Sunday, March 23

Tools of the Trade

Basic equipment for every garden

The right tool can make even the toughest gardening job easier.

They say civilization began when a nomadic hunter-gatherer picked up a sharp stick, turned the soil and planted seeds. The civilized among us have been coming up with more and better tools for gardening ever since -- so many, in fact, it's downright baffling for beginners to know exactly what tools they need to get started. Since my tool organization article appeared in this column last month, I've gotten a lot of requests for answers to that question. So here is a list of must-have garden tools, some nice-to-have extras and some things to consider when purchasing them.

Digging Must-Haves

• Spading fork is used for opening up heavy or compacted soil, lifting or separating plants.
• Round tip shovel for digging large holes. Select models with wide upper rims that are easier on the foot and a welded steel blade.
• Flat-tip spade for cutting sod and making clean edges.

Digging Nice-to-Haves

• Square point shovel or scoop for moving materials. Larger plastic scoops are practically indestructible, but don't get one that can carry more than you can safely lift.
• "Shrake" is a shovel with a grid in the blade to sieve soil from larger stones, mulch and debris.
  

Raking Must-Haves

• Leaf rake with metal, plastic or bamboo tines. Springier tines flex and make better ground contact with less effort.
• Garden bow rake with metal tines for breaking up clods and smoothing soil.

Raking Nice-To-Haves

• Ten-inch narrow leaf rake gets into tight spaces around plants without damaging them.
• Aluminum landscaper's rake has longer, wide-set tines for raking leaves, spreading seed and a large strike plate on to for smoothing and leveling soil.
  

Pruning Must-Haves

• Hand pruners will become one of your most-used maintenance tools. They come in a huge variety of styles and every price range. Buy the best you can afford, but thoroughly try them before you commit.
• Loppers deal with larger shrub and tree branches over one-inch-in-diameter. Longer handles give you better leverage; ratchet-action jaws take smaller, easier bites.
• Pruning saw can reach where large saws can't go and take on branches up to three inches in diameter. Get one with triangular, laser-ground, non-clogging teeth and a folding blade for safety.

Pruning Nice-to-Haves

• Fruit pruner has short, needle-nosed blades that let you get in close for deadheading and cutting flowers.
• 24-inch bow saw will cut larger branches quickly with less effort. Branches larger than six inches-in-diameter, and any growing higher than you can reach with a stepladder, should be handled by a professional arborist.
  

Planting/Weeding/Cultivating Must-Haves

• Hand trowel, "claw" cultivator and hand weeder are the holy trinity of hand tools. They let you make precision planting holes, gently cultivate and weed in between plants. Choose lightweight, one-piece aluminum alloy tools that will last a lifetime, but thoroughly test any "ergonomic" designs to be sure they work for you. Some create more problems than they solve.

Planting/Weeding/Cultivating Nice-To-Haves

• Hori-Hori is an all around tool that digs, cuts, weeds, scrapes and saws. I use this tool more than any other in the spring and fall.
• Compact D-handle shovel is the ideal compromise between a large shovel and a trowel. The 20-inch handle lets me dig deep and fast while kneeling or working in close quarters.
  

Watering Must-Haves

• Galvanized watering can is durable and ornamental. Some chemicals can corrode them, though. Get the largest you can easily carry and manipulate when it's full of water. Make sure it has a sprinkling head that softens the water flow to keep from disturbing seeds or eroding the soil.
• Garden hose goes without saying. But a PVC, rubber or vinyl/rubber composite resists kinking and stands up to pressure better than a pure vinyl model and saves a lot of frustration. Attach a good quality metal spray nozzle that has a "blast" setting and a couple of gentle watering options.

Watering Nice-To-Haves

• Watering timer will let you program when irrigation goes on and off. Great for water-restricted areas. Electronic models can be set for complex schedules. Simpler mechanical timers are turned on by hand and turn off when water has flowed through them for a certain time.
• Quick-connectors attached to faucets and all your hoses and watering tools are a great convenience. Get solid brass construction that protects the hose ends and won't wear out.

Hauling Must-Haves

• Wheelbarrow can be your best friend or a nemesis. Properly loaded and used, it will save your back and increase your productivity. Poorly operated it can be downright dangerous. The four-cubic-foot-capacity models are light, easy to maneuver and adequate for most garden applications.

Hauling Nice-To-Haves

• Dumping multi-cart is perfect for heavy items like trees and landscaping stones. You tip the cart forward and move the item into it rather than lifting over the side. Wide set 16-inch tires carry the load without you lifting it, and move easily over rough ground.
• Finally, gloves for protecting hands from blisters and soil-born germs.

Depending on your specific kind of gardening, you'll be adding to this list as time goes by. Vegetable gardeners will want other cultivation items such as hoes and perhaps sprayers. A formal hedge will need hand or electric hedge clippers. Lawns will need a mower, of course, and a spreader, plus more precise irrigation.

I always say buy the best quality you can afford for the basics, but for some items you just want to try out, think about garage sales, second-hand stores and estate sales. If you find the tool is invaluable, you can invest in a top quality version for the future. You can also purchase tools in the off season when prices are lowest.

Active in the horticultural industry since 1994, Glen O. Seibert is a former editor for Garden Gate magazine and now works as a writer, landscape designer and self-professed "gardening media mogul."