Five Essential Gardening Tools

Garden tools make your work as a gardener easier and keep your garden in shape. The tools you choose depends in part on your personal preferences. For the old-time country gardener, which I like to think I am, there are some tools you simply cannot go without.

Hoe
Hoes are used for a variety of things from cutting weeds off at the ground level to uprooting that annoying witch grass that invades your garden every year. Hilling potatoes, mounding soil for raised rows and removing weeds around the base of plants require skillful use of the hoe. But, that's not all a hoe is good for. I use it as an effective weapon for smashing potato bugs against a rock or chopping grubs into pieces. Regardless of your desired use, a garden hoe should be in your set of basic garden tools.

Garden Rake
I'm not talking about those flimsy little leaf rakes here. Garden rakes are sturdy with spike-like tines and are made for raking rocks, roots and weeds from garden soil. Use a garden rake to smooth the soil after tilling and cleaning up garden debris in the fall.

Garden Spade
Now, this one is sure to set someone's gardening bug on fire. In my neck-of-the-woods, a garden spade is what the rest of the world calls a "round point shovel"-so humor me, okay? The spade (or round point shovel) makes digging and transplanting flowers a breeze as the point severs roots and debris, while allowing the blade to slice through the soil. Whether you prefer to call it a spade or a shovel doesn't matter, but the shape does. A square point shovel does not work well in the garden.

Hand Cultivator
A hand cultivator looks like a big bicycle wheel with a metal claw attached to two handles-which is basically what it is. This tool allows you to cultivate the soil between rows with ease. Not only does it loosen and aerate the soil, it removes small weeds, as well. Going through the garden once a week with a hand cultivator keeps soil loose and weed free.

Garden Clippers
A good set of garden clippers is important, especially if you grow herbs and flowers as well as vegetables. I use mine to prune, clip and train plants. New ergonomic clippers reduce the strain on the hand and make it easy for those with arthritis to trim or prune.

There are many other garden tools that make gardening easier. If you are a new gardener looking for basic gardening tools, these tools are easy to use and serve multiple purposes.

SOURCES:
Gardener's Supply Company