KG494 Print Combined

While our early ancestors did their
‘gardening’ with various forms of sticks
and stones, we have moved on considerably
from those rudimentary times. Now, we have
a vast array of toolage at our disposal – a
veritable plethora of devices, both simple and
not so simple, from which to choose our tool
arsenal. The choice can be bewildering. Tools
are a personal choice and what suits you may
not suit me, but there are some tools that will
please most of us, and these are the tools that
have earnt their place in the tool shed. Over
time I have used many different tools and have
gathered together a family of tools that I find
are both durable and useful.
Tools to dig
Trowels & hand forks
The workhorses of the garden, trowels and
hand forks are used for a range of procedures
from weeding to planting to levering out
stubborn plants or rocks from the soil, and, as
such, need to be of sufficient sturdiness to hold
fast and not bend at the crucial moment. Avoid
the cheap and cheerful, and fork (haha) out for
a quality tool with a stainless-steel blade or
prongs. This is particularly important when it
comes to hand forks as I dislike pulling the fork
out of the soil after some grunty work, just to
see that the prongs are all facing in different
directions, the fork now rendered useless.
Spades
A well-crafted spade is a thing of joy to use,
it should make the job easier and reduce the
strain on your body. To help the blade slice
easily into the soil and not flex when being
used, it should, preferably, be made of stainless
steel. Choose the correct size of spade for your
own size or strength. I always use a border spade
as the regular size is too heavy for me. Make sure
your chosen spade has little metal footrests on
top of the blade to make it more comfortable to
push down on – surprisingly, they don’t all have
this necessary addition. My spade is a Spear &
Jackson, but I’d also recommend the well-priced
and robust Kent & Stowe. It not only comes with a
decent 15-year warranty, but looks nice too!
Forks
Garden forks have their own job to do – while
many digging tasks can be achieved with a spade,
the fork is the tool to reach for when more care is
needed with the root ball. Dahlias are an example,
as to avoid slicing through the tubers, you need
a fork. Also, when splitting a fibrous root ball or
needing to turn over compost, two forks back to
back do the job admirably. Buy a quality stainlesssteel
fork, with tines that won’t bend when
pressure is applied. Coming in two sizes, I find the
smaller size border fork very useful. Once again, I
use a Spear & Jackson.
Shovels
If you need to dig sizeable holes when planting,
then you will be reaching for a shovel. These come
in various shapes and sizes, but the one I use is my
smaller-sized shovel, which is just the right size for
me. If I am sounding as though I am a weakling, it
is because when I use a smaller shovel or spade,
it allows me to work for longer with less fatigue
and less possible injury. Check that the metal the
blade is made of is 14 gauge or more, you don’t
want it to bend in use. Ideally the shank that holds
the blade securely to the handle should be over
30cm long as this is where the stress happens. As
with the spade, look for the little footrests.
left to right To dig a decent hole,
you will need a decent shovel; The
workhorses of the garden.
gardener.kiwi
kiwigardener 23