Little Green Thumbs: Gardening Tools

By Diana von Appen

When we moved into our first house, a friend gave me a set of hand gardening tools. Until then, I had been using a spoon, for pete's sake. So, all those gardening with cutlery, here's a list of alternatives.

Trowel
If you can afford only one tool, this is it. It looks like a little shovel. Sometimes the blade is broad, sometimes narrow, or tubular. It's used for digging holes for annuals and small perennials, or for filling pots with soil. I also use mine for lobbing frightening bugs over my shoulder. Get the best and strongest you can afford (Actually, this advice should be applied to all tools).

Spade
Long-handled, it looks like a shovel with a blunt head. This is the best tool for edging around beds and lawns, and for getting under the sod. The handles come in various lengths and materials (wood, fiberglass). The blades are available in stainless steel, carbon, and carbon manganese. What you should be looking for is a blade which is very securely attached and reinforced to the handle. Cheap tools have scrimped in this department, and you'll probably end up upside down in your neighbour's yard if the blade should come away.

Hoe
This tool is used to cultivate just under the soil, severing weed roots, loosening the soil, and making shallow trenches for seeds. There are many types of hoes some are for light work, and others are best for working rocky soils.

Pruners
There are two kinds of pruners secateurs and shears. Secateurs have stubby cutting blades, which are sometimes curved. They are meant to be used with one hand, and can cut stems up to one inch in diameter. You'll usually find secateurs locked behind glass cases, because, like precious stones, they can be pretty expensive. But really, friends, there's nothing like a tool which saves you grief in the garden, particularly on the day when you've decided to tackle the rambling rose with the metre-long thorns. Pruning shears are also one-handed tools with longer cutting blades that work like scissors. These are best for lawn edges. The longer-handled loppers are a two-handed deal and are best for jobs that secateurs can't handle, and for pruning hedges. For thicker branches, you'll need a pruning saw.

Garden fork
No, this is bigger than a dinner fork and works better for breaking up the soil.

Stiff-tined rake
The tines are short and inflexible and just right for getting the thatch out of the lawn.

Garden rake
Best for leaves and soft debris.

Weeder
Has a long stem which ends in a little V or U shape to yank up weeds at the root.

Other important gardening stuff to consider gloves, wheelbarrow, hand sprayer, watering can, rubber hose, kneeling pad.

Maintenance is crucial, especially if you want to keep expensive tools around for a while. They must be cleaned after every use. This will help prevent rusting as well as the spread of harmful bacteria, fungus, and viruses. A wire brush is good for this purpose. Buy a sharpening blade and a clean lubricant. Try to sharpen and oil your tools at least once before the end of the season. Tools should be stored in a dry spot, preferably separately from each other, and hung on a rack (look for tools with holes or straps on the handles). A neat old method of storing tools is to sink them into oiled sand in a bucket or box. But you must make certain that any moving parts do not make contact with the sand.

Well, you're all set ( and if you're not, remember that Father's Day is coming up!). Now, when unexpected company arrives for dinner, you won't have to hastily wash off the silverware.

Diana von Appen .