Garden Gab

10 Essential Tools no Self-Respecting Gardener Should be without

Most of our mothers or grandmothers regularly told us to wear clean undergarments every day, just in case we were hit by a bus.  I’m not sure if this was for the benefit of the medical personnel, mortician or horrified lookers on (who would be more horrified by dirty undergarments).  Regardless, I suppose it’s good, albeit morbid, advice intended to save us from potential mortification.  Here is some good advice to save you from gardening mortification.  These are the ten best items to own for gardening, even if a bus never makes it into your neat patch of vegetables to plow you down.

1.  The Farmer’s Almanac:  Don’t fall for copycat versions, this publication has been around forever and they know what they are doing.  Did you know that 70% of Farmer’s Almanac predictions are correct in any given year?  That’s a pretty good record.  Your dad used it.  Your dad’s dad used it.  It hasn’t been around this long for no reason.  Not only does it give weather predictions, planting and harvesting schedules and gardening tips, it’s also a great resource for cooking recipes, natural crafts and the best fishing days of the year for your region.  And if you appreciate a dry wit, it’s actually pretty amusing as well as useful.  You can get the original Farmer’s Almanac for 2009 and preorder 2010 here .

2.  Fisherman’s Friend or Burt’s Bee Hand Salve:  There is nothing attractive or comfortable about dry, chapped hands and yard and garden work can really do a number on your skin.  If you are like me and hate garden gloves, you will probably have very dry, rough hands.  Fisherman’s Friend is my favorite cream, but it is very difficult to find and isn’t for the sensitive nosed among us.  But Burt’s Bees Hand Salve is a close second and smells nice without smelling flowery (so it’s good for men too).  Neither is greasy and both will make your hands feel better immediately and won’t sting any cuts or splits you may have.  It is a necessity if you are going to be working outdoors at this time of year.  You may have to hunt around a little for Fisherman’s Friend (so stock up when you find it), but the Burt’s Bees Hand Salve can be purchased directly from their online store here .

3.  The Vintner Trellis:  Any gardener who wants to make the most of their growing space has or will experiment with vertical growing.  There are literally thousands of different styles and materials available in trellis choices.  But I like to stick with the classics.  This trellis is a behemoth standing over 7 feet tall, but its spacing is even and midsized making it perfect for both climbing flowers and all kinds of climbing vegetables.  It’s constructed of wrought iron and I don’t have to worry about it falling over in storms or rusting through.  I’ll have that baby holding up my grapevine for years.  If you are in confusion over which trellis style to use for different crops, this is a decent, all around utilitarian trellis and will work for a range of plants.  You can find the Vintner Trellis at The Trellis Store .

 4a. (ooh it’s a two fer) The plastic garden barrow:  This lightweight barrow is perfect for weeds, compost and light yard debris, it makes it easy to haul things from one end to another without the weight of a metal wheelbarrow added on to your load.  I know, I know, I was skeptical too at first.  I cranked and groaned about just using the metal one already and figured the thing would bust as soon as I put weight in it.  But now, I’m a convert.  Granted, this barrow can’t carry your firewood or huge piles of bricks and stones you were going to use for borders.  Or at least it can’t be expected to last long if you use it for that.  But it CAN handle a big load of compost, soil, weeds, yard clippings or harvested crops (I like using it for bringing apples to the cider press).  It’s lightweight, it’s plastic so you can hose it out, and it actually turns better than a one wheeled barrow, and rarely, if ever tips (unless you want it to).  I got mine at Agway .

 4b.  A Truetemper wheelbarrow:  If you are like me, hauling lightweight stuff all the time just isn’t an option.  I haul firewood, riverstones, stumps that I’ve decided don’t belong where they were planted, old christmas trees, any junk I can think of.  Or I make someone else do it.  Just for the fun of watching.  I’ve had a truetemper metal wheelbarrow for close to 10 years now and the only thing I’ve had to do is replace the wheel once, because I rolled it (while it was full of logs) over a nail.  It doesn’t rust, it doesn’t flip over (and I have a cobblestone path,  so that’s saying something), and the bottom doesn’t fall out.  No matter what.  What else could you ask for?  The Truetemper wheelbarrows can be found at the Ames online store here .

 5.  Baking Soda and Vicki Lansky’s Baking Soda book:  Am I serious?  Completely.  If you are looking for a stocking stuffer for a gardening friend, you can’t beat a box of good old Arm & Hammer (as long as you include the book, otherwise you’ll probably get hit).  Baking soda draws stings out of skin, balances soil acidity, sweetens tomatoes on the vine, it even repels root fungus and mildew.  Baking soda really is the miracle cure.  Ms. Lansky’s book details hundreds of uses for the stuff, both in the garden and out.  Baking Soda: Over 500 Fabulous, Fun, and Frugal Uses You’ve Probably Never Thought Of  is available at Amazon .

6. A Fiskars Garden Fork: technically, this garden fork is supposed to be only for aerating your soil, but I use it for everything.  It’s great for hand tilling a little patch or digging up stubborn roots, don’t get me wrong, but it can do so much more.  I turn my compost with it, toss around manure, save small kittens from tree branches . . . you name it, this garden fork does it.  Why this particular one you ask?  Because the fork never seperates from the handle.  It was a pet peeve of mine for a long time.  If I’m going to spend money every year on a new garden fork, I might as well save myself the hassle and get the good one.  It’s not even that much more expensive and the difference pays for itself immediately since it doesn’t need to be replaced.  I’ve heard nothing but good stuff about Fiskars customer service if you DO manage to somehow damage it (and unless you run it over or try to lift a boulder the size of a buick, I’m not sure how you’d do it), they are quick and friendly.  What can I say?  Unless this thing could somehow transform into a shovel too, I couldn’t love it more.  You can find Fiskars at Aubuchon stores or online (the cheapest price we found was from Lehman’s ).

7. The Kitchen Garden Grower’s Guide:  When I was little my mother used to make me weed and then she’d yell when I pulled up the wrong plants.  She used to sigh and tell me eventually I’d know the difference between weeds and vegetable stalks.  Alas, I still await that day.  I inevitably forget what I’ve planted where and the weeds have developed a mysterious ability to grow in straighter lines than my rows.  So, I got this book.  Not only does it describe what I’m supposed to be looking for on each plant, it also tells me where and when to plant them, what diseases and bugs to look out for, how much sun to give them, even how to harvest and cook them.  And it isn’t written in professorese either, so even I can understand it.  You can find this immensely useful and attractive reference book at Amazon, here .

8. The Seaside Copper Windowbox:  I’m not squeamish when it comes to snails and slugs, I’m just lazy.  So when I plant seedlings, I like to start them in a copper planter until they are hardy enough to survive a temporary snail attack.  That way I don’t need to bury beer bottles all over the lawn or spray pesticide where I don’t want it.  I started using this copper windowbox because it’s big enough for several seedlings and I like its simple wrought iron design.  Whether you are squeamish, overworked or just love the beautiful color of copper, you can get this and other designs at Copperwindowboxes.com, along with other sizes of copper planters.

9. A  Round Point Garden Shovel:  There are as many types and sizes of shovels as there are gardeners.  So I’m not going to recommend a brand, just point out a few features you should look for.  In fact, my shovel is now so old I can’t even remember where I got it.  A round point shovel should have a basic almost heart shaped point on the end and a wide lip so you can stand on it to get more leverage as you push downward.  You should be able to comfortably use it without too much bending.  In fact, if you are standing and the tip of the shovel is pointed toward the ground, the end of the handle should be about chest level.  The most important point is to make sure the shovel will not come off the handle.  Ash or steel will hold up best- I’ve seen the new carbonite handled shovels but I’ve never tried one, so I can’t tell you how well they hold up.  If you have one and would like to let us know, please contact us through a comment or our email address!  Whatever type, size and material you choose, don’t scrimp.  A good shovel could hardly be worth more if it were dipped in gold. 

10.  So Easy to Preserve Book or DVDs: The first time I made salsa I almost killed my whole family.  It was truly tragic knowing all that tomato and onion and jalepeno I had spent so long growing had to be tossed.  These books help me prevent the horrors of food poisoning when I make my own preserves.  All of the recipes are tested and follow Department of Agriculture guidelines- I’ve used these for a while and never had a problem since.  Do yourself and your friends a favor, pick up this book for an eager, if beginner canning enthusiast here .