#33. How to Select the Right Gardening Tools
Vegetable gardens are traditionally located in a separate area from the main garden. The reason being a vegetable garden is not considered a thing of beauty, so it is generally located in the backyard. However, today, thanks to skilled landscape designers, it is possible with proper planning to have a functional yet attractive vegetable garden integrated into the landscaping.
When planning a vegetable garden, it is important to factor-in the tools that will be required. The size of the garden matters, as well as how many varieties of vegetables and the amount of effort the gardener is going to put into the gardening process. For instance, if growing them from seed a few different tools will be required than if only seedlings were bought.
For a start-up gardener setting out to grow vegetables, the wide array of gardening tools available on the market can be overwhelming, to say the least. Often, the tendency to buy one of everything, “just to be sure”, can be a costly mistake.
Viewed practically, vegetable gardening does not require a large selection of tools. The basics include a hoe, shovel, spade, fork and wheelbarrow. If you are starting your vegetable garden, buy second-hand tools from home sales or second hand stores.
There are power tools available on the market today like tillers and plows. However, if you have a small garden, you will not need these items. Further, only an old fashioned shovel can really turn the soil. The shovel is considered an absolute must for anyone with a vegetable garden.
What you need: a spade with a sharp edge, to dig and turn the soil.
The rake and hoe will require manual effort, but they can't be beaten to smooth top soil, make rows or chip away at weeds. If you don't have these items the jobs will have to be done on bended knees – a definitely more painful method!
What you need: a bow rake to remove stones, break up clods of earth and smooth over the soil. Hoes come in a variety of shapes and sizes to prepare seed beds, cultivate soil for mixing of fertilizer and to control weeds.
The three-prong fork digger is used to break up the soil as it is turned over by hand. Once the soil has been dug, raked and hoed, it is time to use the fork. The fork is gentle on worms that are very useful to the soil – it will not slice them in half as a shovel would do. Fork diggers can be short handled or long handled. Choose the one that is appropriate for the size of your garden.