. They accomplished the same task that used to require fifteen or more volunteers working an entire hour in just a fraction of time.

Dr. Joseph Pluta, Professor of Economics at St. Edward’ s University, once wrote, “technology is tools plus human know-how. ” Quality tools like the Power Planter auger paired with the research-based horticulture education provided by Gardopia Gardens make a strong case for our learners of all ages to use the best garden tools for their success. We see these tools, practices, and resources as enablers for people to obtain increased selfsufficiency, nutrition, and environmental stewardship through gardening.

Get your power planter today! https://powerplanter.com

For more information on this topic, contact Dominic Dominguez, MA LEED Green Associate ddominguez@gardopiagardens.org

By donating to Gardopia on an annual basis you are directly supporting programs that address unhealthy lifestyles and environmental degradation. Over 80% of every dollar goes directly into boots and shovels on the ground! From academic programming to community outreach, your company ' s donation sows a tangible impact for positive change, Corporate giving is a critical piece of the equation to help alleviate some of our communities ' toughest challenges. As a grassroots local nonprofit, we are able to expose your brand In non-traditional ways that can create new pathways towards future customer engagement. Help us grow a healthier San Antonio and market your brand at the same time!

Garden-Based Learning

Classes, workshops, and courses

Urban Agriculture Magazine

Quarterly series highlighting city growers