Tools

[Wildsky]

What tools do you use in the garden MOST often, or which tools could you not live without (and why?)

As I'm starting out - I don't want to buy things I don't need or won't use very much. And I might not know about or have seen your favorite tool..... I might NEED it and not KNOW it yet!

THANKS!!
Cheryl
:coolsun

 

[silkiechicken]

I have a regular old wood handle rusty shovel... that is what I use the most year round.

Edit: Reason being, it is what I have access to.

 

[patandchickens]

1) big lightweight container - plastic muck bucket or whatever - for carrying weeded-out weeds to chickens, mulch to beds, etc. I have a bunch of various ones, stashed all hither and yon.

2) trusty serrated-edge bread knife. No foolin'. This is by far my favorite and most-used tool, for weeding, deadheading, light pruning, edging, and stripping off turf. Get one from thrift store for 79 cents. Make sure it has a scalloped edge.

3) good quality pointed shovel

Two other things I would prefer not to be without, but that are less important than the above, are a strong STAINLESS STEEL trowel (none of this brittle fat-edged aluminum cr*p) and a sturdy large-capacity plastic-tub wheelbarrow. A good sturdy garden fork is quite handy once a year or so, too. Buy at an auction and save


Pat

 

[Wildsky]

Cool - I think I can dig most of that stuff up in the garage... I just don't have a wheelbarrow - I DO have a much bucket and cart - so I could use that if needed......
I have a little wagon thing, thats pretty big (metal) it gets pulled behind the four wheeler.....

 

[patandchickens]

Don't know what things are like out your way, but around here there's usually a couple farm auctions per year, plus the local auction house does 2x/yearly "lawn, garden and tool" auctions in-house. If you can attend something like that, it can be a good place to pick up solid useful items. Just make sure you inspect 'em before the auctioneer starts selling 'em, and know what full retail would be

Some of my best workhorse stuff came that way, for like $2. Can't beat it with a stick

Pat

 

[Rio_Lindo_AZ]

I always, always use my tillier. Wether I'm making compost, or sowing seeds, the tiller is always in my hand :tools

 

[nightshade]

LOL I am one of those that thinks you can never have enough tools. I can't go to a yard sale, flea market or auction with out bring another tool home.

Okay but seriously my favs are a good spade shovel, huge wheel barrow(or 2, 5 gal buckets depending on what I am doing) A three pronged digger, since I do it all by hand no tiller. And good rock pick is a must here cause all it is, is rock back fill on top of a naturally rockie soil.

But like I said I think you can never have enough tools. weather it's shovels, rakes, picks, forks, breaker bars. What ever you can never have enough lol. But don't buy new. Buy the old stuff cause they just don't make things like the use to and heck it's alot cheaper too! Yos may have to replace a handle or two along the way though.

 

[Txchikngardners]

Some of my favorites:
Wheelbarrow
Sharp Shovel
Buckets with handles
Weed puller - see the picture in this link http://www.yardbutlerstore.com/catalog/images/TNT-4.jpg

 

[digitS']

Cheryl, my must-have tool is a long-handled spading fork. And, I need 2 because my DW, who is much shorter, wants to use a long-handled one too. The D-handled forks are too short to do much levering without bending. And, I've even purchased the D-handles, taken the handles out and replaced them. Apparently, some folks think of this tool as something that you are doing a lot of lifting with. I want to do no lifting whatsoever!

I'll quote myself from another thread: "At the time I was using the spading fork exclusively, the gardens were entirely in beds and they were cultivated to about 11 inches. A gardener hardly needs to cultivate a bed that hasn't been walked on for years. In fact, there's been times, when I haven't.

At any rate, one should never lift (LIIIFT) with the fork and turn (TUUURN) the soil! It is sufficient to simple hold the handle and step backwards. You can then push the handle all the way to the ground if you want. If the ground is loose, the tines will just pop up onto the surface having passed completely thru 11 or 12 inches of soil. But, those top few inches aren't really compacted after the 1st year of gardening."

The spading fork is handy for large weeds and with 2 spading forks, back-to-back, you can pry apart a perennial and break it easily into 2 or 3 plants!

An ordinary garden rake not only can smooth a bed for seed planting but can work fertilizer into the top few inches. I also use it rather than a hoe to make a drill for planting seed just kind of chopping my way along while stepping sideways. It makes a nice line for the seeds and then covers them with soil. If my timing is good, tiny weed seedlings are also easily uprooted by just dragging the rake across the soil surface.

Another tool that I often have in my hand is a long-handled 4-prong cultivator. If a weed isn't very deep, the cultivator pops them right out - so it's always good to have it around. Also, I have a mobility problem and can use this light, long-handled tool to help me walk around the garden. Finally, when I lean on the handle and squint into the sun - I may look wiser than my tender years to the neighbors. Don't you think?

Steve

 

[Wildsky]

I don't think I have a big fork - there is still one shed I've not looked in

I do have some rakes, one is really "flimsy" thin metal that kinda bounces... the one I like is the real FIRM one, I actually have used it to help pull up ice off the ground...

I think I have most of the basics, which is good, but I have seen some fancy stuff on line, or in catalogs and wondered who had all that stuff.....