So you want to garden? Before you run out and buy a hundred different tools, consider this:
I use these all the time and couldn’t garden without them:
- A metal rake (sometimes called a bow rake) – not the kind you rake leaves with
- A digging fork (kind of like a pitch fork put with heavy, flat tines – not long skinny round ones)
- A skinny hand trowel, no more than 2-3″ wide and about 6″ long
On occasion, I find a use for:
- A widger, for indoor gardening and transplanting
- A long-handled shovel, though I often ditch it in favor of the digging fork
- A colinear hoe, which has a sharp blade that skims under the surface of the dirt to cut off weeds
- A 3-tined cultivator…but I think I use it because I have it, not because it’s very necessary.
These sit patiently on the tool rack, wondering if I’ll ever use them again:
- Seeder
- Three-tined hand fork
- Garden Weasel
I’ve never bothered to buy:
- Rototiller
- Specialized weeding tools
I also recently got a wheelbarrow, and wonder how I ever got along without it. YMMV.
onestraw said,
February 1, 2008 at 8:11 pm
Great list!
The best place online I have found to buy really good tools is at Earth Tools. they primarily sell high end rototillers, but they also stock heirloom quality forged hand tools. A little pricey, but if you are hard on tools or just appreciate good craftsmanship they are worth it. I have found the improved design significantly reduces fatigue and with a little care they will last forever.
http://www.earthtoolsbcs.com/html/dw_spades.html
Keengardener said,
May 28, 2008 at 6:25 am
A good list which does highlight the tools most commonly used. A few more to add is a good shovel, hand trowel and a good long hose. When you purchase any tools it always makes sense to buy quality. Quality tools will last you alot longer and help make the jobs alot more easier.