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Great Gardening Tools

By: Leilani Rolphe

Gardening is a favorite pastime of people around the world. Who doesn't love an opportunity to get dirty, and to touch the cool moist earth? The stillness and tranquility of nature provide many gardeners with a sense of peace. As you tend your garden, you will marvel in its growth and beauty. You will feel great pride as you watch your garden produce delicious and colorful results. Your hard work will be appreciated by all you share your garden with.

In any situation, the proper tools can make the work more pleasant. Experienced gardeners have their favorite tools. Some remain faithful to traditional tools, while some opt for more modern power tools. Whatever your preference, it is challenging to garden with no tools at all. When choosing gardening tools, it is important to consider the size of your garden, the type of tools you will most enjoy working with, as well as your physical ability. Traditional tools require a little more elbow grease. The cost of the tools, as well as the time you have to devote to your hobby, as also important considerations in your decision making process.

It's not necessary to spend a great deal on high-tech gizmos or expensive tillers, but every gardener should have some type of cultivating equipment. In spring, the earth must be dug up, turned, and irrigated. Most people incorporate organic fertilizer into the cool springtime earth as well, and the right tools can certainly make this task a lot easier. Depending on how serious you are about gardening, there is a huge variety of cultivating tools available.

Hand tools are the typical choice of traditional gardeners. These include shovels, pitchforks, spades, rakes and trowels. All of these hand-held gardening tools will aid the gardener in preparing the plot for planting. Although they do call for some elbow grease, these tools are relatively easy to use. Other common hand tools are the pickax, mattock, and wheel cultivator.

Power tools are a little more expensive than hand tools, but they really cut down on the hard labor. The tiller is undoubtedly the most essential gardening tool, particularly for people with large plots of land or physical concerns, like back problems. Using a tiller is a fast and easy way to break up the ground and get it ready for planting. Tillers can also help to mix fertilizer and compost into the earth, and chop up any debris. Tillers are very expensive to purchase, so many garden centers and tool supply outlets will rent them for a daily fee. Or, you can ask a friendly neighbor to lend you theirs. Other popular power tools that help many modern gardeners to prepare for the season ahead are shredders, chippers, and chainsaws.

If you have a variety of small trees, hedges, or shrubs on your land, it is a good idea to have some pruning tools on hand. For branches that are 3/4 inch in diameter or smaller, pruning sheers are sufficient. Lopping shears, on the other hand, are useful for branches from half an inch up to about two inches in diameter. A pole pruner will help with taller trees. They can extend up to 15 feet to reach higher branches. Pruning saws and stronger hedge shears are also useful tools to have for your garden.

Your garden will not survive without water. When nature doesn't take of your garden's water needs, it is a good idea to have watering equipment on hand. A garden hose with a good quality spray nozzle, or a sprinkler is very useful for those with a bigger garden or a grassy lawn. A basic watering can will be enough for a container garden made up of pots and planters. More advanced gardens may have irrigation systems with timers. These provide more accurate watering. Some gardeners may choose to use drip hoses for more even watering.

Remember that the tools you choose should make your gardening experience more pleasant and rewarding. If you want to get on your hands and knees and dig and the dirt, do it. You may simply desire a pair of gardening gloves to protect your hands from cuts and calluses. If you want quick results with a minimum of fuss, consider which tools will best suit your needs. In any case, you will thoroughly enjoy the fruits of your labors. Your lush, beautiful garden will be a haven to return home to every day. Enjoy!

About the author

Author Leilani Rolphe contributes to a variety of web magazines, on hobby supply and garden design themes.
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Article Source: http://www.changingearth.org


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