Click
here to see a list of UK suppliers of digging and carrying
tools
Choosing digging
& carrying tools
The majority of gardening tools should be seen as long-term investments.
Tools that are well designed and kept in good condition really
do make a difference. Once you have used a stainless steel spade
for example, you will almost certainly never want to go back to
a traditional one. Cleaning your tools after use will protect
them. Most metals will rust, so don’t put digging tools away
that are caked with soil. Wipe them clean with a damp cloth or
rinse under running water, then dry thoroughly with a cloth. Finally,
wipe over with an oily rag, or spray with a rust-proofing product.
Tools have been grouped here according
to use although many tools serve more than one function –
this makes it easier to weigh up the pros and cons of different
tools intended for similar jobs.
Tools take up space in your garden
shed, and large ones can be expensive to buy. Consider hiring
those that you use only occasionally. A hired cultivator will
probably do all the turning over of soil that you would want in
a day, and a post-hole borer will make erecting a fence easier.
The condition of hired tools can vary enormously, and powered
tools that are not well maintained are a potential hazard. Always
satisfy yourself about the condition of tools that you hire –
and never leave the shop without receiving instructions or advice
if you don’t know how to use the tool. This applies especially
to potentially dangerous tools, such as chainsaws, hedge trimmers
and cultivators. Protective clothing may be necessary for the
safe operation of some tools (goggles, ear protectors and gloves,
for example). A good hire shop will be able to advise and should
supply these with the tools.
DIGGING TOOLS
SPADES
The most basic garden tool, usually intended for digging and planting
– though there are specialist kinds for digging out post
holes and drainage trenches, for example, that are used mainly
by professionals.
Of all the gardening tools that you
will buy, this is the one that will cause you the most physical
stress if you make the wrong choice. If you can afford it, a stainless
steel blade will make digging easier: it slides through the soil
more efficiently and soil falls off the blade more readily (especially
important for clay soils).
Blades coated with a non-stick finish
are also useful, but the coating will wear off in time with regular
or heavy use. Ordinary carbon steel is perfectly satisfactory
if you don’t use a spade often and if you clean it after
use.
If you have an allotment, or regularly
dig a large area of ground, the normal blade, which is about 28
x 5 x 19 cm (11 x 5 x 7 in) is best. If you don’t mind lifting
heavy loads, it might be worth considering one with a larger ‘heavy’
blade – usually about 30 x 5 x 20 cm (12 x 5 x 8 in) –
to speed up the job.
For occasional use in a small area,
and for planting or digging among established plants, one with
a smaller blade, about 23 x 5 x 13 cm (9 x 5 x 5 in), is likely
to be more useful. These are usually called border spades, but
if you find bending and lifting difficult they may be the best
option for all your digging jobs.
A long-handled spade makes digging
less hard on the back and anyone over 1.75 m (5 ft 7 in) tall
is likely to find a long-handled version of benefit.
Where infirmity or disability make
the use of an ordinary spade impossible, an ‘automatic’
spade that works on the spring and lever principle may be the
answer. This throws the soil forward as you pull back on the handle
– the weight of the soil does not have to be supported and
the height of the handle can be adjusted. They are, however, more
expensive, difficult to use in a confined area, and not very good
for digging holes.
The length of the spade is more important
than the material from which it is made or coated, or the shape
of the hilt (handle). Historically, hilt shape often reflected
regional preferences, but nowadays most spades have a D-shaped
hilt. These are perfectly satisfactory for most people, but if
you have large hands and wear gloves for gardening, make sure
the space is large enough for comfort.
A ‘tread’ (a flattened
area on the top of the blade, on which the foot is placed) can
make digging more comfortable over a long period. The benefits
are less obvious if you wear tough boots or Wellingtons for digging,
and some types of spade – stainless steel, for example –
don’t have them because of manufacturing difficulties.
FORKS
Forks are sometimes used instead of spades on heavy clay soils.
They are lighter to use and easier to push through hard or sticky
ground. Forks are versatile tools, however, and are widely used
for lifting bulky material such as manure and garden compost as
well as harvesting root crops which might be damaged by the blade
of a spade. Special potato-lifting forks, with broad flat tines
on a larger head, are available, but these are only really a worthwhile
investment if you grow a large amount of potatoes or other root
crops.
The standard fork head has four tines
(prongs) and measures about 30 x 5 x 20 cm (12 x 5 x 8 in), but
border forks for light work or confined areas are available, with
heads about 23 x 5 x 13 cm (9 x 5 x 5 in).
POWERED CULTIVATORS
If you have a large area of ground that has to be cultivated annually
– an allotment, for example – or need to bring a neglected
or new garden into a good condition for planting, cultivators
can save an enormous amount of effort.
Electric cultivators are adequate
for a small area near to a power supply. They are less expensive
to buy, not so noisy, and quite easy to manoeuvre (be careful
of the trailing cable). Petrol cultivators are generally much
more powerful, and the only practical option where there is no
convenient power supply.
Front-engined cultivators have the
digging rotors behind the engine and driving wheels. They are
not so good for deep cultivation, but steering them is relatively
easy. Mid-engined cultivators don’t have wheels but instead
are propelled by the rotors as they turn to cultivate the soil.
The weight of the engine above makes deep cultivation easy, but
control and manoeuvring is a skill that has to be acquired. Rear-engined
cultivators have the rotors on a boom in front of the engine and
wheels. Although they can be tiring to operate, deep cultivation
is easy and they are more manageable in difficult-to-reach areas.
With a good cultivator it should
be easy to adjust the depth of cultivation. A wide range of attachments
(such as a potato lifter) is available, but a more useful feature
to look for is a handle that can be adjusted for angle as well
as height. If it can be pivoted sideways it will enable you to
walk along behind the machine without walking over the area you
have just cultivated.
CARRYING TOOLS
WHEELBARROWS
Invaluable if your garden is large, wheelbarrows can be used not
only for moving garden debris, but for carrying tools, manures
and fertilisers, and most of the heavy or awkward items that you
will need to use around the garden. Many come in a simple kit
form that is easy to bolt together.
Traditional wheelbarrows have a conventional
wheel in front, which is fine on a hard surface, but a problem
if you have to push the barrow over loose soil or rough ground.
For this a barrow with a plastic ball instead of a wheel is likely
to be easier to push.
CARTS AND TROLLEYS
For some jobs garden carts (with two wheels and pram-type handles)
are more stable and easier to load and unload than a single-wheeled
barrow. However, they are less manoeuvrable, especially on uneven
ground. Trolleys, with four wheels and a low platform for loading,
are useful if you have to move heavy loads, such as bricks or
paving slabs. They sometimes have places for stacking garden tools
as well.
BAGS AND SHEETS
A large wide-mouthed bag or a strong plastic garden sheet with
handles is extremely useful for moving lightweight garden waste,
such as hedge trimmings or leaves. These weigh little, fold away
flat when not in use, and can be lifted, carried or pulled over
any kind of ground.
TRUGS
Traditionally wooden, but nowadays often plastic, trugs are shallow
baskets with a single arched handle across the centre. They are
intended for gathering cut flowers or when picking fruit or harvesting
vegetables, but they are also good for collecting weeds.
Taken from Reader's Digest New Garden Year - a month-by-month
guide to success in your garden.
Feature: Erica Miller, Homebase
Click
here to see a list of UK suppliers of digging and carrying
tools
