Buff Shallots
Garden Ornament
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2007
- Messages
- 218
- Reaction score
- 8
- Points
- 94
Felco pruners (#6 size) WITH HOLSTER. I don't go out without them hanging on my hip!
Tools
- Thread starter Wildsky
- Start date
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
Mostly people who don't actually garden much, I strongly suspect
Pat
Reinbeau
Deeply Rooted
I love my spading fork, it doesn't bend when it hits the rocks, and we have plenty of rocks to hit! I've also got a soil knife I keep right on my hip, it'll dig out dandilions I don't want there, weeds, small holes to transplant into, cut through tough roots, etc. A nursery trowel, none of the folded cheap jobs for me, and my #7 Felcos.
I do like those plastic trugs for collecting weeds for the compost pile, I've got an assortment of spades and shovels, and my Smart Cart, that I waited years to afford, it's one of the best large investments I've ever made in my garden.
I did just start using a Cobrahead weeder, that's a cool tool to have around, too.
The best pants I have for gardening are made by Sorrel, I bought two pairs, but they don't seem to be marketing them down here anymore, I bought them up at Kittery Trading Post. They're great, they've got pockets all over them, one specifically for your Felcos, another holds the above mentioned soil knife.
I do like those plastic trugs for collecting weeds for the compost pile, I've got an assortment of spades and shovels, and my Smart Cart, that I waited years to afford, it's one of the best large investments I've ever made in my garden.
I did just start using a Cobrahead weeder, that's a cool tool to have around, too.
The best pants I have for gardening are made by Sorrel, I bought two pairs, but they don't seem to be marketing them down here anymore, I bought them up at Kittery Trading Post. They're great, they've got pockets all over them, one specifically for your Felcos, another holds the above mentioned soil knife.
Buff Shallots
Garden Ornament
- Joined
- Nov 21, 2007
- Messages
- 218
- Reaction score
- 8
- Points
- 94
Reinbeau Ann, I just Googled Smart Cart, and now I'm sorry that I already have a wheelbarrow (the old fashioned kind)! I bet that's perfect for hauling chicken coop shavings too...
Rio_Lindo_AZ
Deeply Rooted
there is an old fashon kind? I thought they were all the same!Buff Shallots said:
_________________________
Reinbeau
Deeply Rooted
Yea, Smart Carts are really nice, they haul heavy loads and maneuver them very well, plus they hold lots of leaves when you're raking and make it easy to haul them to the compost pile. They're pricey, though, I think I paid $280 for mine, it was a show special at the New England Flower Show. I know that sounds like a lot, but if you've ever used one you'll understand why I (and others) like them so much. I do believe they started out life in a stable, for mucking out stalls, so Buff, they'd be great for chicken poo!
Rosalind
Deeply Rooted
A good heavy pick. We have lots of rocks and tree roots from weed trees. Some of our soil is so clayey that it laughs at a normal shovel. The parts of the soil that are really good are full of tree roots and "ornamental" rocks placed there by some guy who wanted a rock garden instead of a retaining wall. I can't get a fork through the parts of the clay I am trying to improve, it's just not gonna happen, so if I decide for whatever reason I need to dig, I get the trusty pick. Makes short work of planting trees and bushes, too.
Rake. For the reasons mentioned above, digging is often not a good choice, and I am trying to do no-dig methods instead. For that I need a couple of rakes, both the short-tined one to spread chicken litter and compost, and the leaf rake to rake the leaves off the rest of the yard and into the garden.
Long-handled pruning snips for tree branches. These are not just for trees--they are also for hacking out vines of poison ivy that I wish to stay as far away from as possible. Also handy for taming the insane thicket of lilac and forsythia in my side yard.
Rake. For the reasons mentioned above, digging is often not a good choice, and I am trying to do no-dig methods instead. For that I need a couple of rakes, both the short-tined one to spread chicken litter and compost, and the leaf rake to rake the leaves off the rest of the yard and into the garden.
Long-handled pruning snips for tree branches. These are not just for trees--they are also for hacking out vines of poison ivy that I wish to stay as far away from as possible. Also handy for taming the insane thicket of lilac and forsythia in my side yard.
Hencackle
Garden Ornament
I have a bunch of tools, some hand-me-downs and some new but, the 4 things I can't do without are: large buckets, gloves, a kneeling pad, and a great hand cultivator. I've had this cultivator so long that brand name was rubbed off and the tines are shorter! Luckily, the owner of a garden center remembered the name of the company and I ordered 2! Great shipping too, I placed my order on Monday and I got them in today's mail (Thursday). It's a German company, called Wolf Garten. Wolf Garten's hand cultivator
Why do I like this cultivator so much? It's lightweight, the tines are set closer together and if you flip it over, the metal strap can be used like a small stirrup hoe to slice weed seedlings at the roots. This is what I use in the raised beds and in tight areas where my regular hoe is too large.
Why do I like this cultivator so much? It's lightweight, the tines are set closer together and if you flip it over, the metal strap can be used like a small stirrup hoe to slice weed seedlings at the roots. This is what I use in the raised beds and in tight areas where my regular hoe is too large.
digitS'
Garden Master
Hencackle, that's a good looking hand cultivator. I probably shouldn't let my wife see it altho' the prices are good. She likes the little hand tools and then loses them 
.
Some of the other cultivators are identified: BEM, BAM, BOM! Maybe these guys didn't intend these to be names
!?!
I wish long-handled spading forks were more common. I have no idea why they aren't. But as with this company's tool head offerings, one can buy handles separately.
Steve
.Some of the other cultivators are identified: BEM, BAM, BOM! Maybe these guys didn't intend these to be names
!?!I wish long-handled spading forks were more common. I have no idea why they aren't. But as with this company's tool head offerings, one can buy handles separately.
Steve
Hencackle
Garden Ornament
What is it with short-handled spading forks? I want one with a long handle and sturdy tines that don't warp. My garden has already killed 2 cheap garden forks and is ready for a next victim :/...DH told me that I might have to buy one of those expensive high-falutin' garden forks, the ones from Lowes haven't held up well.
Regarding Wolf Garten--I like the idea of interchangeable tool heads and handles. The man that owns the garden center is from Holland and he has brought some fresh perspectives and new ideas for gardeners in my area. Otherwise, white painted tires would be the only container for flowers! Some people still use 'em! 
Has anybody here used a broadfork before? Do you like it?
Regarding Wolf Garten--I like the idea of interchangeable tool heads and handles. The man that owns the garden center is from Holland and he has brought some fresh perspectives and new ideas for gardeners in my area. Otherwise, white painted tires would be the only container for flowers!
Some people still use 'em! Has anybody here used a broadfork before? Do you like it?
