Gardening Tool Report
An overview of basic gardening tools, where to get them online, and how to use and maintain them. The right gardening tool is a gardener's best friend.
Basic gardening tools for home vegetable gardens:
1. A good hoe. You need to choose one that is sturdy and well-made to last because you will use it regularly. You may also want to add a metal file so you can keep your hoe sharp. Swipe the wood handle occasionally with an oil-soaked rag to keep it from splitting.
2. A round shovel. Necessary for digging!
3. A spading fork. Spading forks are for improving the soil by digging down into hard soil and breaking it up.
4. A wheelbarrow. You can leave this out if you're on a budget, but ours is practically priceless. It is one of the hard plastic ones and has lasted so far for over five years with plenty of use.
5. A watering can. You can skip this and use your garden hose, plastic milk jugs, plastic buckets, or 2-liter bottles, but watering cans are certainly handy!
6. Garden hose with a spray nozzel. I highly recommend that you get a good quality garden hose made to last, especially if you have a big vegetable garden.
7. A bow rake. Use it to level the soil and get out big clops of dirt.
8. A flexible rake. Use to remove light materials like leaves and weeds you've dug up.
9. Remember your vegetables that need staking or support systems. As I mentioned in "Vegetable Gardening III," support systems can be homemade. For example, bean sticks can be cut from the woods; tomato stakes can be too; but I highly recommend wire tomato cages if you can afford them.
10. Garden shears are nice for those who need to prune things.
11. Plastic buckets. They'll have hundreds of uses.
12. Gardening gloves.
Of the above gardening tools, only numbers 1 and 2 are absolute necessities. All of these basic gardening tools can be purchased at any lawn and garden center. They may also be purchased online. Ritten House is a good U.S.-based online supplier. Gardenscape Ltd. is a great Canada-based online supplier.
