Gardening, like most other avocations, requires special tools, and the rule-of-green-thumb is ”buy sturdy equipment from the start.”
Most lightweight tools, advertised as ”designed for women,” are lady-killers. The lighter the equipment, the more muscle needed, unless the lightweight tools are designed to provide perfect balance, have sharp edges
(capable of being resharpened) and a coating for quick cleaning.
Whether you plan a small vegetable garden or a posy patch, there are a few tools that must hang in the garden shed and a few that, while not absolutely necessary, will make gardening easier.
Beginners can plan on spending $100 to $125. But almost all equipment, if choosen carefully, should last a lifetime if wiped clean after each use.
Here are some musts for the beginning gardener:
– Soil testing kit. These kits are sold at almost any garden supply center and are easy to use and accurate if directions are followed carefully. Kits start at $7 and contain enough material for several tests.
– A shovel for general digging should have a long, strong handle (wood or fiber glass). The metal shank of the head should come up the handle and be attached firmly (usually riveted). The cutting edge should be rounded to a sharp point and steel that can be sharpened. Prices are about $5 to $25.
– Hoe heads range from 1 inch (English weeding hoe) to 6 inches across the cutting face. Three to 4 inches is optimum; the cutting edge should be on the top surface. The wood handle should fit snugly into the shank and be attached firmly. Prices range from $5 to $35.
– Gardening rakes are metal (bamboo or metal fan-shaped ones are leaf rakes). The steel head should be between 1 and 2 feet wide and 3 to 4 inches deep. The tines should curve in slightly and closely set (not more than 2 inches apart is best). The top of the rake head should be heavy so it can be turned toward the soil and used to break up clods. The wood handles should fit snugly into the shank and be secured firmly. Rakes range from $6 to $30.
– Files for sharpening tools range from $2 to $12.
– Hoses vary in weight and length. The length needed is affected by the nearest water source. Rubber hoses range from $8.95 to $22.95 for 50 feet;
plastic, from $3 to $15.
– Sprinkling cans are an alternative and a supplement to hoses. Plastic ones (depending on size and quality) vary from $3 to $15; galvanized metal ones start at $6 and go up. Consider plastic; it usually will not be damaged by chemicals.
– Trowels and dibbles come in many sizes and shapes. A trowel is a small hand tool for planting and digging. The metal or plastic head is 6 to 10 inches long and slightly curved, ending in a pointed oval cutting edge. Prices vary from 99 cents to $15. Dibbles usually have T-shaped handles that fit into the pointed, cylindrical tool head used for planting. Prices are $4 to $15.
– Fertilizer is usually required on new planting areas. Slow-release kinds are generally three times more expensive than garden or agricultural granular types. The formula should be chosen according to the results of the soil test and should be applied according to the directions on the package;
more is not better and overly stimulated plants will succumb quickly.
– A sprayer, whether hose-end, small hand pump or power sprayer, is a necessity. Most garden pest controls come in pressurized containers, but they are small and expensive. Whether you are an organic gardener using soapsuds or garlic for pest control or a typical gardener using other pest controls to maintain crops, a sprayer is handy. They range from $5 up, and between $40 and $100 for a tank-type.
– Seed packets once provided the least expensive source of plants; they still do if many of a given variety are needed. But such fruits and vegetables as tomatoes, squash, melons and cucumbers, where few plants are required, usually can be obtained pre-started for less.
