Summer is here! Time to Garden! ……. But lets be safe out there!
As we leave June behind us, time to work in the garden becomes more available for some people, and the best way to get your projects done most efficiently and safely is to use the right tools for the job. No one wants to ruin their summer plans with one of those classic yard work injuries like bee stings, pruned pinky’s, ladder fall sprains and various cuts and bruises – the right tool for the job can reduce the chance of yard work boo-boos and make the job a lot easier and more fun! Any professional gardener that you may hire to work for you in your garden will most likely be carrying all these tools, and a few other favorites they found along they way! A Mentor or Coach Gardener would be more than happy to show you the proper use and care of these tools and others.
Essential Tools for any basic yard work:
1. A good pair of gloves. Seems easy enough, but most of us don’t want to wear them when it’s hot out or the gloves are dirty. Get a few pairs so you can rotate them. They just need to be sturdy and comfortable enough so that you won’t mind wearing them 100% of the time when you do any outdoor work and when handling tools of any kind. It’s the “always wearing them” that cuts down on injuries like pruning into a finger rather than a stem – not the specific kind of glove that matters…..leather, rubber, canvas, mixed canvas and plastic coating are all good.
2. Comfortable hand tools for weeding, planting small plants and container planting. By comfortable I mean you find them easy to use for specific tasks. For digging holes that can accommodate 4 inch potteds to one gallon plants, you should only need one hand tool – this can save the hopping up and down using a shovel to dig a hole, then getting back on your knees to plant. For plucking out dandelions the “old school” dandelion tools with two prongs are still best to reach their extremely deep root system. My favorite hand tool is basically a one foot shake of steel with a point and a cutting edge called a Hori-Hori Knife as I find it most comfortable to use, but I also recommend a hand sized Adz – these are great for rougher soil.
- Hori Hori Knife
3. Bypass Pruners. These are the pruners where the upper and lower blade end up next to each other when cutting. Bypass pruners leave a good clean cut that plants can heal from much faster than other pruners. Anvil pruners, for instance, crush the stem between the blade and the bottom of the pruner before it cuts, causing more damage to the plant than necessary. If you already have a pair of anvil pruners don’t throw them away though – you can save wear and tear on your bypass pruners by using the anvil pruners on plants you’re removing or need to limb up first before removal or for dead wood. Damage to those limbs wont matter!
- bypass pruner
4. Pole Pruners. Cut down on the amount of time you may have to spend on a ladder by getting a good pair of pole pruners – they’re blades are basically the same as bypass pruners but on a long pole. With practice, you should be able to make precise cuts up to 16 feet above ground level (depending on how tall you are, your arms reach and the length of pole pruner you have) making many ladder jobs obsolete.
5. Orchard Ladder (three legged ladder). When you do need to use a ladder to prune, this kind of ladder is a must. An Orchard style ladder allows you to get better positioned into the tree for best pruning and is far more stable than using a ladder meant for house work. Most trees cannot sustain the weight of a typical ladder leaning against them while you prune, and step ladders should be used with caution in loose garden soil – you will gain more height while being safe using an orchard ladder than using a step ladder on most occasions, so leave the house ladders in the garage and get one specifically for the garden.
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One more tool you really should have: The number for a Professional Gardener or Arborist.
Sometimes it really is the best bet to hire a professional – especially for any really high or large tree work, heavy duty labor like planting the garden, installing trees, irrigation work etc. Lots of landscaping companies would be more than happy to do the rough work for you. And for new installations, consulting a landscape professional can lead to better results and a yard that is easy to care for and beautiful.
Box of Rain Landscape on HelpHive
Tags: 5 essential garden tools, Adz, Adze, Best pruners to have, garden gloves, Garden safely, Garden work tools, hori hori knife, orchard ladder, Safety and garden tools, top 5 garden tools, Top tools for garden work
