There are all types of gadgets on the market that claim to make gardening easier, even though some of them work better than others. I am, of course, looking at that syringe thingy that’s supposed to inject tiny seeds but only falls apart when you try to work it.
But there are garden tools that are simply must haves, at least for this gardener. Without further ado, here are five of my most useful garden tools:
Wheelbarrow
If you have a rather large property to take care of, a wheelbarrow is a must. Even if you have a smallish garden just beneath your living room window, even a small wheelbarrow can be worth your while. Nothing beats it for moving heavy bags of soil and unwieldy tools from one place to another.
Rose Gauntlets
These are heavy duty gloves made of split cowhide or goat skin that are made for handling roses, most types of which have thorns. If you are like me and have brambles to remove from your property, these gloves can’t be beat.
Rose gauntlets have specially reinforced palms and fingers that few types of thorns and prickles can get through, and a good pair covers much of your arm and can come almost up to your elbows.
Garden Hose
A garden hose is so essential that it’s almost overlooked, but imagine if you had to fill up bucket after bucket of water and carry it all around your garden to feed your plants or even your lawn. It would be either that or wait for a good, soaking rain.
Buy a hose that’s only as long as you need because the water pressure goes down the longer the hose is. Rubber hoses are the best, though they’re more expensive than hoses made of vinyl. They tend not to kink up as much or crack, and the sun’s UV rays take a long time to damage it.
Trowel
A hand trowel is a multipurpose tool that can be used for digging holes for bulbs, transplanting seedlings, weeding, filling pots with soil or adding fertilizer.
Some types of trowels have toothed edges that make short work of weed roots, while others have gradations that tell you how deep you’re digging. Good ones have scoops made of stainless steel or, carbon steel or aluminum and have big handles that are comfortable to hold.
Pruning Shears
Pruning shears are just the thing when you need to snip off that dead, diseased or crisscrossing branch on that shrub or tree or remove that non-productive branch on your tomato plant.
There are two basic kinds of pruners. In bypass pruners, the bill and the blade work like your pair of scissors, and with an anvil pruner the blade strikes a metal plate. Use bypass pruners for clean cuts on living material, and use anvil pruners on dead branches which a bypass pruner might crush.
Now, your mileage may vary, but these tools are things that I’ve decided I can’t do without. They make working around my little plot ever so much easier and ever so much fun.Learn more about gardening fun facts Make sure to buy the best tools you can afford. Click here to get to know about the best time of year to start a garden.