Garden Tools

"There is a lovable quality about the actual tools. One feels so kindly to the thing that enables the hand to obey the brain. Moreover, one feels a good deal of respect for it; without it the brain and the hand would be helpless." Gertrude Jekyll

It used to be said that the thing which distinguished humans from the rest of the animal kingdom is that we are intelligent enough to design and use tools, but as we study our fellow creatures, more examples of their use of objects to help with tasks have been discovered. Some birds use stones to crush animal shells, chimpanzees use twigs to extract ants. However when it comes to quantity and variety we beat them hands down.
The variety of garden tools is certainly endless and every year new ones are introduced promising great benefits over anything that has gone before. The Victorians loved their gadgets and in the latter half of the nineteenth century the range of tools increased greatly.
The majority are not what they are claimed to be and after one use end up occupying space in the tool shed, never to see the light of day again. Apart from the most useful tools we possess - our hands - the range of tools needed to tend the average garden is small.
Try to buy tools made from forged metal as it has been tempered to align the particles, giving it tensile strength. Tools pressed from sheet metal are weak and corrode more easily. A good quality handle made from ash or fibre-reinforced resin will be much stronger. Always try them for comfort and ease of handling before purchase.
This applies as well when buying garden tools for a gift, try to think how the recipient will use it, or it might be better to give a voucher so that he or she can do the choosing. If possible choose small hand tools which have bright handles so that they will be easier to spot among foliage or against soil - why so many are made with green or black handles is a mystery! Some bright paint can be applied to make them stand out.
Second-hand tools can be good quality, and have many years of usefulness left in them. Look in junk shops, auctions and car boot sales. There is the old story of the yard-brush said to have belonged to a grandfather, it has had six new shafts and a dozen new heads and is still going strong!
Garden tools made with copper-based metals are regarded by some to be beneficial to the soil, possibly by adding traces of the metal as they are used, or because copper is non magnetic. The tools are usually made from beaten bronze, an alloy of copper and tin - this makes them hardwearing. They do not corrode as easily as iron tools and look very elegant, if a little pricey.

Whatever tools are chosen, they will last much longer and perform better if a little care is bestowed on them. Clean off any soil and return them to their regular storage spot so you will always know where to find them. Don't leave them outdoors where the metal will rust and wooden handles will rot. A rub over with an oily rag will preserve the metal. Wooden handles will last longer and more pleasant to hold if given a rub with boiled linseed oil occasionally.

If a wheelbarrow is required, choose one with a pneumatic tyre, solid tyres are difficult to get over the slightest bump and are very noisy.
A watering can can be used with a fine rose on seedlings, with the rose removed to "puddle in" plants or with a sprinkle bar to apply weedkillers. Though it is preferable to have a separate one for the latter use, also a different colour, usually red.

There is information on lawnmowers in the lawn maintenance section. Other mechanical equipment required once a year or less frequently can be hired.

"It is no use asking me or anyone else how to dig... Better to go and watch a man digging, and then take a spade and try to do it." Gertrude Jekyll
Used mainly for planting and cultivating the spade should be the correct weight and have a suitable length and girth of handle to be comfortable in use. The blade has had many transformations over the years. Different regions have produced a spade best suited to the local soil conditions and the task to be carried out. For example a long narrow one for heavy stoney ground and wider, shorter ones for lighter soil; the narrower blade is usually more angled and is useful for digging field drains.
The first spades were made from wood and must have been a nightmare to use. The best one has a forged blade set at a slight angle, not straight in profile and made of pressed steel, ie. folded out of sheet metal.
The choice between carbon and stainless steel is down to frequency of use. If the spade spends most of its time in the shed the stainless one will stay smooth and will pass easily through the soil. A thin layer of rust will form on the surface of the ordinary steel one if it is left for any length of time, and will tend to clog up with soil during use. The stainless blade wears away quicker, so may not last as long with frequent use, as a good quality forged one of similar price.
Most of the spades available are similar in shape and are of two sizes - the digging spade with a broad blade (right) and the border spade (left) which is smaller and lighter. The latter is also useful for digging narrower drains and post holes as it removes less material. They tend not to have a proper tread on the shoulders of the blade, the sharp point is painful on the foot and cuts into the sole of shoes and wellingtons, ruining them. There are small plastic guards which clip on, but the best remedy is to have a small piece of iron bar welded on to make the shoulder thicker.

Slightly lighter and with a similar overall profile to the spade, the garden fork is best for cultivating soil, especially in new ground. The tines are much easier to push into the soil if it is stoney and in clay soil it breaks up the clods more easily. Also when removing perennial weeds it is easier to tease out the roots without cutting them. Some people recommend using two forks back-to-back to tease apart the roots of perennial plants when dividing them, but with some roots it it best to cut them with a spade or an old kitchen knife.
Stainless steel does not have an advantage over carbon steel as a little rust on the tines will not signify - the choice is purely a cosmetic one. Infact good quality carbon steel tines will probably last longer and may be more resistant to bending.
As with the spade there are two main sizes - a digging fork and a smaller border fork. The smaller size is sometimes called a 'lady's fork' as it is easier to handle.

For smaller jobs such as planting bulbs and bedding plants in cultivated soil. A stainless steel version is probably best as the blade stays cleaner and is easier to spot if left lying around. Choose one made from forged metal rather than pressed steel as one good heave will leave the latter version bent or broken. The whole tool or part of it can be used as a measure when planting out.