Gardening Tools...

Where do you start?

Gardeners need a basic set of tools if they wish to attain a wonderful garden.

Fork
A good fork is a must, this is essential for breaking up the earth. Make sure you have the right weight and height fork, as this will make using them a lot easier.

Spade
A good garden spade is also essential, as it makes digging the garden a whole lot easier! Once again ... watch the weight!

Hoe
A hoe is used to weed between your flower beds or your vegetable rows. Hoes uproot weeds and allows your plants to spread their roots.

Wheelbarrow
Where would we be without a wheelbarrow? Its so much easier to load up a sturdy barrow, than to keep trudging across a well beaten path.

Lawnmower
There are many makes and models of lawnmowers available these days, and its quite hard to know which one you need. Mowers range from simple push rotary types to large sit-on mini-tractor type mowers. Make sure you have the right mower for your patch of lawn.

Secateurs
Always carry a good sharp pair of secateurs whenever you visit your garden. You always see something that needs a little trim on your travels.

Trowel
A trowel is just a mini spade, and is ideal for getting in real close! As with most tools, you get what you pay for with trowels. Try to avoid the cheap ones that supermarkets and DIY shops knock out, they are a waste of time! Try to get the more expensive make, as these don't tend to bend and break.

Rake
Always good for Autumn time, if nothing else! Apart from gathering leaves, they are good for scarifying your grass in spring, and for tiling the ground before planting seeds.

Knife
Always useful for slicing off those casuliflowers in Autumn. A pocket knife needs to be kept clean at all times. If a diseased leaf is cut off, don't pass the infection on to another otherwise healthy plant. Clean the blade after every use!

Ball of string
A gardener's best friend. Every good gardener carries a ball of string in their pocket - wherever they go! How many times have you needed a piece of string? Loads, I bet. An alternative to a ball of string, is a string mop head. Pull one strand out at a time, et voila! A perfect length of soft string, idel for tying plants up.