"This is my rifle and this is my gun. One is for fighting and one is for fun!" Oh, wait! Wrong rhyme for remembering things, LOL!
Posted on 04/05/2009 6:15:03 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Spring is here, and gardeners soon will be knee-deep in chores.
Before you get ready to tackle any gardening tasks, you probably should take stock of your tools.
There are all sorts of gardening items, but with so many to choose from, where should you begin?
If you already have tools, check whether they're in good, usable condition.
Gardening and landscaping experts suggest buying the best tools you can afford. Why? Think of the adage "You get what you pay for." Quality tools aren't cheap. But when well cared for, a good tool can last a lifetime.
If you need to build a collection of gardening tools and are starting from scratch, assemble a list based on your basic yard duties. That list likely will include digging holes for plants or seeds, weeding and pruning.
Here is a list of tools to get the basics done and tips for caring for, storing and using your tools.
DIGGING, MOVING SOIL
Spade: This tool has a long, narrow head with a pointed tip, which makes it good for digging narrow trenches or pruning roots. Its handle is shorter, which makes it lighter.
Trowel: It's a small, hand-held tool that can be used to dig holes for seeds, seedlings and small plants.
Round-point shovel: The pointed tip makes digging easier and minimizes the amount of bending one has to do. When shopping, look at the shovel's lift, the angle formed between the ground and the handle when the shovel head lies flat on the ground, according to the Sunset Western Garden Book. A shovel with a generous lift means less bending over when digging, something folks with back issues can appreciate.
Square-nose shovel: Shovel heads with a flat edge are not meant for digging, but for moving or scooping loose soil, leaves, gravel, etc., on flat surfaces. Look for a shovel that can hold the largest amount of material you can lift repeatedly.
WEEDING
Hoe: A conventional hoe has a flat front edge that is used to break up soil prior to planting, weeding and other tasks. Hoes specifically used for weeding have heads that come in an assortment of sizes and shapes.
Cultivator: A hand-held tool that typically has a forked tip, it's used to literally pop weeds out of the ground.
PRUNING
Lopper: This tool resembles a hand-held pruner, but has a much longer handle. Loppers range from 1 to 3 feet. A lopper is good for those who might have physical limitations such as arthritis that make using a hand-held pruner difficult.
Hand-held pruning shears: For small tasks such as trimming shrubs, vines or very thin and flexible branches on young trees, this is a must-have for gardeners because of its versatility. Hand-held pruners should not be used on any branch thicker than your pinkie, as to not damage the tool or plant.
Pruning saw: When hand-held pruning shears are too small for a cutting job, use a pruning saw. It can cut branches that are 1 to 5 inches in diameter. Some models can be folded like a Swiss army knife.
Pole pruner: This extendable-handle pruning tool comes in handy when you need a little extra reach for cutting high branches, even when standing on a stepladder. It is most effective on branches with a diameter less than 1 inch.
OTHER MUST-HAVES
Rake: Even if you have a leaf blower, a rake comes in handy for cleaning fallen leaves. Look for one with the largest fan-shaped head you can find. Rakes with metal tines are more durable than plastic.
Spreader: This is used to evenly apply fertilizer or seeds when reseeding a thin lawn.
Knee pads or a kneeling pad: These cushion your knees and keep them clean.
Soil probe: Take the guesswork out of watering. Stick a probe in the ground to determine how dry or moist soil is before watering. That way, you don't water too much or too little.
Soaker hose: Haven't had the time or money to install a drip irrigation system? Consider using a soaker hose, which allows water to seep out through small holes slowly and steadily and delivers water directly to plant, grass and tree roots.
Wheeled cart: Use one to keep all the tools you'll need within arm's reach, so you won't have to go back and forth to the garage or shed. If all you have are a few hand-held tools, a tool belt can do the trick as well.
TOOL-CARE TIPS
Though high-quality garden tools can cost a pretty penny, experts say it's worth spending as much as you can afford on good tools that will hold up under frequent use and last many seasons. So it pays to treat tools with care. Here are some tips to help keep your garden tools in good condition:
• Wash tools after using them. Do not allow caked mud, dirt or debris to sit. Doing so can cause tools to deteriorate or cause damage faster than expected.
• Allow tools to dry completely before storing to prevent rusting and handle rot.
• Rub wood handles with linseed oil several times a year to protect their finish.
• Keep pruning tools and shears sharp. Sharpen only the cutting edge.
• Lubricate tools' moving parts with a light oil, such as WD-40, to keep corrosion at bay.
• Remove rust with a dab of oil.
• Another rust-prevention tip: Store cleaned shovels, hoes and other digging tools in a five-pound bucket filled with builders' sand and a quart of oil. The oily, grainy solution will help prolong your tools' life.
"This is my rifle and this is my gun. One is for fighting and one is for fun!" Oh, wait! Wrong rhyme for remembering things, LOL!
I sure have enjoyed my broadfork and garden weasel. You can’t hardly beat a stirrup hoe for weeding.
“Another rust-prevention tip: Store cleaned shovels, hoes and other digging tools in a five-pound bucket filled with builders’ sand and a quart of oil. The oily, grainy solution will help prolong your tools’ life.”
I’d bet the EPA could and would fine you about 50 gross worth of shovels for this practice, possibly big time, if they found you spilled this on the ground. Sorry, not very smart.
One of the best inventions, ever!
My favorite hand tool is a Korean Hand Plough. I just love it. It's the first tool I reach for, every time. It comes in a long and short handle version. Cuts through the toughest soil like buttah!
Sometimes—the pun is mightier than the sward...
There are lots of types of oils.
You, of all people, would know, LOL! :)
LOL! Happy gardening. I bought a little gardening starter kit that has little disc plugs that you seed, water and they expand. Cover them with a little dirt and let them grow inside the house till it’s time for transplanting in July :-)
What’s a good vegetable that will grow in the shade and produce a decent amount of product in a small space?
Can tomatoes grow decently under those circumstances?
Yep. Whenever I get depressed about Spring not coming fast enough down here...I think of you, LOL!
Is there still snow on *Secret Locater Code* Mountain? I’ve hiked that in the summer, but have never skied there.
I plant my tomatoes in partial shade. But we have pretty intense heat/sun in the summer. They get early morning and mid day sun only. Last year, they were over 7ft tall and I had plenty of fruit.
Sorry. Food production demands 8-10 hours of sun. Plants won’t flower and fruit without sun. It’s not MY rule; it’s Mother Nature’s.
In the heat of the summer you can grow some herbs (cilantro, chives, parsley), lettuces and peas and other ‘spring’ veggies in PARTIAL shade...if it’s not real humid where you live and not above 80 degrees for long stretches of time.
I know. Everyone wants flowers and food in the shade. It can’t be done with much, if any success.
I advise my customers who have very shady yards to ‘plant’ some pea gravel, a nice bench, a bird feeder and a bird bath. ;) You can have color and texture in a shady spot...hydrangea, hosta, astilbe, tiarella, huchera, etc. and it can be quite stunning...but veggies? Nope. :(
Or, move. Or go to the local Farmers Market each Saturday morning to buy produce. Or cut down your mature trees, or talk your neighbors into cutting down their mature trees that are blocking your sunlight!
Funny. Those never seem to be an option, LOL!
(And after years of full sun and endless food production for my family and for profit...I ENVY your shade!)
I know that, and you know that. But reality is not relevant. Nor is the half-used bottle of canola oil you show the inspector.
The day that some bureaucratic *#&$^%^ comes to your house or farm and cites you for spilling hydrocarbons, potentially polluting the water table, forcing you to spend thousands of dollars on a phase I assessment or even remediation of your land to prove that you didn’t spill any hydrocarbons, you will hate life. In fact, they do not have to even come to your property. All they have to do is to send you a letter implying their suspicion of groundwater pollution occurring on your land and your property becomes effectively unsalable. I do not exaggerate. You could have an employee or even an acquiantance who gets into some piece of heartburn with you and decides to blab to the town.
In California, the Polanco act is used to bludgeon property owners into performing these tests and/or remediations and is absolutely brutal, because it has very short time-to-perform limitations (60-90-120 days) that are typically less than the amount of time it takes to perform and write up such tests in the real world. I am very familiar with the instance cited at the posted link wrt Emeryville, because I know very well an attorney engaged in the litigation. The town, in collusion with a developer, had their eye on a particular cluster of parcels. They merely had to send on city letterhead to the property owners, a letter that they “suspected” the subject properties may be contaminated AND THEY WERE TOAST. The properties immediately became effectively unsalable, because those suspicions became mandatory disclosures. No testing, no certification, no nothing except a piece of city letterhead and a stamp. Total cost: Under $10 to the city. Total loss in property values to the owners: At least $10 million. It is a backdoor method of eminent domain seizure. In the case I am familiar with, a $3 million property (housing a nice high-tech business and performing very well as a rental for the owners) the city wanted to redevelop was declared “potentially polluted” and subsequently razed, with the owners offered about $200K, which was the estimated yield on sale after remediation of the suspected pollution.
Don’t think it can happen? Forget not the fourth branch of government, my FRiend, the administrative branch. You and I may rail on about Dodd and Frank and Pelosi, but I will assure you that your local building or health & safety inspector can make your life absolute hell far worse than your congressperson, should they find good reason.
Oh, and tell me where you live (just the state and which part) or what USDA Growing Zone you are in...maybe, just MAYBE there will be something that will work. I’m so used to gardening in the Midwest, that maybe there’s something I’ve overlooked for your situation. :)
I’m here in Pittsburgh
I don’t know. I don’t even look in my back yard anymore for fear of seeing the rodent body pile from the neighborhood cats.
L
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