Posted on July 3, 2007 in Gardening Gadgets
If you’re getting into gardening as a hobby, let me warn you that you need to invest in a few basic hand tools that will stand you in good stead. These are:
- Pruning shears: Any gardener, no matter whether novice or experienced, needs a good pair of hand clippers, basically for trimming shrubs and rose bushes. Look around for one that’s neither too expensive nor too cheap-but one that’s medium priced and gives good service.
- Shovel: A shovel is an absolute must. You’ll be surprised to find that shovels come in all shapes and sizes, but you’ll need a spade too, for digging and a flat-head shovel to pick up the rubble. These shovels come in all kinds of handle-lengths, but experienced gardeners say it’s best to choose one whose handle is about four feet long. This will do very well for digging in a small patch and for moving dirt better. You could also invest in a child’s shovel, if you have kids. This could enthuse them into getting into gardening at their young age and spend time with you.
- Loppers: Use a pair of loppers to trim rose bushes or cut branches that are an inch in diameter and too thick to be cut with clippers or small shears.
- Rake: The best among rakes are the metallic ones, and though they are slightly more expensive, they really last long. Besides, your work is easier because the metallic teeth stay firm while plastic rakes end up with bent teeth when they rake a large area of leaves.
- Hedge shears: Use hedge shears to trim your shrubs, but remember to buy a long- handled flat-bladed pair of hedge shears so they cut evenly across the hedge. These are best for a vast amount of greenery, otherwise you could just as well use electric shears.
- Tank sprayer: This is a good investment for fertilizing crops and taking out all weeds. And since you can’t completely clean out a tank sprayer, it’s always better to buy separate sprayers for herbicides, fertilizer and insecticides. Choose the size of your sprayer in proportion to your yard size.
- Garden hose: The size of your plot will tell you exactly how long your garden hose should be. Buy a rack or reel to keep your hose pipe in good shape, besides not having kinks that can prevent the flow that is already reduced due to low water pressure in some areas. Besides, the rack or reel will keep your dog from chewing the hose.
- Wheelbarrow: Your wheelbarrow can be of great help in a range of activities such as moving dirt for a new garden bed to mixing concrete for a quick patch-up job. So, you could consider investing in one.
These are but some of the many tools you will definitely require while gardening. But as you gain experience in gardening, your needs will grow and so will your tool kit.
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