What hand gardening tools should you not be without and why?
As a gardener, the tools that you use are very important. Perhaps you could achieve the same effect of digging or working if you didn't use tools, but it would take a long time to do! In addition, gardening tools also cause less physical strain for gardeners, so you won't be as susceptible to getting back problems or arthritis! Many hand gardening tools are especially useful. Here are a couple of hand gardening tools that you should not be without, and reasons why these tools are so invaluable:
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- Digging trowel or spade: As a gardener, you will constantly be digging in the dirt for one reason or another. Digging trowels or spades are one of the most helpful hand gardening tools that you should not be without! You can begin using digging trowels at the beginning of the planting season, to help you dig holes in which to plant seeds. Or, you might want to use your digging trowel to help you to dig holes for your plant starters! You might also find the digging trowel useful later on during the gardening season, such as if you have to dig to loosen up some stubborn weed roots. At the end of the season, a digging trowel can help you to uproot and dig up some of your plants that won't last through the cold winter months. As you can see, a digging trowel is an essential tool that you won't want to be without for any part of the gardening season!
- Transplanting trowel: If you can't do without the digging trowel, then you definitely should not be without the transplanting trowel either! The transplanting trowel often has a narrower blade than the digging trowel, which makes it ideal for digging in small containers or digging in between other plants. This is especially handy if you are trying to transplant an already established plant in one area to another area. In addition, some transplanting trowels have blades that have marked gradients for depth measurements, which help the gardener to know exactly how deep they have dug! Depth measurement is especially something that a gardener should not be without, since each plant has their own stipulation of how deep they should be planted!
- Cultivator: The hand cultivator is another hand gardening tool that you should not be without as a gardener, particularly at the beginning of the gardening season! Cultivators are small hand tools that look a little like hand rakes. The prongs in the hand cultivator are meant to penetrate hard ground, so that a gardener can work in the soil more easily. Cultivators are especially useful tools for gardeners in the early spring after the frost, when the ground is particularly hard. In addition, gardeners will find hand cultivators to be useful when weeding as well, because the cultivator can loosen up harder soil that is around stubborn weeds.
- Hand pruner: If you are a flower gardener, you don't want to be found without a hand pruner! When pruning different flowers, there sometimes are tricky areas where a large pruner will not be able to cut the flower as accurately. This is a great time to use the hand pruner. One of the type of flower that you will need to prune at least once a year is the rose. In addition, hand pruners are also helpful hand tools for "dead heading" blossoms that have begun to fade. The clean cut of the hand pruner will ensure that the flower does not get damaged by an inaccurate or sloppy cutting job. If you care about your flowers, you will want to make sure you get a hand pruner!
