With the rising need for environmental concern and sustainable living people are starting to grow their own foods. Organic Gardening is gaining much popularity then ever before. One of the crucial ingredients for successful organic gardening is Garden tools.
A Organic gardener should start with few collection of basic tools and build from there. There are quite many stores and catalogues which are filled with both familiar and savvy hand tools. Deciding upon which tools are needed takes time, and the perfect collection depends on your gardening style and scope.
For starters the collection would include a spade for digging and besides that a fork, a garden rake to smoothen the soil and prepare beds, a hoe for weeding, and a trowel to work in proximity of plants. Pruning tools and moreover a lawnmower forms a sizable count for basic tools.
It is more advisable to use hand tools rather than power tools which consume fuel and electricity. They are expensive and cause air and noise pollution as well as contribute to global warming. Having your garden kept on low maintenance will reduce tool needs and increase creativity in of the garden.
TIPS FOR BUYING TOOLS
Tools
When considering buying tools for garden it is strongly advisable to avoid cheap tools at any cost.
These tools have a poor design and don’t do the job well. Besides this they have a short life. Here are some other tips to keep in mind when shopping for tools:
Hand Tools
They form the basis for a garden tool collection. When kept sharp and of good-quality these hand tools will make our garden work go quickly and easily.
North American white ash is a best wood choice for the handle of a shovel and all long-handled garden tools, this is strong, light, and resilient. Other varieties like Hickory is strong but quite heavier and is ideal for hammers and other short-handled tools.
When buying for hand tools we should examine the lines (rings) in the wooden handle; they should usually run straight down the entire length of the handle, without any knots. Tools with painted handles are usually tricky as they hide the cheap wood. Generally better quality tools are available with fiberglass, metal, and high-grade plastic handles.
The metal part of the tool attached to its handle affects the durability. Tools which have solid socket and solid-strapped construction, forged usually from a single bar of steel which completely envelops the handle, adds to the protection and strength.
Those who are suffering from back pain or arthritis should look for ergonomic garden tools that are designed to require less bending. Examples of which are loppers with a ratchet mechanism for ease in cutting, trowels and other hand held tools with gel-impregnated handles for less stress while gripping.
The garden forks made of polypropylene weigh much less than the standard wood-and-metal fork.
Below is the list of tools which are needed for both beginners as well as experienced gardeners. This will give a brief idea of tools that you will need to take care of Home gardening and landscape:
Shovel
Spading fork
Bow rake
Leaf rake
Pruning shears
Leather garden gloves
Wheelbarrow
Trowel
Sprayer (Basic hand-held, window cleaner type)
The type of garden tools varies with different regions of the country. This depends on the type of soil and terrain. Areas which have heavy clay or rocky soil, it takes a pick to break through the subsoil.
Moreover in the Southwest region, a tool called a caliche bar or a crowbar is used to pole holes in the more or less concrete-like caliche soil.
It is better to various models of rotary tillers or borrows and test them before actually buying them.
Wheeled tillers are convenient to operate than those without wheels, and in some cases large wheels provide more mobility than small ones. Also look generally for heavy, heat-treated carbon steel blades to make your gardening experience a pleasant one.
ORGANIC GARDENING TOOLS :
