Tools for the Home Gardener

Every gardener knows that a good garden tool is only worth the purchase if it does what it is designed to do while it feels good to use it.

Three rules when purchasing an item for your tool shed:

1. Will the new tool be of any value?
2. Are you only purchasing it because it looks good?
3. Have you been got at by advertising?

The following is a list of the necessary tools that are needed to establish and maintain a garden.

Shovel or long handled spade
For the initial digging of the beds, cleaning the paths and planting trees.

I have both a long handled spade and shovel.

The spade I use for digging the garden beds as it has a straighter blade which allows me to push it vertically into the soil while the square end does not leave 'blind' spots.

The shovel I use for the initial digging of a plot and for digging post holes.

I had a look at both long and short handled spades and shovels before I purchased them and chose the long handled ones as they eliminated a certain amount of bending while being used.

The spade and the shovel are both different to use and of the two the shovel is easiest and although you can do everything with a shovel a spade will have its uses.

Fork
A fork is ideal for the harvesting of potatoes and root crops. Make sure that the fork you buy is up to the task.

There are more shoddy forks on the market than there are good ones so make sure you shop around and get a good one. When looking at a fork pick it up by the tines and squeeze them together, if they bend and stay bent put the fork back on the rack.

Tine cultivator
This is an invaluable tool and is used for initial seed bed preparation and cultivating between the rows of plants. A five tine cultivator is the best and preferably one that the two outside tines can be detached for work in narrow spaces.

My tine cultivator is made by Wolf of Germany and is the best I have ever had.

Draw hoe
The best of the hoes for cutting weeds off below the soils surface.

My draw hoe is also made by Wolf and uses the same handle as the tine cultivator. With a blade both front and back it is ideal for cutting weeds off below ground level.

Rake
Used for preparing the seed bed.

Get a solid rake, the heavier the better with good solid tines and a flat back as it is good to be able to turn the rake over and use it to level areas in readiness for sowing.

Dutch hoe
Ideal for light cultivation and weeding.

Not the most used of my tools but it does come in handy especially for making the furrows for planting peas and beans. Ideal also for mounding potatoes

Thinning hoe
This hoe is used for the weeding close to established plants.

These hoes are not well known by a lot of gardeners and may take some getting used to.

I like mine as it is so simple and it is a tool that can be used to cultivate and weed without too much effort. I usually leave mine hanging on one of the trellises in the garden so it is always handy.

In addition to the above list you will need to add a selection of the following depending on your needs.

Wheel barrow
Choose carefully! Solid tyres are good for the small gardens and light loads while inflatable tyres are good for more rugged use. There is a vast range to choose from and those with tough plastic bowls or non metal bowls certainly deserve to be looked at.

Watering can
Preferably a stout one made from galvanised metal or tough plastic. Also make sure that it has a sprinkler head that is a good fit but can be detached.

Trowel
A good trowel must be strong and be made of a material that can be easily cleaned and will not rust. There are several on the market made from either stainless steel or a plastic type material.

Wooden boxes
These will be used to store harvested produce such as onions and potatoes in. A good wooden box is hard to come by now days but several will be invaluable to the serious gardener.

Seed caddy
These are normally sold in the discount stores as tool containers. They are made of plastic, have an open top with a full length handle. They are ideal for carrying packets of seeds and the other little nick nacks you will accumulate.