Ideas About Gardening Equipment
No matter how long you have been gardening a few months or 50 years every gardener has some kind of gardening equipment that they use. My tool shed has a pretty extensive collection. I don’t use everything in there but I know where it is if I ever need to!
I think it is important to realize that the type of gardening equipment you will need or should have is determined first by the size of the area you are working with. The second thing to consider of course is what type of gardening you are doing. If you are dealing with a 1/4 acre vegetable garden it will require a lot more than a 10′ x 12′ garden patch. So I think it is safe to say that the size of the job will dictate the type of garden equipment that will be required. There are some basics though that should be in every garden shed.
Basic Hand Tools
Hand Trowels – Both wide and thin blade widths.
Hand Cultivator -For working up the soil.
Shovels – Spade for digging also a Round Point Shovel.
Rakes – Leaf rake, a stone rake, and a landscaping rake for grading.
Garden Fork And Pitch Fork – To turn compost or scoop mulch.
Good Push Broom And Scoop Shovel – For clean up.
Edger – For cutting clean bed edges.
Wheelbarrow or Garden Cart – carying toting and moving materials and plants.
Mattock Or Pick Axe – Dislodging rocks and hard clay.
Digger Bar – To pry and break up rocks.
Pruners – A good pair of pruners will be a great investment.
Loppers – For pruning off branches up to 1 1/2 “in diameter.
Folding Tree Saw – To trim off larger branches.
Watering Equipment
Good Garden Hose
Adjustable Water Nozzle
Watering Wand
Lawn Sprinkler
Watering Can
These are suggestions of what a good basic set of gardening equipment would be. Of course depending on what type of gardening you are doing you may not need some of these items, but most if not all would find a use at some time in the average garden.
The next thing we should consider is power equipment. Depending again on your particular circumstances the equipment listed is what I would consider for the average garden to be very helpful and worth the investment.
Power Equipment
Leaf Blower- great aid in cleanup especially fall leaves.
Small Gas Cultivator – Used to cultivate larger beds or around vegetable plants
Chain Saw – For larger cutting Jobs
String Trimmer- To help get hard to mow edges and around obstacles.
Gas or Electric Hedge Trimmers
These pieces of gardening equipment are all important in the maintenance of a garden some are essential others are there to help cut time and labor. Ultimately it is up to the gardener to decide what is essential and what kind of investment they are willing or can afford to spend.
My final comment would have to be that you get what you pay for. It is always better to buy the best quality tool that you can afford. High quality tools not only last longer they work better and will return the investment many times over.
