How To - buy basic garden tools

[canesisters]

Here's another of those 'for beginers' threads.

I was weeding in my garden last night and was using my little shovel thing to cut roots so I could get some of the bigger clods up. I don't know how many times I had to un-bend that cheap little thing! From the same 'kit' was one of the little rake things. I was using it this weekend to break up the soil when I re-did the hosta bed and the handle came off!
SO - although I'm not really a believer in the 'if it costs more it MUST be better' school of thought - I'm pretty sure that the 'garden kit' that I picked up at Dollar General for $5 was NOT top of the line.

First things first - what are the got to have basic garden tools that you would not even try to garden without?
What are they called and how do you use them?

If you had to buy a new one, what would you look for to know that you were getting a good one?

Do you have a favorite little gizmo that was probably meant for something else but you use it in the garden because it works perfectly for some special task?

 

[seedcorn]

Great topic.

I was taught to buy a hoe that is one solid metal piece with quality wood. Bought mine 35 years ago, it's still good. Those 2 piece will fall apart first time you really use it.

I haven't found any small hand tools I'm happy with--yet.

 

[bj taylor]

I like the topic too. my mind set is I buy the best I can afford. my list of tools is
* 5 gal bucket - it carries everything, holds water, holds weeds.
* several pairs of good leather gloves
* a large brim garden hat
* a large serrated blade kitchen knife with pointed end (good for cutting tap roots of weeds & digging out deeply rooted weeds)
* a garden fork. I've had several & they all ultimately bend. now I have one I found that is old, ugly, but never bends
* a pencil for planting onions
* a hoe - I don't use it much, but sometimes, it's the right tool
* a sawsall (sp?) cuts branches & small trees ( i'm afraid of a chainsaw)
* a thingy hand tool that's shaped like a scycle & heavy duty - great for transplanting small to medium plants.
* a scuffle hoe - works great for weeding in the beds where I have gravel for mulch
* I almost forgot - a little bitty one step stool that folds up. I sit on it for millions of tasks where I need to be down low (down low is getting more challenging for me)
* fiskars bypass clippers. I think it is a good brand.

my most hated tool by far is the pick. no, wait, it might be the water hose

 

[catjac1975]

We made a big score on craig's list. We got a ton of stuff for $100 -people were relocating. The large metal wheelbarrow alone was worth close to a hundred.-brush cutter, rakes, shovels, hoses, hand tools, watering cans. I know there was much more that I have forgotten.

 

[seedcorn]

We made a big score on craig's list. We got a ton of stuff for $100 -people were relocating. The large metal wheelbarrow alone was worth close to a hundred.-brush cutter, rakes, shovels, hoses, hand tools, watering cans. I know there was much more that I have forgotten.

Great idea, need to start looking

 

[digitS']

I just unloaded the tools I took to the garden today:

Spading fork. I really much prefer the long-handled ones and have even bought the D-handles and changed them. I think the long-handles may be becoming more popular. I was having a little trouble finding them for awhile. The D-handle may be okay for you if you are short but DW is short and also prefers one with a long-handle.
4-prong cultivator. I have actually substituted a "muck rake" during the last couple of years. I want a good-quality 4-prong cultivator. Once again - long-handle, altho' I have and use a little 3-prong cultivator meant for 1 hand use.
Garden rake. Not one for raking gravel or leaves. Not one that is very wide. I use it for things that probably it wasn't intended for. It gets more of a workout than the cultivator.
Spade. A #2 spade. Nothing special, just your basic earth-moving tool.

When I am sitting out there on my upside-down milk crate and weeding - I like to use what I guess is called a Nejiri Gama hand hoe.

Steve

 

[897tgigvib]

You need a good regular shovel. Slightly kind of pointed, should look like the main part is made of iron. The handle can be a good stout wood or that new heavy fiberglass. The handle should be full length, just about tall as a person.

A flat shovel is also good to have. The bottom of it is straight across. It is for shoveling stuff that is already loose from one place to another. Holds about 50 percent more.

A decent small hoe is lightweight yet strong, also made of iron. being small does not weigh much, you can use it a good long while. Full length handle.

A large hoe has a heavy wood handle. The hoe head is 3 times the size of the small hoe, and is heavy iron. It'll really whack through soil with a full follow through hit. This is one of the human rototilling tools.

An adze. These have a shorter handle, half length, and is of very stout wood. The head is a heavy long pick axe on one side. That busts up the hardest clay. The other side of the head is like an extra long hoe. The adze head is solid heavy iron. The adze is the other human rototill tool.

Nice lightweight wide plastic leaf rake.

Smaller springy metal leaf rake

Wheelbarrow

Two 5 gallon buckets

Hammer, should be made by vaughan

Hatchet

Pruning shears. felco or fiskar, scissor type.

Heavy duty scissors

4 foot ladder

sharpie felt pens, carpenter pencil

good sharp knife

***purchase none of these items at a dollar store***

most of the above will last a lifetime. scissors only a couple years. you may not need all the above. I've had no adze since 1993 or so. I miss having it and the big hoe. The rakes last 2 or 3 years. Maybe longer for others. I tend to wipe rakes out.

Pitch fork is a nice addition i just got. Never get a cheapy plastic one. Iron, long handle.

Probably more things...

 

[897tgigvib]

Other less basic tools:

Stihl brand leaf blower

Small stihl 180c chainsaw

Lawn tractor and wagon

and then the consumables:

large roll of garden twine

green plastic garden tape with no adhesive on it

1 x 2 eight foot stakes

 

[digitS']

Probably something you won't need is a stainless steel shovel or rake costing $125.

I have to buy a new rake. It is just worn out - Marshall mentioned "human rototiller tools" - that is really what I think of, or used to, when I use that rake for some tasks. It is really quite surprising that I haven't broke the handle.

The handle is still intact. The teeth are worn down too short! How long have I had this rake that I've abused so unmercifully? I can't remember. I know it is over 20 years and it may be over 35.

Don't get a grubbing hoe. (You can evaluate Marshall's adze for yourself.) I know my grubbing hoe is over 35 years old. I'm not going to wear it out. Not going to use it either . Way too heavy! I can think of other useless tools that I have bought but I'm already off-topic .

Steve

 

[canesisters]

Good stuff - thanks yall.

Ha ha Marshall - " ***purchase none of these items at a dollar store*** "

You know those plastic totes with the rope handles? Well I've got a mini one - probably 5gals . It's perfect for collecting weeks in, hauling water, gathering up (broken) hand tools, etc. The chickens have learned that when they see me go in the garden with The Big Blue Bucket they are about to get a pile of weeds to work on. They line up along the fence like a little cheering squad. Oh, by the way, got it at the Dollar Store.
I've got shovels and rakes - old but still sturdy.
Got the big long pitchfork with the round tines and a short one with flat tines. The flat-tine one insists having one tine that needs to be un-bended every 4th or 5th time it goes in the ground.
Got a hoe with a flat edge and one with a pointy edge. What's the purpose of these?? And why are they different? Seems that if I want to hoe a small area I could just use the corner of the flat one??
Got one of those big things with a mega-hoe on one side and a pick on the other - can't imagine when I'd be desperate enough to swing it for very long.

Digits, can you describe the 4-prong cultivator? Sounds like a bigger version of the little rake thing that came with my 'garden tool kit'. And the spading fork, is that what I'm calling a little pitchfork with flat tines? :tools

Does anyone have any hand tools that they like?