The Right Tools for the Job!
We often read about what to put into our gardens but not too much about the tools we use. I have given it some thought and come up with a list if the five things I couldn't garden with out! Here they are:
1. Gloves- This is the basic of every day gardening whether you container garden, vertical garden, or garden garden. A good pair of gloves will protect your hands from bacteria and objects in the ground, thorns and splinters, dirt, and insects. I once pulled some old day lily foliage out with my hands and got stung by a bumble bee I didn't even see! Gloves should be strong and made of good material like leather or canvas, and fit fairly tight.
2. Long Handled Tall Spaded Shovel- A tall spade has a long narrow shovel blade and comes to a point. Where a regular spades blade is wide and short. The tall spade allows you to chop and pry at roots, remove sod, and dig large planting holes with relative ease. A regular shovel will work, but as a female I find the tall spade much less work and easier to handle.
3. Rake- A Spring rake, one that the long thin tines spring back, or a Garden rake, the kind with short thick tines, are needed to rake out beds of debris or smooth clods of dirt. If I had to only pick one rake( I have 9! ), I would choose an adjustable rake. The handle adjusts from a long rake into a short hand rake, and the tines lengthen into a spring rake for leaves or shorten into a garden rake for clod busting in the garden.
4. Hand Trowel- This is great for removing soil from pots, digging small planting holes, transplanting, as a scoop, and as a mini hoe ( I turn it on its side to scratch out weeds.) This is a must for the container and vertical gardener! Choose one that fits your hand and is very sturdy. I have found that the better made ones cost more but are worth it as I have broken many cheap ones very easily!
5. Bucket- You could do without a bucket, but mixing soils, moving plants, watering, weeding, and a host of other duties are much easier with one! Just about any Wal-mart bakery will give you a free bucket, you just have to clean out the frosting, or you can purchase them relatively cheap at hardware stores. Be creative and recycle things! The pails that scoop-able cat litter come in work well for example.
Keep watering you seedlings and rotate them in your windows or under grow lights. The first week of April is a good time to start tomatoes!!! Mmmm I can't wait for tomatoes!
If you any questions or want to chat about your garden call, text, or email me any time! Lisa Jacobsgaard 309-472-0297 and lisaj1121@ymail.com
