Garden Tools Needed for Growing Vegetables

Tools for Gardening

One of the most telling things about gardeners is what they keep in their tool shed and the condition that they're in (the tools, that is). Some are gleaming and have been lightly oiled so that they'll last for years and will always be ready and in good condition when they're wanted. Others will be caked with mud, rusty and in an awful state; worse than useless because they'll never do a job properly and will make hard work of everything. The owners are much the same!

As regards the different kinds of tool that you'll find hanging up, those gardeners who have been gardening for some years will already have their favourites and, apart from buying the occasional replacement or improvement, will be very conservative in the way they go about choosing and using them. What the new gardener has to learn first is that some tools are essential whereas others are expensive gimmicks that can well be done without. The hardest job is learning to distinguish between the two.

One thing that should always be borne in mind is that there is no such thing as a bargain where tools are concerned. Good tools cost a lot of money and any that appear to be cheap will be so for a very good reason. That reason becomes apparent soon after the tool has been put to use. The general rule is that you should always buy the most expensive tools you can afford; they will be the best. A good spade, for example, will last a lifetime; very probably two.

On the other hand, there seems to be an increasing number of tools which are stamped out of sheet steel and not properly forged, as they always used to be. The problem here is that, whilst they're certainly cheaper than the forged tools, and, to the untrained eye, look as good, they just aren't. Sheet steel is softer than forged steel and you'll very soon find this out when you're using, say, a Dutch hoe. If it's blunt and the land is heavy, it'll bend surprisingly soon.

Then there's the choice between ordinary and stainless steel. Stainless steel is certainly the best material for spades, forks and hoes but I'm not too happy with it for things like knives and secateurs; it never seems to hold a really sharp edge as well as ordinary steel. This may be imagination, though, because great advances have been made in hardening stainless steel.

Some tools, especially shears and other cutting instruments of that sort, can be made of ordinary steel coated with a special, hardened plastic that makes them virtually rustproof. They do, though, retain the keenness of edge that is not always attainable with stainless steel.

The most important thing to remember about tools of any sort is that, once they have been bought, they must always be kept clean and in good working order. Not only will rusty tools wear out sooner, but they will also be far less efficient at doing their job. Can you imagine a pair of rusty secateurs being any use at all? They won't cut the wood, they'll tear it and, in consequence, will often cause damage and leave a wound that won't heal over quickly. Result — often a fungal infection and die-back. And so it goes on.

A common fallacy is that stainless tools need not be cleaned — they should be kept just as clean as any other. Their main advantages are that they are easier to clean and the shinier surface tends, in the case of tools used for cultivating, to make them slip through the ground more easily.

Whenever any cultivating tool has been used, it must be cleaned straight away. One of the best implements for the initial cleaning is simply a piece of flat wood, something like a short ruler. This is used to clean off the worst of the dirt. It is then normally possible to wipe the blade quite clean with a rag. If the soil in your area is heavy, you may have to wash this remaining soil off. Avoid this if you can, though, because it then means that the tool has to be dried.

Finally, most tools will benefit from having the steel parts wiped down with an oily rag or paint brush. Don't overdo this, though, or you'll have drips of oil all over the place. Where possible, always hang up tools. It they're left standing on a brick or earthen floor, they'll probably go rusty at the point of contact.

If certain tools are not being used for some months, such as hoes throughout the winter, give them an occasional glance to make sure that they're still oily; it can wear off in time. Any tools that have been used in the rain must be thoroughly dried, and, if appropriate, oiled, before being put away. For what one might call 'general' gardening, the following are the basic tools that everyone will need.

Other garden tools

SPADE

This is the main digging tool that is used for all primary and deep cultivations. It is the tool that is used both for breaking up new ground after the builders have left as well as the one that you will be using for the rest of your life in an established garden.

Use it for turning over the soil and for burying weeds and plant remains after a crop has been removed, and for incorporating garden compost or manure into the soil. It is not normally used amongst standing plants because of the damage it would inflict on their roots.

The spade is, if you like, the equivalent of a farmer's plough. It is suitable for use on all soil types although a digging fork is sometimes used in place of a spade on very heavy land, simply because it is easier to work with and does the job just as well.

Spades can be made of ordinary or stainless steel. It is well worth buying a stainless one if you can afford it, but by no means essential, as it costs considerably more. Good spades will have a narrow step fitted to the top of the blade where the foot rests when digging. This is solely to prevent boots and shoes being ruined by continuous pressure on the otherwise sharp edge. It is the sort of refinement that turns a good spade into a first-rate one. However, if you use your heel to push the spade into the ground, and this often makes the work easier, the step is unnecessary.

It is also worthwhile looking for a spade in which the rivets which fix the handle to the business end run from front to back and not from side to side. Whenever a handle breaks, it is nearly always along the line of the top rivet of a 'side-to-side' model. A small point, but one worth remembering.

When being used for digging, a spade should always be held as upright as possible so that it works to the full depth of the blade.

FORK

This is normally used for shallower digging or, as already mentioned, for deep digging heavy clay. A common use is as a follow-up in the spring after a plot has lain dug and vacant over the winter. It is used to break up the clods as the first step toward creating a tilth suitable for sowing or planting.

A fork is also used for shallow digging amongst standing plants; it does far less damage to the root systems. It is the best tool for handling bulky organic matter.

Stainless and ordinary steel forks are available. Several different designs may be seen but most gardeners are quite happy with an ordinary digging fork. Incidentally, most tools, and certainly spades and forks, can be had in a variety of sizes to suit all uses and physiques.

RAKE

The rake is used almost exclusively for levelling ground and breaking the soil down into a fine tilth suitable for sowing in. The latter is usually done after the initial forking to break up the clods. A rake is also useful for incorporating fertilisers into the top two inches or so of the soil.

The extra cost of a stainless steel rake would be hard to justify. Lawn rakes with spring tines are a completely different tool and are not intended for working the soil, rather for raking out moss and other debris from the surface of lawns.

HOES

Dutch Hoe

The Dutch (push) hoe is the standard weeding tool and has been used by gardeners for generations. However, it has another important use; that of moving a shallow amount of soil either to prevent or to destroy a surface crust. The gardener moves backwards when using the tool and thus hoes out his footmarks as well.

This is another instance where stainless steel can have advantages over ordinary steel in that the hoe slips through the soil more easily.

The object of a Dutch hoe's action is to sever the top growth of a weed from the root system just below the surface; it should not be used to push or dig the weed out complete with its roots. If the soil is damp, it will simply form new roots and carry on growing. For this reason, the cutting edge of the blade must always be kept sharp.

Hoeing during wet weather, or when the soil is wet, is normally a complete waste of time and can, in fact, cause harm by damaging the soil structure.

Draw Hoe

The draw (swan-neck) hoe is also useful for weeding but is used as well for drawing up the soil over potatoes, for drawing out seed drills, for working the soil shallowly and for thinning out rows of seedlings.

Unlike the Dutch hoe, you move forwards when using a draw hoe so it is normal to work to one side of it so that hoed ground isn't immediately walked upon. When hoeing between rows of plants, walk in the row to be hoed next so that you keep off the hoed land.

As with the Dutch hoe, always keep the blade sharp and use it as flat as you can so that it travels just below the surface and doesn't dig in like a plough.

DIBBER

An essential tool for planting out brassica seedlings. A dibber is used to make the hole in the ground into which the roots are put and for firming the soil back around the roots. The result is much firmer planting than could ever be achieved with a trowel or fork.

When planting brassica plants, a reliable test of their firmness after planting is to tweak a leaf. If the plant comes out of the ground, you aren't planting firmly enough. You are if the leaf breaks off.

You may sometimes see small wooden or plastic dibbers similar in size to a pencil. These are for use when pricking out pot-raised seedlings and are not the type we are concerned with here. The sort I am referring to is a much larger tool with a handle to push against.

You can make your own quite easily from the broken handle of a spade or fork. Make it about 15in long, sharpen the end and, if possible, sheathe the point with metal; this makes it far easier to push into the ground.

A dibber is another tool that should never be allowed to become rusty as rust will greatly impair it's efficiency.

GARDEN LINE

No good gardener will ever try to draw out a straight seed drill or put in a straight row of plants without a line, no matter how short a distance is involved or how experienced he is. The more experienced you are, the better you know that you need a line.

Plastic lines are normal now and are virtually indestructible; unless you happen to chop them with a spade too often. Orange plastic is a good colour because it shows up well. Make sure that both ends of the line are firmly anchored and that it is taut, absolutely straight, and is not resting on a clod of earth that kinks it.

When making a seed drill with a draw hoe, work backwards and keep one foot on the line to prevent it being moved off centre.

TROWEL AND HAND FORK

These are very useful for digging up or planting young plants and seedlings and for working to a shallow depth amongst standing plants in a confined space.

Don't overtax their strength by expecting them to do the same jobs as a spade or digging fork; this simply leads to breakages and usually a loss of temper.

MEASURING ROD OR STEEL RULE

A measuring rod marked off every 6in is extremely useful when planting out or thinning seedlings. You can easily make your own out of any straight piece of timber 4-5ft long by 1in square.

In fact, this kind of rod is of more use than a tape when thinning or planting in rows, but a tape is also useful to have for accurate measuring.