10 must have tools
Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out its essential you have the right tools for the job. As using the wrong tools for the job can make long work of what should be quick and easy tasks. This in turn can become very off-putting and you may feel you do not want to return to those garden jobs again. To ensure this doesn’t happen Kent & Stowe have put together this list of 10 must have tools.
Kent & Stowe have a tool to make every task an easier and more enjoyable one. Our advice is always to start with the basics that you will use time and time again.
So here are the top 10 must have Kent & Stowe tools:
- Digging Fork or Border Fork
Used for general digging, aerating and for lifting up plants. Make sure that the fork is suitable for your height and able to pick it up easily to avoid any injury. Forks come in two sizes, a standard digging fork and a border fork for smaller areas.
2. Digging Spade or Border Spade
Used for general digging, cultivating, soil turning and breaking up the soil. Choose a spade that suitable for your height to reduce back strain (a standard spade is fine for those measuring 5’6” and over). Use a border spade for smaller areas or smaller tasks. But also consider the weight of the spade and whether lighter, more compact ‘Border Spade’ might be more suitable?
3. Weeding Knife for slicing through weeds in patio slabs. This weeding knife has a 45-degree angled blade with the inside enabling you to cut the tops of weeds off easily. It’s also great for scraping out moss from in between paving stones. This tool comes in a full size long handled version as well as a easy to use hand size.
4. Oscillating Hoe for clearing weeds in borders. This hoe delivers manoeuvrability as well as agility with the upright luxury of a long shafted tool. It is the perfect height for easy working eliminating the need for bending therefore reduces back strain. The unique part to this tool is its swivel head action with a double edge blade. Use it in a push-pull motion to unroot weeds effortlessly.
5. The Hand Trowel is what you’ll use when you need to dig and loosen soil in containers and the front of borders. You can also use it while cultivating to dig out any weeds. An extremely versatile tool.
6. Hand Fork for use in beds and borders. It is ideal for close work around plants, raking the soil and breaking up the surface to create a loose, fine tilth ready for planting. We also have a longer handled version to eliminate bending and stretching over while gardening with our Border Hand Fork
7. Lawn & Leaf Rake is a spring tine rake which gently scrapes the surface of your grass, so is perfect for raking up dead leaves in autumn and winter. It has 16 steel tines to make light work of any clearing job.
Cutting Tools
It’s extremely important to use the right type of secateurs cuts when pruning. Otherwise you could bruise live stems or blunt your blades. There are two types of cut – Anvil and Bypass Cut.
8. Bypass Secateurs for the pruning of live green stems. These are the best general all-purpose secateurs and you’ll find them useful for pruning roses and other shrubs. They cut with a scissor action with one blade going across the other. This ensures that live green stems are easily pruned without damage. Using an anvil here would certainly bruise the stem and could even stunt growth.
9. Anvil Secateurs for the pruning of dead wood stems. This blade cuts like a knife onto a chopping block, so its perfect for hard and dead wood. If you used bypass on these types of stems it would certainly start to wear away and blunt most blades. Its essential therefore to have both types in your shed for your garden maintenance.
10. Loppers to effortlessly prune larger green live branches. Loppers are perfect for cutting off large branches, or branches that are out of hands reach or too large to cut with secateurs, requiring two hands. Bypass Loppers should be used on green live stems (with the same principle applying anvil v bypass cut).
How to maintain and care for your Garden Tools
It is very important to take proper care of your garden tool so that it continues to perform at its peak. Do not leave your tool outside, always store it away after use in a dry environment. Even in dry weather conditions your tools, if left outside, are exposed to moisture from wet grass and dew.
Cleaning and drying your garden tools will keep them in good working order. Always remove all of the soil from your digging tools after each use by washing the dirt off.
Never put your tools away wet. Allow them to dry completely before storing to prevent rusting and handle rot. For all wood handled tools apply a light coating of boiled linseed oil to help prevent the wood from drying out and cracking. If a wooden handle is very dirty, remove as much of the soil as possible with a stiff brush. If you need to use water, gently wet the handle with a damp cloth, making sure that you don’t soak the wood, as this may cause the grain to lift and the handle to swell.
Thoroughly clean any tools which have been used for chemical applications. Fertilisers and other chemicals will rapidly corrode any metal.
Source: Westland Garden Health