Gardening - Tools And Equipment

Saunter around a large garden centre or DIY superstore in spring and you will probably be confronted by a huge assortment of gardening tools and equipment. You can actually be excused for thinking that the quantity of different types of gardening tools have to have increased in recent years - but you in fact you are wrong. In a text book written over 300 years ago there is a list of well over 100 tools for the dedicated gardener, and Victorian catalogues offered hundreds of differing types of hoes, forks, spades etc.

The fundamental armoury has declined, but the average cost and complexity have greatly improved. There is also a large quantity of different brands of every item, this means you have to choose with great care. A widely known name on the handle is a safeguard, but it can also mean a larger cost. With tools you usually get what you pay for (but not always), so it is wise avoiding low-priced offers of unknown origin for tools that you intend to use constantly. Stainless-steel certainly looks attractive, but ordinary steel is much cheaper and is quite satisfactory if maintained properly.

Your first job is to determine which kind of tool or tools you propose to buy. Having the right equipment for gardening will always make the task less difficult. For the elderly as well as the handicapped choosing wisely is even more important, it occasionally means the difference between having the ability to do a task or not.

Now you know what to watch for, you must select a suitable example from your supplier. By all means be guided by the maker's name, the shopkeeper's advice and the manufacturer's advertising campaign, but for most tools it will be essential for you to check that the item suits the user. With spades, forks, hoes, secateurs and so forth you must see that both the weight and balance are correct. A spade this is 'right' for a powerful youth would be quite wrong for a small elderly lady or gentleman.

For the keen landscape gardener with money to spare, the most difficult task will be to decide just the number of tools to buy. Underneath is a general basic list for a small garden, but the exact list which would be right for you is something that only you can determine. Nonetheless, any item on the basic list below which you fail to buy will undoubtedly increase the task of gardening.

What people should buy.

Basic List:

Spade, Fork, Hoe, Rake, Trowel, Lawn Mower, Watering can. Plus, Secateurs if roses and/or shrubs are grown. Shears, if hedges are grown. Sprayer, if roses,vegetables and/or fruit is grown. Hose pipe, if the lawn is feature. Lawn edger, also for the lawn. Garden line, if vegetables are grown. Gloves, if prickly plants are grown. Wheelbarrow, if plants or manure have to be moved. Motor mower, if the lawn is over 70 sq. yards.

What people do buy.

Universal:

Spade, Fork, Rake, Trowel, Mower, Secateurs.

Common:

Hoe, Watering can, Shears, Hose pipe, Fork, Mower.

Uncommon:

Wheel barrow, Sprayer, Gardening gloves, Lawn edger, Sprinkler.

Rare:

Power tools, Roller, Cloches, Lawn spreader, Long-handled pruner.

I have been involved with the Do-It-Yourself and Gardening industry for over 30 years. So I think now is the time to spread the word a bit about Contractors within the companies operating in the UK.