Garden Tools - Make Them Quality
The tools required for a modest gardening operation are surprisingly few. They should be of good quality however, if you want to save time, trouble and labor. Needless to repeat they should be cared for and kept conveniently arranged in the tool area or garden shed or in whatever manner your ingenuity contrives.
A good strong yet light spade is a “muse” and so is a good strong spading fork. One that has four fiat steel prongs will prove satisfactory. A hoe is needed for making hills, for chopping out weeds and for making seed drills. And a rake. Well, you just have to get a rake. Buy a good one. You and it are going to get real chummy. Then there is the garden line. Purchase a strong one and attach it onto two pointed stakes. It’s not necessary to spend money on some new-fangled fancy gadget. All you will be concerned about is making straight lines, and this will be your guide.
Measuring rods are used for marking out the distances between rows. They can be made at home. Use strips of wood 6 to 8 feet long, 1-1/2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Paint the strips white and mark them carefully at intervals of one foot, indicating also the 1/2 foot and 1/4 foot marks. You should have two at least but you might as well make three or four when you are at it. A wheelbarrow is a labor saving necessity. Don’t kid yourself. You’ll need one even in a small garden.
Now there are ways of getting around it, but who wants to, so you will need a watering can and you certainly will require a length of hose just like watering an orchid. Without a trowel you will be lost, so buy a good strong one. Just in case you are now a bit worried that the listing of garden implements like watering plant is becoming somewhat more than expected, be assured that you are nearing its completion.
For the lawn you will require a lawn mower. You will need a really good knife, a hand-sprayer, a five-tooth cultivator and a couple of pails.
A drill marker you can make yourself. Cut a V-shaped notch in the end of a five-foot wooden stake that measures about 1-1/2 inches thick. The drill marker is used for making shallow drills for seed sowing. For setting bulbs into the soil and for transplanting young plants a home made dibble or dibber will do nicely.
An old spade or fork handle sharpened to a blunt point is quite good enough. It should be about 15 inches long. Whilst other tools could be mentioned here, it is hardly necessary as those now suggested are principal requirements. Be kind to them and they will last longer. Keep them clean and when not in use, wipe over all metal parts with an oily rag to prevent rust.
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