Printable View
Hi all hope your enjoying the new year and i hope you haven't been snowed in...yet...
I was just wondering if anyone has any recommendations for some new garden tools, i have cleared my shed out of the cheap rubbish i had before and I'm looking to purchase some tools which will last! My local garden centre has a good selection, but i just thought i'd see if anyone has any advice!
Thanks in advance
Hi James,Quote:
Originally Posted by James Fairhurst
I'm a no nonsense gardener.
Steel shafted spade
hoe
garden cart in lieu of wheelbarrow
good pruners
extendable loppers
soaker hoses
compost
I manage to get most things done with these tools. Are there any you can't live without?
Good solid steel spade, fork and rake. Dutch hoe (very handy for veg gardening). Good solid secateurs mine are sandvik and have lasted 5 years of full time abuse, they can be taken apart and resharpened easily. A bow saw and set of double hinged loppers might be useful if your dealing with lots of thick woody growth.
I like the fiscar pruning tools I need several sizes of trimmers.
I tend to not care for my tools and forget to put them away so I avoid wood handles and have slowly been replacing with those with fiberglass handles.
a mailbox while not a tool is handy for me I stick my hand tools in it in the garden.... I can do that better than going to the shed... so at least I can find them and they do not rust.
I prefer a short handled narrow sharp shooter shovel or tile shovel as my mother calls it for planting... my dh hates it.
Of course, you can't go into any battle unarmed. That is why a good gardener keeps in them some handy tools which is helpful in his garden works. It may include a pair of gloves, garden hoe, plough, garden fork, spade, pitch fork, garden rake and sprinkler.
Shovels and hoes are my most important tools. But the best tip I can give you is to buy good quality steel that will hold an edge when sharpened.
Even high quality tools are not sharp when you buy them. File a good edge on your shovels and hoes at about a 15 degree angle with a good file. Then sharpen them frequently as you use them.
A sharp tool will do the work three times quicker with half the effort.
As far as hand tools go, I use a regular garden hoe and rake. I have a big garden and I use a Troybilt tiller to do most of the work.
I agree with geefrank. A sharp tool saves a lot of work.
Even among the basic garden tools, you are bound to find a wide variety of designs and sizes — enough to cause confusion when shopping. There is a reason for so many options — using the right tool for the right job makes your work easier and more efficient. Here are some of the different tools you might find:
Shovel
Spade
Rake
Fork
Hoe
Cultivator
Mattock / Pick
Post Hole Digger
Weed Whacker / Grass Blade
Bush Axe / Briar Axe / Ditch Blade
Edger
Digging / Tamping Bar
Tool Handles and Heads
Hand Tools
Pruners, Loppers, Saws and Shears
Wheelbarrows and Carts
Other Lawn and Garden Tools
Choosing Your Tools
Gloves