Planning and Prep: Tools of the Trade

by | Feb 6, 2019 | Miscellaneous | 1 comment

Is your gardening buddy ready…If you absolutely want to save yourself time and money, even a few headaches, it’s time to start taking care of those tools that help make your garden grow.  This is an excellent time to take a detailed inventory of what’s on hand, what needs some attention and what you may need to replace. 

Hand tools are filthy? Time for some oiling. The handles on the hoe and spade could use a little TLC; give that attention. Does your gloves need several cycles in the washing machine, now it that time to wash away! Make sure your shears are sharpen by using a stone. Whatever you can complete now… do it! So, why is it important to “take the Thyme” on cleaning and sterilizing, it helps to keep bacteria and fungi at bay! 

Aside from tools,  check-in with your oils, soaps, powders and granules make sure that the storage kept them safe and nothing “expired”. Don’t forget your sprayers! They need love, too! Now is also a good time to test the soil, get your plants ordered & reserved and your garden is all planned out in a notebook with more and more ‘to do’s’. There will always be a ‘last minute’ chore but over the years, we’ve learned that early preparation makes gardening, a lot more enjoyable. Get started on these little chores now, this way you are prepared for anything the season throws at you!

 

If you are new to the garden scene and need to know what tools you should have in your “gardening arsenal”. We have you covered, here our top favorite tools for gardening success! 

This is actually the best time to get out for a shopping trip. During the off season many companies run amazing sales on “non-green” gardening supplies. Below are a few suggestions from our Horticulture team to help make sure you have great success this coming gardening season. There is one thing that we can’t stress enough, that is make sure you buy tools that will help you in the garden! If you can’t carry it, lift it or it doesn’t fit your gardening needs. It will just collect dust in the cold-dark shed. “Take the Thyme” and shop for what YOU need!

Gardening Gloves:

Gardening Gloves

 

Simple and often just grabbed on the way out of the garden center. Make sure to “take the thyme” to get ones that fit. Bulky ones can be hard to work with! This simple purchase will just make gardening even more enjoyable and help against with any sneaky thorns or slippery splinters. 

 

Pruning Shears:

These will help you keep control of your plant! Allows you to easily to trim you plant. Important to try them out before buying! Even though they look pretty…make sure they can fit in your hand and you can easily use them. There are many types of shears for different purposes make sure to find the ones that work for you!

Watering Can:

 

For those plants that need little more water that the hose didn’t reach. These are very useful especially for potted plants! Like everything in the garden tool world their are so many options…small, large or plastic, metal…and don’t get us started on the colors. We LOVE them all! Make sure you get one that you can lift. You want a can that will work for you not against you!

 

Spade:

Spade
 
This is a must have for your garden! This tool is your “workhorse” making moving plants or soil easy as 1-2-3. This tool can be a pretty penny but we promise this will last many season for you…and your back will thank you! When shopping for one make sure that the Spade has thread on top of the blade, this will allow good hold for your foot! There are options out there for short and long handles. Again make sure to buy one that you can use. The longer handles are great for leverage but can be pretty heavy! 
 
 

Garden Hand Fork:

Garden Fork

 
 
 
This simply amazing tool will help you work the top of the soil getting old wanted root balls out of your gardening area, even help in removing the pesky weeds! The hand forks are great for working in small patches. If you are working in a larger area they do make large ones to help get the job done, too.
 
 
 
 

Trowel:

Trowel

 
 
This tool is a must when transplanting herb plants, planting in containers and eliminating weeds for the garden. Find one that fits your hand. Also while shopping keep these tips in mind for your gardening needs. You want the broader ones to move more soil or narrow ones to help with rocky soil. Wee strongly urge in purchasing one that has a stainless head, this will just last longer for you. 
 
 
 
 
 

Hose & Nozzle

Hose With Spray Nozzle

The most use tool and hands down the most important! You want to make sure your hose has access to all of your garden you do not want any spots left out. An adjustable nozzle is great because it puts you in charge of the water pressure and the radius of spray. There is many things to know before purchasing one. Make sure you know the length you need from your garden from the water spigot. Some more little tips top keep in mind. The longer the hose the water pressure will lower. Vinyl hoses are cheaper and lighter BUT will kink up on you more often than a rubber ones. Once you find the right one for you, storage of the hose is important, too. You want to make sure when it’s not being used it’s wrapped properly and kept out of direct sunlight.
 
 
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1 Comment

  1. Patrick on February 13, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    Cool man I like my hand tools to I never thought about linseed oil good idea.

    Reply

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