Whether you are thinking of starting a garden or may be brainstorming for a gift to your friend that loves to garden, essential gardening tools is a must. To help you in getting acquainted and knowing which garden tools are most important, I have a prepared this article to guide you in your gardening supplies shopping. I have also included some tips on how to know which kinds of tools and which materials are best to give you the value for your money.
Any good gardener must have his trusty shovel. A shovel is different from a spade which has flat rectangular head. Whether you are digging a hole or may be a compost, a shovel is an indispensable gardening tool. It has a head that is pointed at the end and round at the sides with a curved structure near the point of contact with the handle for you to put your foot when digging for added pressure. The head of the shovel can either be narrow or broad depending on your preference, but it is always depressed a little to hold the soil. It is good to remember that in most gardening tools, forged steel is always better than stamped steel. For sturdy connection of the head and the handle, make sure that the forged shovel blade is tightly wrapped into the handle. Depending on your preference, you can choose a shovel with a long and straight handle or one with a D-grip. The handle is oftentimes made of Ash but handles made from synthetic material that are lightweight and relatively strong are also available in the market.
A trowel or hand fork is another one of those must-have gardening tools. They are especially handy when planting or transplanting bulbs or seedlings. Like the shovel, a trowel also has a pointed and round head with a curved-in body. But the difference is the trowel is just about three inches wide and is perfect for digging that won’t easily get your hand tired. The market offers different trowels made from different materials such as stamped steel, stainless steel and forged steel. There are even trowels made from plastic. The market also offers different designs for the handle for the comfort and protection of the gardener.
Pruning shears are also great for you and your plant as it causes minimal injury that is easy to heal and helps you cut off branches and flower heads easily. Pruners come in two blade styles: the anvil pruners and bypass pruners. Anvil pruners have a blade that has a flat surface and another blade that is knife-like that does the cutting. Bypass pruners, on the other hand, look more like scissors with two identical, sharp blades that pass through each other. Anvil pruners are stronger and more durable than bypass pruners but they also do not get you as close to the plant as bypass pruners do. Bypass pruners also give a cleaner cut than the anvil pruner. To prevent hand straining, look for pruners that have a spring in between the handles that keep the blades apart.
Pruning shears ARE essential to a well kept garden…they are easy, safe, and manageable to manipulate in whatever means necessary to achieve the kind of look you desire.
Comment by Bob Stihl — July 30, 2008 @ 12:43 pm