Garden tools. (Courtesy: Duanes Mind at flickr.com)
All gardens are not the same. There are different types of gardens and the one you decide to have on your property is a subjective decision that could be influenced by the surrounding environment. The choices include:
· Vegetable Gardens
· Raised Bed Gardens
· Flower Beds
· Apartment Gardens
Regardless what style of garden you choose, you will need the proper tools to maintain it. Here are some suggestions for tools you should have ready in the garage or the shed to cultivate the style of garden you are raising.
Depending on the size of your property, a vegetable garden can be large and include a wide assortment of vegetables from tomatoes to lettuce or small with just a few of your favorites.
If you are lucky enough to have a large property and thus a large vegetable garden, then garden counselors suggest that your tools should feature longer handles. The reason, they say, is that you won’t have to bend down to tend the garden and longer handle tools permit gardeners to work more area at once, which saves time in the long run.
Obviously, you don’t want the tools to be so weak and fragile that they could break. Tools that you consider buying should include thick carbon or stainless steel bodies.
Of course, you will need a digging tool. That should include a digging fork, a spade, and a hoe. The fork is ideal for breaking up and turning the soil, aeration and mixing nutrients into the soil. The digging spade can do the same, but it is also ideal for edging. A hoe will prove ideal for assisting you to pull out weeds. Hoes feature different head shapes including diamond shaped, Dutch, scuffle, oscillating, action, stirrup, half moon and heart-shaped hoes. You can select a hoe that feels most comfortable to you. However, many gardeners are known to have several styles of digging holes for different tasks from weeding and planting to cleaning up between rows of crops. These types of hoes can also be turned on their edge to serve as a seed-furrowing tool. A trowel would handle your planting needs.
A garden rake can prove efficient when you need to level the ground and clear out debris from the soil. Smaller tools that help you perform more specific tasks are also good to have in your inventory.
Cutting tools are also essential. A pruner will help you care for specific flowers and shrubs, a Hori Hori knife is good for light digging, weeding, planting, and other activity. If you have small trees and bushes on your property, a lopper or pruning saw would be great for cutting off dead branches.
Of course, you will need some kind of item that can move heavy loads like a small tree for planting or other heavy things related to gardening. A wheelbarrow or garden cart would prove ideal.
Those of you who live in a townhouse or apartment may want to garden on a balcony or will want to grow plants in pots or hanging baskets inside. Obviously, the larger tools would not suffice. However, the smaller tools like a trowel, garden knife and pruner would work out well. Other tools you might want to include are a soil scoop for moving soil from a bag to a pot or basket and a watering can.
