If I had to limit myself to just a few gardening tools, these would be the ones. The spade was given to me by my mother-in-law and is probably my oldest and dearest garden tool. I use it for edging, weeding, and digging. I frequently sharpen it with a whet stone. For pruning I use three tools: a Felco #2 pruner, a long-blade fruit pruner, and a bypass lopper. The weeder, trowel, garden gloves (which I don’t use often enough, as my short nails and rough knuckles attest to), watering can, rake and broom nearly complete the list. Finally, my beat-up old wheelbarrow rarely spends a gardening day in the garage.
Two other tools are nearly indispensible: a small plastic children’s snow shovel for cleaning up, and a two-wheeled hand truck for moving large pots. What are your favorite garden tools?
Because we start so many seeds each year a watering can is a must. The gentle water flow helps to moisten the soil without damaging the seedling. <BR/><BR/>A bulb planter is great for moving self sown seedlings without hurting the roots.<BR/><BR/>If I had to get along with just a couple of tools then a pruner, a spade, and a trowel. Everything else can be improvised.
Great idea on the bulb planter. I have one and rarely use it.
Working as a volunteer through the Chicago Extension UIUC has taught us to be resourceful. <BR/>The best tool for cutting back ornamental grass that I have ever used is a saw that looks like a pruning saw but is actually a carpenter’s tool. It’s a drywall saw. It is strong,cuts well and some come with a sheath to attach to a belt.I used my husbands until he gave it to me and bought another for