Tools
By: Garden Gate staff
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Must-have tools
Every gardener starts with a few basic tools — a hand trowel, watering can, spade and a pair of pruners — that tackle nearly every task.
Then there are the tools that make gardening even easier because they go one step further — the better-than-basic tools. We’ve got some of these must-haves just ahead. Keep clicking to see how they’ll work for you, improving the way you garden. You’ll even find a few direct sources, so these helpful tools are easy to locate.
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Ace® Mini XL-Stream™ fire hose nozzle
If you’ve ever had to grip a standard pistol-type nozzle to keep the water flowing, you know how your hand can start to cramp — especially if you suffer from arthritis. You won’t have any trouble with this one. Instead of being on the grip, the on/off control is the lever on top.
Twist the front of the nozzle to change the spray pattern from a tight stream to a soft fan spray. There’s even a separate pressure control so you can regulate the force of the water. And the cushioned grip is insulated so your fingers won’t go numb while you’re running cold water on a chilly fall day.
Source: Check out local Ace Hardware stores.
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Soil knife
Use this instead of a trowel to plant bulbs or small annual starts from packs. Stick it deep into the soil to pry out a young perennial weed and make sure you get every piece of root, too.
Turn it on its side and use it as a hoe to scrape off weeds as they sprout or break the soil crust so moisture can penetrate easier. The edge is serrated so you can safely saw through a pot-bound root mass, like we did at left, instead of chopping or hacking.
You’ll probably find even more uses for this tool as you work in your garden!
Source: $33.99 for soil knife and leather sheath with Garden Gate logo at www.GardenGateStore.com.
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Needle-nose pruners
You may have noticed your pruners don’t always fit into tight spots or are cumbersome when it comes to delicate trimming.
Needle-nose pruners allow you to get into small areas and cut off a damaged leaf or two, like we’re doing here. And they’re more substantial than scissors when it comes to cutting woody plants and snipping off fibrous perennial stems.
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