Garden center shelves are brimming with new products for making any spring outdoor project easier.

But how do you know if that pair of $40 pruners is that much better than the $12 pair? And just how many more hose nozzles do we really need for watering our plants properly?

(ENLARGE)

Scotts Deluxe EdgeGuard Broadcast Spreader

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To help consumers sort through the hype, the Joe Gardener Company tests and rates new garden products each year as well as ones recently introduced to the market. The national media company, owned by former Atlantan Joe Lamp'l, then compiles a list of 10 "Best of the Must-Haves: The Coolest Garden Gear and Gadgets for the New Year."

"Our team of testers looks at literally hundreds of products throughout the year," says Lamp'l, host of PBS' "GardenSMART." "There's a lot of junk out there that you can really waste a lot of money on."

His testers include novice guinea pigs as well as skilled Master Gardeners. To be considered, the product must meet at least one of three criteria: It has to be new and innovative — "nothing else like it," Lamp'l says; it's a good product already on the market but has been improved; or it's one for which there is no substitute for utility. To remain unbiased, he says, Joe Gardener does not accept compensation or products from manufacturers, nor does it promote the products.

Here are the 10 must-haves for 2007, in no particular order, along with manufacturer Web sites for locating retail sources.

1. SCOTTS DELUXE EDGEGUARD BROADCAST SPREADER

Here's a spreader capable of controlling fertilizer applications so that the fertilizer is not wasted or spread where it can run off into groundwater sources. "It's really the best of both worlds," Lamp'l says. $49.97; www.scotts.com.

2. TILTERATOR COMPOSTER

Rather than using a small hand-cranked model to aerate homemade compost, who wouldn't want a large bin designed for easy access when mixing? Its panels, made of recycled plastic, collapse, so that the compost can be turned with a shovel or pitchfork. $170; www.tilterator.com.

3. TERRACYCLE GARDEN FERTILIZER

How about a bottle of liquid worm poop? Really. Garbage is fed to red worms whose organic waste is a gourmet meal for plants. The waste is liquefied and packaged in recycled soda bottles. "This is the first company in the world with products made entirely of waste," Lamp'l says. $6.95 for 20-ounce spray, $11.95 for 2-liter refill; www.terracycle.net.

4. ONE-WRAP BUNDLE TIES FROM VELCRO

Great for staking up tomato plants or attaching vines to trellises. The ties, available in green and black, can even be used to bundle hand tools. They also can be reused the next season. Several sizes, $4-$5; www.velcro.com.

5. FISKARS POWER-LEVER EASY REACH PRUNERS

If you've ever pruned a rosebush, you know how easy it is to look like a character from "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" when you're done. Fiskars has come up with pruners for hard-to-reach, dense places, especially for plants that don't require the power of loppers. 15- and 25-inch sizes, $24.99 and $29.99; www.fiskars.com.

6. GREENCURE FUNGICIDE

An organic treatment proved effective with 25 plant diseases and considered a safe alternative to harsh chemicals. Meets USDA's National Organic Program requirements for organic gardening. "It's especially good for fighting powdery mildew," Lamp'l says. 8-ounce size makes 16 gallons. $15.95; www.greencure.net.

7. LONG-HANDLED COBRAHEAD

This long-handled version of the original CobraHead "steel fingernail," which made the must-have list last year, allows you to do precision weeding while standing, instead of kneeling. Just think how much fun you can have pulling those dandelions. $45; www.cobrahead.com.

8. "THE TRUTH ABOUT GARDEN REMEDIES: WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T & WHY"

If you've ever wondered whether home remedies such as beer as fertilizer really work or are just old wives' tales, Jeff Gillman has the answers. He's tested bunches of the theories, and the results are published in this fun and informative new read by Timber Press. $19.95; www.timberpress.com.

9. DUAL-FLO MULTIFUNCTION NOZZLE

Nozzles are a dime a dozen, but this one, Lamp'l says, is the ticket. Its ingenious design allows the user to adjust water supply from a gentle flow to a super-strength power spray with the simple twist of a lever. $19.99; www.choiceproductsinc.com.

10. NELSON REMOTE RAIN

Here's a way to save steps in the garden by using an electronic remote switch to activate sprinklers in faraway places in your yard. Handy for repositioning sprinklers without getting wet, the remote screws on a faucet. Though the manufacturer claims the device, which works much like a garage-door opener, operates at a range of up to 100 feet, Lamp'l says it's more like 50 feet. $39.99, www.lrnelson.com.