Beth's Favorite Garden Tools

Long handled digging or chopping tools should be light in weight. The shaft should be make of ash to absorb the constant blows of digging, and should be long. No stooping or bending while you dig. You’ll hurt your back. The blade of the shovel or the tines of the fork should be high quality carbon steel or stainless steel. It should be labeled as tempered, forged, heat treated or drop forged. The blade or tines should be attached to the shaft by a closed socket or by steel straps which are forged with the blade. That means one piece. The farther these extend up the shaft the better. Halfway is very good.

Breaking the Ground

1. Round point spade, or shovel
2. A four tine, square tine garden fork
3. Remember, shovels are not crowbars. To clear really rocky ground, use a pick.
4. To break thick roots, or to pry out rocks, use a mattock. A mattock is also good for breaking hard lumps of clay.

God made teenage boys and wild young men specifically for this kind of work. Hire one or acquire one.

Preparing the Soil

Rake out smaller rocks, roots, coke bottles, old beer cans, discarded license plates, and all the other effluvium of life deposited in your yard by contractors or previous owners with unclean habits.

1. Bowhead rake, or
2. Garden rake

Amending the Soil

1. An Aluminum scoop - A scoop makes it easy to toss light weight peat moss, soil conditioner or compost onto your garden. These additions can then be worked in with your garden fork
2. A tightly covered compost bucket for the kitchen

Weeding

1. Oscillating hoe – a push, pull hoe. I love this hoe.
2. Scuffle hoe – a push hoe. A swoe, with three cutting edges, is a good push hoe.
3. Fishtale weeder
4. Hori – Hori knife

Cutting

1. Flower Pruner, or big loop shears, for light pruning and dead heading. Never enter the garden without them.
2. Felco, Corona, or Sandvik bypass hand pruners. These are a must have. They are available in right and left hand versions.
3. Sandvik Compound action loppers. A really great tool. Use them on larger branches than hand pruners will handle.
4. Hedge shears. Everyone knows what they look like, no one knows how to use them. My experience? Hold them upside down.

Cleaning

1. Plastic or bamboo Fan Leaf Rake
2. Push broom

Watering

In hoses, you get what you pay for.

1. 5ply 5/8” diameter vinyl-nylon watering hose with, perhaps, rubber in the outer layer to resist the sun. Fittings should be brass. Always roll your hose and store it in the shade.
2. Ooze hose for deep watering shrubbery beds.
3. Hose guides, if needed.
4. Adjustable water wand with a thumb operated shut off.
5. Pistol grip adjustable spray nozzle
6. Sprinklers. I have nine. I don’t have enough. Buy a Rain Dancer for $150 to $200 and eliminate your need for a tower sprinkler and a fountain. Useful, no maintenance, beautiful.
7. Impulse sprinklers are great, and they sound like summer. Schua… schua… schua…schua…schua…schua…schua

Transporting

1. A 2 wheel garden cart. Look for one that tilts or that drops its front.
2. A bushel basket or other lightweight container for transporting garden waste to your
   compost heap.

Clothes

1. Gloves. Lightweight, cotton on the back, rubber on the palm and fingers are my favorite.
2. Hat. Cover the top of your head, the back of your neck, and your nose. Cool looking is nice, but not required.

A 5 Gallon Bucket of Oiled Sand
Keep your digging tools here. You’ll be glad you did.

Sunscreen