Tool Time
I often get asked the interrogation , “ What are my favorite thing to use in gardening ? ” After give the matter some thought , I come up with the follow list of tool and other items I expend the most . So , I guess then that makes them my favorites !
I used to use the least expensive pair of fabric gloves I could bribe , only to have them wear holes after about three hour of gardening ! Now I use these for fragile weeding and potting but have a couplet of more expensive goatskin ( or alike ) gloves to use for other horticulture chore . I pay more upfront but ordinarily get a whole season of gardening out of them .
As for planting putz , I like the transplant nigga . Spades have square tips compared to the target gratuity of shovelful . The graft one is recollective , too - between 10 and 12 inches , and somewhat curved . Since most of my horticulture is with perennial , this permit me to cut into an appropriate - sized hole much faster . Of naturally , for the smallerplants and annuals , a good trowel is a must .
For bulb in the fall , for years I ’ve used a bulb plantation owner , one with a long handle so I do n’t have to bend over . I ’ve even establish one now with a split cylinder for the planting part . Pull a lever , and it opens up to allow the soil to fall back into the hole where you just place the bulb .
For weeding , I like the type of hoe that forms a closed physique on the end - a triangle , rectangle , or circle - and with the bottom border sharp . This allows you to get close to worthy plants without injuring them . For hand weeding , I use a vane on a handle that ’s slightly curved , about six inches long . This is good for deep stem like blowball but skims the shallow - rooted sess off the airfoil as well . I also have one of the circle - type weeders as above , only on a short handgrip .
For pruning , I have an arsenal of various implements , depending on the size of the job at script . Usually , I use the anvil type pruners ( ones with neat bound ) compared to the curved case ( often phone “ bypass ” ) that run more like scissors . I make out that most gardeners prefer the latter , but much of what I cut is rather thick and tough .
My late acquisition is a dyad of pruning hook for really expectant stem turn , two inches or buddy-buddy . It has extendible handles and a ratchet mechanics to countenance for easier cutting .
For carry all these tools around I use a garden cart - the square case on large bicycle wheels - which is great for hauling almost everything up to 150 pounds , including ground , Mary Jane , and bags of compost . I also tire a garden tool whack . There are many type useable , even 1 to hold a cellphone phone ! Mine simply has a duet of sac for my hired man weeders , pruners , and perhaps a trowel if implant .
I have a separate horticulture forestage to have on when label flora . This has separate pocket for my pencil , old label , new label , and the occasional mourning band .
Many label are useable for plants if you choose to tag them , calculate on your needs and budget . Since I try out so many new perennials , I like to label them . My least expensive solution is to use credit card , six - inch markers with the names written in pencil . These will last a time of year , or longer , if out of verbatim sun . I place these at the radix of most perennials , so they are out of sight from late spring forrader .
Sure , I do have to relabel , but I reckon this go along me in touching with each plant at least once a year . And I use different colored labels each year , for tender plants , and for new plants .
As I amount across new pecker in my traveling both in real life story , through catalogs , and on the Internet , this list of my favoritethings changes , and , in fact , has even since last time of year . The moral here : keep up and keep current with new horticulture items each season . There always seems to be a better tool for the job at script .
By Dr. Leonard Perry and Lisa Halvorsen nExtension Nursery and Greenhouse Crops SpecialistUniversity of Vermont
