I'm a big fan of anything that makes gardening more enjoyable and my OCD tendencies love any tool that simplifies and makes organisation a reality. The obverse is tearing my hair out when clutter and disarray rear their ugly heads. So, it's no surprise that a garden tool belt would suit my lifestyle completely.

Yet tool belts that builders use aren't practical for a gardener. Firstly, they sit in front of your stomach and bore into your flesh every time you squat down. Plus, they hardly have enough room to hold any of the tools that gardeners require.

Gardeners require a different styled tool belt which is why I love these ones. They are designed to hang at your side rather than around your middle enabling freedom of movement and bigger pockets for all your tools.

But, what's the point of having a mobile storage unit such as this if it too becomes just another source of clutter? Plant labels, leaf litter, bits of old plastic tie and possibly a few pre-loved tissues always find their way into our once neat and orderly tool bag. Maybe it's time to reassess and restock?

Here's a list of garden tools that I find most useful and would love to have on hand;

1. Hand pruners

   Which hand pruners? Your choice, but it should go without saying that these are incredibly important in your gardening arsenal. Most garden tool belts have a separate pouch that keeps your pruners close at hand and easy to slip into.

2. Wire-cutters

   A very important tool if you grow veggies. Often we trellis our beans, peas and perhaps some of our fruit trees so it's handy to have a pair of wire-cutters on hand for any makeshift repairs or installations.

3. String

   A ball of twine or lengths of nylon pantyhose come in very helpful when you're wanting to stake plants.

4. Gloves

   For those who choose to use them, having a pair of gloves is a great option. Even for those who are reticent to use them, having a pair available can make life a little easier if you ever come across a situation where your bare skin just shouldn't go.

5. Planting Labels

   Plant labels are almost one of the most essential items when out in the garden. They certainly help out when you're trying to keep a record of what's going in your flower beds.

6. Felt-tip pen

   ...and if you're going to have plant labels on hand, then you might as well have something to write on them, right? Your felt-tip pen is also handy for marking pots and recording info on seed packets, if needed.

7. Trowel

   What gardener could exist without a garden trowel? One of the most versatile tools you'll keep in your belt, the trowel is essential.

8. Patio Knife

   Great for scraping the weeds from between bricks and pavers this versatile tool can also aid in opening bags of potting mix, fertiliser and manures. Plus, it's a handy tool for forming drills for your vegetable seeds.

9. Hand Fork

   Reliably a great tool when you're trying to dig up bulbs or other small plants. It helps lift them without removing all the soil.

10. Hand Rake

    The rake, as useful as the fork, is also fantastic for scarifying the soil around your plants and removing any surface weeds. Due to its compact size it makes cleaning around plants less intrusive and therefore much safer for your plants.

11. Weeding Prong

    These are great for getting weeds out of lawns or lifting those weeds that have deep roots.

12. Dibber

    The final tool you'll need in your garden belt is the dibber. A must-have for planting seedlings and bulbs this tool will make your gardening experience much easier and it will fit in compactly.

Pack your garden tool belt with all these goodies and you should be set to head off into your little piece of horticultural frontier.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (2)

It was my birthday two days ago, and yes - I'm feeling all of my 21 years. Aging gracefully, as some might say.

Fortunately, being a gardener, one of the recurring themes in presents that I received were relevant to my wonderful hobby. My wife went and purchased a stainless steel spade from the local bigbox even though the lady at the counter anecdotally shared that she also bought one for her husband for his birthday. His response was "Why would I want that?" to which my wife replied, "No, I'm almost certain that Stuart is going to love this." She was right.

My parents, who were holidaying in these parts, stopped off last weekend with four pots of tulips they had purchased in Nannup. I was stoked beyond belief as I've never even tried growing tulips before - our climate isn't the greatest for their finicky growing conditions.

Then a friend dropped over with a token bag of Dynamic Lifter and assures me its not symbolic of our relationship even though it smells like ^&(*@#.

And finally, Deb's parents sent me a gift voucher to our local bigbox - which will undoubtedly go on something towards the garden.

It's just so easy to buy for gardeners, isn't it? We're quite easily impressed with anything that furthers our gardening endeavours.

Anyway, enough of the chit-chat, I'm off to spend some time on the garden putting my wonderful gifts into practice.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (13)

Earlier this year I wrote a post titled 21 Skills Every Gardener Should Have that offered some suggestions for skills each gardener might require in their gardening repertoire. Yet, while skills are important they're seemingly redundant unless you have the right garden tools at your disposal.

For instance, what's the purpose of knowing how to till the soil properly if you only have a stick? Or, amending your soil when you have no idea what's lacking?

Therefore, it seems a little trite to have all these skills under your belt - when you possibly don't have a gardening belt.

1. Trowel - Arguably the most important tool in the garden. While some gardeners don't require the use of a spade or shovel, all of us need a garden towel. Their effectiveness in transplanting our new purchases or seedlings is second to none.
2. Secateurs (Garden Shears) - with a trowel and a set of garden shears most of our gardening tasks can be achieved relatively with ease. This hand tool is essential for pruning, taking cuttings for propagation, deadheading spent blooms or cutting flowers for the vase. Rarely would I step out into the garden without a pair in my hand.
3. Spade - of the larger garden tool necessities, the humble garden spade is a must. Digging, turning the soil, shoveling mulch or prising rocks from the ground the spade deserves a home in any garden shed.
4. Garden Fork - while a spade can do many things around your yard it can't equal the usefulness of a garden fork. The separated tines of the fork enable it to perform tasks that a bladed shovel or spade couldn't. For example, try pitching your spade into a compost heap and you will immediately see how useless it is at this activity. Attempt the same task with a garden fork and it becomes effortless and incredibly efficient.
5. Hoe - if you want to discuss the benefits of garden hoes then it's worth your while to read up on Carol's hoe collection over at May Dream's Garden. Until I stumbled upon her assortment I thought one was enough - trust me, it's not!
6. Rake - this tool is up for debate. While hoes can mostly cater for any soil movement you require, I do find that a rigid rake is essential, especially in areas where rocks and pebbles are abundant. Plus, rakes are great for spreading mulch and have become essential items in Japanese rock gardens.
7. Dibbler/ Bulb Planter - if you grow bulbs in your garden then you will want to have access to a dibbler stick or a bulb planter. These make the chore of planting out multitudes of bulbs a much simpler task.
8. Hose - probably one of the most under-appreciated tools is the garden hose. We curse it when it doesn't wrap properly, we leave it lying in the sun and we blame it for all manner of problems. In reality though, very few gardeners could live without one and it can save 'watering-can loads' of time keeping your plants moist and growing.
9. Lawn Mower - regardless of what many environmentalists claim, most gardeners need a lawn mower. Unless every patch of your yard is garden bed, paved or concreted there will be a need to mow it - even lawn substitutes require mowing at some point. So, while a petrol-guzzling reel mower may not make it to your shed a lightweight push-mower may still be an essential item.
10. Mulcher - I still don't get why most gardeners don't have these. Unless you don't have the space to compost or garden area where prunings are a regular material, then every gardener should have a chipper shredder. Our garden prunings shouldn't be going off to landfill but instead be returning back into our gardens.
11. Spray Kit - while most gardeners will associate a spray kit with chemical usage and avoid them like the plague, the humble sprayer has much more to offer. Spraying your compost tea or organic foliar fertilisers is much easier from one of these tools. However, if you do use chemicals make sure you have a separate one for your fertilisers.
12. Wheelbarrow - if not a wheelbarrow then at least a mobile cart. Mine comes in useful for carting mulch, compost, soil, mixing potting mix and carrying prunings to the compost heap. It is easily one of the most used tools I have in the garden.
13. Leaf Rake - for most gardeners, the leaf rake has a short period of use, namely autumn (Fall). But for those who share their gardens with large trees and maintain lawn at the same time, a leaf rake is an essential garden tool.
14. Gloves - the most controversial of all garden tools, in terms of necessity, are the humble garden gloves. Some swear BY them while others swear AT them. Me, I use them sometimes for different tasks but far prefer getting my hands dirty when it comes to soil.
15. Watering Can - for places where a garden hose is too cumbersome a watering can is a great tool. And, for smaller gardens they can easily replace a spray pack for feeding liquid fertilisers to your plants.
16. Soil Testing Kit - there are some good soil tests you can perform within your garden but to be more accurate you can't ignore a soil test kit. These kits are an invaluable resource for determining nutrient deficiencies and pH scales that could be threatening your plants.
17. Compost Bin - whether you buy one or make one, a compost bin is a necessity in today's modern garden. They've always been with us, and quite possibly could have become extinct during the last century's progress, but they have remained a faithful stayer. Any gardener who does not compost in some form or another should seriously assess whether they are a gardener at all. It's a big claim for the use of a garden tool but they really are that important.
18. Garden Journal - I began flicking through a garden journal that a friend gave me a few years ago and noted that I haven't written even one iota of information into it. Maybe I'm slack, but I find that journaling via my blog here has been much easier and more exciting. It keeps all the information I need and has become an archival history of my garden.
19. Plant Labels - possibly less important the farther you explore gardening as a hobby. Most plant names become committed to memory and don't require any identification. However, these little resources are helpful when planting out bulbs or sowing seeds or may even be useful if you get lots of visitors to your yard.
20. Camera - while this tool may not reside in the garden shed along with the rake, spades and trowels it is fast becoming one of my essential resources. Photos of seedlings becoming shrubs; images of bulbs spearing through the soil and then flowering their heads off and keeping a pictorial archive of your garden's history is a great way to cheer away those winter blues.
21. Your Health - it may not seem like a tool, but try gardening without it. In fact, one could argue that this is by far our most precious resource and should be cherished above the previous twenty. The irony of our fragile health is that while you can maintain it you can just as easily lose it and once it's gone it's very hard to get back. Keep this tool in check and it will be worth having all the others but if you don't the others won't be worth one iota.

There you have it - a list that's hardly exhaustive but certainly complete. Every gardener should possess these 21 garden tools, at least. How did you go? Did you have all twenty-one? Are there some I missed?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (11)

If there's one headline you will never see in the newspaper it would be, "MAN BLINDED BY SOLAR GARDEN LIGHTS". Why? Because they are so dim and pathetic at providing the result they're meant to achieve. But then maybe our expectations of these little garden wonders have been a tad too high? Maybe, we're comparing 'apples' and 'oranges' and become disappointed because our 'orange' doesn't seem to match the expected 'apple' - so to speak.

Garden lighting, for most gardeners, has been the 'icing on the cake' rather than the cake itself. Unless you've started your garden with the intention to include illuminating your plants, walkways and garden hazards it's probably an afterthought that's more dream than thought. And once a garden is established it's not an easy task digging trenches for electrical cable trying not to disturb tree roots and navigating your way through garden beds.

Which is why solar lights became an option for you. They didn't require cords - or if they did, they didn't need to be interred at the same depth as a corpse - plus they could be positioned anywhere in your garden with a minimum amount of fuss. And, you didn't need an electrician to install them.

As night fell, you waited expectantly for these garden lights to shine out and illuminate your garden as though you had reversed the effects of day and night. Instead, you found these lights to almost be as useless in the garden as gnomes. The brightness emanating from them would struggle to compete with a candle during dusk and certainly wasn't the shining force you had imagined.

What did you expect? A million candle-power beam that kept the neighbours up at night?

In the cold, hard, light of day - when your solar lights are renewing their energy for the 'big' night ahead - it seems that these were never meant to compare with their hard-wired counterparts. And while they may struggle to provide a great deal of illumination they still do have a purpose - as focal points or leading lights along your garden paths.

And, there are 'solar lights' and there are 'SOLAR LIGHTS'. The technology is increasing rapidly and new products are being introduced to the market with far better output than they did years ago. Plus, they're getting cheaper. But it pays to know what to look for when considering whether these lighting instruments will work in your garden.

Buying tips for solar garden lights

1. Light Strength - this is measured in mcd's (Millicandela) which is the rating used to assess the brightness of LED's. The higher the number, the brighter it is.
2. Cords or Cordless - if your solar lights come with cords it's usually because they share a power source. This is produced as a stand complete with a photoresistor, rechargeable batteries and wiring to power up these lights. However, if you're sharing the power source between a few lights then expect that they won't be as bright as those which have their own power source - but they should be cheaper.

   Plus, cords in garden beds are never a great idea anyway. It doesn't take much to forget they are there and thrust a garden spade onto them rendering them useless.

3. Sturdy - consider that your solar lights will be in your garden as often as your plants and will need to weather all conditions that prevail in your climate. Check that the materials are robust and won't break after the first cold-snap or heat-wave.
4. Be realistic - these lights will never compare with their fixed peers so when they claim to illuminate a focal point within your garden "just like electrical lighting", allow common sense to prevail. Technology in solar illumination hasn't achieved those results yet and I'm sure it will be decades before they can find more efficient ways to make these work.

They are a great addition to any garden provided you understand their limitations.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

As a self-confessed gadget obsessive, I'm both optimistic and cynical when new products hit the market. Not that garden spray nozzles are particularly new but as hose fittings they've come a long way since the technological achievements of the twist head sprayer.

In fact, it was probably the twist head that paved the way for these new fan-dangled multi-sprayers. Where once we were excited with the amount of control we could brandish over our watering tasks, we can no longer settle for gradual increments from jet to spray. It always has to be more.

Admittedly I've tried a number of these multi sprayers with varying degrees of success - and obviously contributed more than my fair share to landfill. Which highlights the problems of not choosing your garden hose fittings carefully. The less you spend almost guarantees its destiny with the garbage bin. But then spending more won't necessarily safeguard you against throwing your hands up in despair - and the spray nozzle in the trash.

What to look for in a quality spray nozzle

The best hose fittings usually have similar redeeming qualities, such as;

• Brass Mechanisms - offering more resistance to seizing and rust, brass mechanisms are better able to handle the rigours of service we expect from our garden tools. At the very least, the pin that levers open the nozzle should be brass and if possible the male hose attachment should also be brass (but I've found good ones without the latter option).


• Hard Plastic - especially the lever that activates the brass pin. If this isn't sturdy - and unfortunately it probably won't be recyclable - then you will only ever get one season out of your nozzle.


• Molded Hand Grip - this is a necessity if you plan to spend more than 10 minutes watering your garden each day. Many of the good ones have now added softer grips as well to ease any undue strain on your hands


• Always-on Clip - these are essential for long watering stints. Holding a lever against a spring for long periods can cause stress on your hand muscles. The Always-on clip can be set once you're into your watering process saving copious amounts of pain.

Once you've found a good spray nozzle the next task is deciphering what all those options are used for. Most combinations available today are similar, even if they're not labeled the same and most sprayers will feature 4,6, 7 or 9 differing combinations. Which is best? The jury is still out on that one but for me, I'm enamoured with my 6 pattern.

This is what it offers and how to use each option;

1. Jet - while I don't waste precious water hosing down my driveway every week there are always tasks that require a little more pressure than just dribbling water through a hose. Cleaning buckets, tools, the wheelbarrow etc seem to take a little more forcefulness. Plus, this pattern gives you the option where needed to blast some unwanted lichen from your patio bricks or hose down your compost tumbler. In reality, the main purpose of the jet option is for cleaning more than watering.
2. Shower - a handy choice for watering your established perennials that can handle some aggressive action. It delivers water efficiently around the root ball of the plant and helps with those where watering the foliage is also desirable.
3. Flat - this produces a flat, almost horizontal spray that works much like a water sprayer used on raodworks. It's a great option for bedding in seeds especially in the veggie patch and while you probably won't use this option much, it is handy if it's available.
4. Cone - similar to the Shower pattern, the Cone differs only in that it doesn't water the foliage per se. It can deliver water to the roots of the plants in a fashion that's less aggressive than the Shower option and will apply less to the foliage than to the root ball.
5. Soaker - I always wondered the purpose of this option until I transplanted some seedlings in the garden. The Soaker option is a must for this chore because it delivers a heap of water very gently around the base of each plant. It does the same for planting any of your plants ensuring that any air pockets within the soil are quickly eradicated.
6. Mist - the final option on my 6 pattern is Mist and it doesn't really need any introduction. Useful for container plants and soft-foliage herbs it's a must for any spray nozzle. This option is also great for keeping your seedling trays moist where you don't require a lot of water.

So, just when you thought buying garden hose fittings was a no-brainer there seems to be more to consider than just price. Choose a spray nozzle that will last for your purposes and offers as much as you require.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

If you've been potting up your plants on makeshift tables around the yard like I have for the past 4 years, then maybe we do have a use for a potting bench. They've always struck me as fanciful gardening extras that old ladies wielding Zimmer frames cling on to - not that there's anything wrong with old ladies OR Zimmer frames!

I've just always assumed that if you have your garden potting shed then a potting bench was a superfluous decoration. But the assumption fails, of course, if you don't have your own garden shed - and most gardeners residing in apartments and units won't.

So the next best thing is to perform all your potting duties in a location that is practical and accessible. Enter stage left - the potting bench!

Like most things you could easily go and buy one (aff.) or, if you're not technically challenged, try making your own.

Mike McClure has designed a great DIY project for building your own potting bench. From the wood sizes, number of screws and bolts to even fitting the legs with plastic caps to avoid rot, this is one How-To that will easily become a How's-That!

The beauty of having a potting bench is that most of your everyday gardening tools and equipment can be kept in the one place. You no longer have to search around for the last place you used your secateurs or where to find some ties when staking your plants. For the OCD's (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) of us, this one tool could streamline our hobby to insurmountable enjoyment levels.

After struggling with different areas in my garden to pot my plants and seedlings, I'm looking forward with eager anticipation to the day when my garden shed will become operational (all that's missing now are the benches). So, if I knew that I would have to wait 4 years before being able to have an area to work from, I certainly would have made my own.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

The garden fork is one of the most important tools one could have living in their shed. Apart from the pick it's probably the first tool we grab when the job requires a little more grunt. It's multiple pronged action can loosen soil with minimal damage to plant roots; aerate the compost heap; and, divide those clumping perennials without too much fuss.

Most of us gardeners would have at least one garden fork in our arsenal, and some would have a few more. But is it essential to even have one?

The answer can only be given based on the type of gardening you enjoy. If you live in an apartment and your garden consists of a small balcony then a digging fork is possibly not required. And, if your compost heap resides within a tumbler or composter then, again, it's most likely not going to be needed.

But, if you dig in soil then one of these babies is a must-have gardening tool.

What jobs are garden forks used for?

Here's a list of possible tasks that a garden fork would be useful for;

1. Turning the compost heap


2. Dividing clumping plants


3. Aerating the soil


4. Sifting the soil for small rocks


5. Breaking up clay soils


6. Aerating lawns


7. Dispersing mulch and composts


8. Digging up bulbs


9. Leveraging small tree rootballs when transplanting

What to look for when buying a garden fork

There are just as many opinions as to what constitutes a good garden fork as there are garden forks available. The key things to keep in mind when buying a garden fork is for what purpose will your garden fork play in your garden.

If your soil is fairly loose and friable then most garden forks will probably suit your purposes. However, if your garden beds are filled with rocks or bound with clay then choosing a more heavy duty garden fork would be a better option.

Look for these things;

1. Number of tines - a good garden fork should have 4 rather than 3 tines.


2. Tine spacing - the closer the tines are together the stronger the garden fork will be.


3. Tine rigidity - if the tines on the fork are flexible and show some movement then it indicates how weak the metal is that has been used. Fork tines should be rigid and won't bend with the first rock they come in contact with.


4. Shaft Material - the garden fork shaft can be made of many different materials and the strongest are in this order: fibreglass, stainless steel, steel, wood and poly-propylene. The beauty with fibreglass as opposed to other materials is its ability to resist shock making it easier on your body to use.


5. D-Handle - the d-handle should be crafted from rigid materials as well. Often, poly-propylene is used in the manufacture of garden forks and this is due again to softening the shock when a hard object is struck but also because it is more durable.


6. Multiple material construction - while a single stainless steel gardening fork may look incredible and last you a lifetime it really pales in usability against a garden fork with steel tines, fibreglass shaft and poly-prop d-handle.

Types of garden fork

Standard Garden Fork - This is just your standard run-of-the-mill garden fork. Nothing fancy it just does its job and doesn't complain about it.

Border Fork - a border fork (aff.) differs from the standard model by sporting a flattened tine head. Its purpose is to get into those difficult border plantings without ripping up all your plants.

Trowel Fork - a Chelsea Fork (aff.) is really a garden fork for container gardeners. Its purpose is similar but is used on a much smaller scale.

Digging Fork - A digging fork isn't too dissimilar to your standard fork and possibly the only difference is semantical. However, when you see a fork advertised as a digging fork you should be able to identify with the strength of the product being more superior than the standard and therefore it being a little more expensive.

Pitchfork - while not technically a garden fork, the pitchfork is very rarely used these days. Its purpose was to throw hay or straw to cattle but is now relinquished to the yesteryear relic pile.

How much should you spend on a garden fork?

This question needs to be answered by two more questions: How long do you plan to keep it for? and what level of service is your garden fork likely to see?

If you only bring your garden fork out once or twice every season and use it for light jobs then buying a standard Ames True Spading Fork (aff.) would be completely suitable. Otherwise an Ampco Garden Fork with Fibreglass Shaft (aff.) that retails for more than $350 and carries a lifetime warranty may be a better suit.

The adage, "You get what you pay for" is certainly true with any garden tool.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (3)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Just when you thought simulation games - SimsCity, Flight Simulator, and a plethora of other artificial reality games - had reached their climactic point, it seems that gardening has now become a game in itself.

Last Day of Work® have created a Gardening Sim called Plant Tycoon®. The objective of the game (apart from waste more of your precious time) is;

"... to breed and cross breed plants until you find the 6 Magic Plants of Isola and solve the genetic puzzle. You start with a couple of dollars, a handful of seeds, some soil and water. Grow plants, organize and harvest seeds, monitor your plants' health, age and maturity and protect your plants from dehydration and infestations. Sell some of your creations to fund your research, buy better supplies to use in your Nursery and purchase ornaments to customize your virtual garden."

At less than US$20 it might be quite the bargain to add to your blogging - or blog reading - stints. Last Day of Work have even made available a downloadable Trial Version but at 27Mb you might consider making yourself a cuppa while you wait. The PocketPC or Palm OS trials might be a better place to start - if you have these technologies available.

I've downloaded the PocketPC version so I'll let you know how it goes.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)

Everybody knows that gardeners are already super-heroes. Their deft approach to controlling anything that nature throws at them and still produce some semblance of order out of chaos borders on nothing less than super-human.

Some gardeners will go where no-one else dares to go. Others are faster than a speeding pullet, more powerful than bypass secateurs, and able to leap small shrubs in a single bound. There is no limit to their horticultural power.

Yet even the best can take a battering in the name of gardening justice and freedom for all living things. This is when it's time to call in reinforcements to help save the day - or at least your garden.

There are many times, especially toward the end of winter, when you would love to call in someone who could, in an instant, solve all your gardening woes. So here are some super-heroes who might just be able to lend a hand.

Silver Surfer

A member of the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer can be a real help around the garden. His ability to analyze and manipulate matter and energy, and restructure or animate matter at will, even transmuting elements is extremely helpful when applied to your compost bins. A task that usually takes weeks, if not months, can be dealt with in a matter of minutes.

His ability to heal living things would also be of assistance with those struggling plants which just can't seem to shake soil-borne viruses. However, don't expect too much as Silver Surfer can't resurrect the dead.

Green Lantern

Green Lantern's ability to fly across the cosmos through wormholes could be very useful for the organic gardener. He will allow them to know what effect their gardening principles are having on the health of their soil and advise future options.

He is also proficient as a universal translator which can be nothing less than sheer miraculous as you try to decipher the small print on an imported packet of seeds.

The only downside to Green Lantern is that his strength comes from his green ring and we all know how dangerous it is to garden while wearing any type of jewellry - especially rings.

Batman

Batman, although disguised and hidden via a cape and mask, has no super-hero powers. Ultimately he's no different to the guys who hire his costume from a dress-up shop except that he is a whiz with all things scientific and harbours incredible detective skills.

These abilities would be an amazing help in diagnosing what pest just started eating your new foliage, what minerals your soil is now lacking and who pinched that last strawberry you planned to enjoy.

Wonder Woman

Born of the clay of Themyscira, Wonder Woman knows how hard it is to garden with impervious soils. Her abilities to heal, especially with things of the earth, would be an incredible wealth when trying to fight pests and soil-borne diseases.

Teaming her up with Batman would make common sense as Batman could diagnose the problems and Wonder Woman can repair them.

Invisible Man

The Invisible Man comes into a class of his own especially when showing visitors through your garden. He can still be working while your guests enjoy their tour and be quickly commanded ahead to remove a missed weed if need be.

Mr Incredible

Mr Incredible is known for his super-human strength and ability to benchpress locomotives. These abilities would come in very useful when landscaping is on the to-do list.

He could move boulders, dig through soil in a matter of moments, and transfer heavy bird baths without having to remove any fences to get him into your yard. While he's not as fast as his son, Dash, he's still no slow-poke so a job that would take you and a team of five guys a weekend to complete could be finished before morning tea.

Wolverine

Wolverine is widely acclaimed for his regenerative abilities. His power to quickly restore himself and other living things offers some exciting opportunities for those gardeners who suffer through snow-covered winters.

This super-hero power could be exercised to regenerate your garden months ahead of anyone else and increase the appearance of spring. No need to deadhead your annuals either as he can instantly restore them to their flowering glory.

Spiderman

For those who don't suffer from arachnophobia, Spiderman may come in very useful as a result of his abilities to cling to walls and move through your garden.

I can see that he would be very helpful in cleaning the gutters around the house, trimming large trees and generally being of assistance in hard to reach positions.

Spiderman is also gifted with night vision which may offer some help against possums, snails and other adversaries who take advantage of our gardens under the cover of darkness.

Magneto

Another X-Men character, Magneto is obviously handy for his ability to lift things of great weight but as we already have Mr Incredible on that job his power to control ferrous particles may be more useful.

No more rusty gardening tools, secateurs or wheelbarrows with Magneto hanging around. He can instantly revert all that destruction back to its prime condition. You wouldn't even need to put your tools away but could comfortably leave them where you were last working ready for you to come back and continue.

Obviously I've missed a wealth of superheroes including Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Cat-woman, Flash, Captain America and others. So, there may have been someone who you would prefer helping around your garden which we would love to hear about.

Which Superhero would you employ to work in your garden?

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (16)

If you're serious about composting, or at least consciously aware that recycling is more essential than convenient, then you'll need one of these bad-boys in your gardening arsenal.

For months I've been piling up all my prunings in a large heap that was beginning to resemble the Helotes pile. And every trip I'd take to Bunnings included sauntering down one aisle in particular - the garden chipper shredder row.

I'd researched the model. Found the best prices. I'd even crafted a scale replica from a single piece of stone...Nah, that's taking it a little far. But you get the gist. I wanted...needed...a garden shredder - yesterday!

And then I got one.

Now my life is in a state of euphoric bliss as I power my way through tonnes of half-rotting twigs and branches.

The model: Alko. Size: 1600watts. Price: A$90. I can see you're impressed! As I was.

This garden chipper shredder is now my favourite garden tool because I can finally continue to prune my trees and shrubs knowing that they won't end up at the town wastage facility. In fact, they're now well on the way to becoming next season's mulch/ potting mix/ soil.

I must confess that I really would have preferred a petrol-powered model. Those garden shredders have some real grunt compared to their electric counterparts but the price is also a little intimidating. And, for my garden size - a typical suburban block - an electrical chipper is capable of handling the load, albeit a tad slower.

So, let's take a look under the hood. Basically the unit operates much the same as a lawn mower that's been tilted on its side - and if that doesn't scare you it explains why manufacturers have gone to great lengths to ensure that these shredders can't be operated unless the safety lid is firmly secured.

Two blades rotate at almost supersonic speed pulling the garden refuse downward until all that's left is a pile of finely chipped plant material. Most garden chipper shredders - if not all - now have hand guards that restrict the access of your most precious gardening tools. This means the only things that can enter via the chute are twigs about the width of two of your thumbs.

When my pile is finally reduced to a heap of compostable material it will be time to sharpen the pruning shears once again and start all over. I'm looking forward to that day.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (5)

"Whenever there is a hard job to be done I assign it to a lazy man; he is sure to find an easy way of doing it."
Walter Chrysler

This quote has been my mantra ever since I was introduced to it at the start of my working life. And when it comes to cleaning up anything I hate wasting time so I always look for the easiest method possible.

So when I found this great tip for cleaning garden tools at curbly.com I slapped the front of my head and as eloquently as possible remarked how ignorant I have been. The tip-giver, aliased as Badbadivy, shared her cleaning hint after some advice from her father.

The idea is: before using your shovel, rake, hoe, fork or any other garden implement you spray it with a fine coat of olive oil. I'm guessing it must be at least the fifth or sixth press oil if you're prepared to use it on your gardening tools so I would much rather use a cheap home brand canola or vegetable oil.

The oil coats the tool and when you go to wash it, all the dirt and muck simple slides straight off. No hassle and no scrubbing. Cleaning garden tools has never been easier!

I would even go so far as to suggest that you recoat the tools after you've cleaned them and this will stop them from rusting while they're not in use.

Great tip badbadivy.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

As you start out on your gardening journey there is a basic list of tools that are needed: secateurs or garden shears, loppers, gloves, a wheelbarrow, garden spade and maybe a fork. That should get you started.

But, as all hobbies develop it seems our tool requirements change. No longer will a pair of utility garden shears cover all the jobs that we perform. They might be overkill for deadheading the daisies and underachievers when it comes to pruning thicker deadwood.

And with so many options available it becomes hard to know what each tool does and whether it can earn a permanent place in your tool shed. Too make matters more difficult, retailers are now offering multi-use tools which can perform a number of tasks with the one piece of equipment. But, should we expect that a universal tool can operate as efficiently as a purpose built one - the jury is still out on that one.

Flower Shears

If you've ever tried to deadhead a mop of coreopsis you instantly realise that a pair of utility garden shears are more effort than they're worth. After contemplating hedging the whole plant, removing the living and the dead, you come to your senses and think of other tools which might be more practical.

Fortunately, our gardening forefathers have pioneered this area already. Flower shears or scissors are the ultimate deadheading tool. They are designed to be easily maneouvred in your hand while deftly plying each dead bloom away from a neighbourly flower.

There are many types of flower shears from long-handled ones with similar sized blades to more ergonomic varieties offering a more comfortable fit.

Flower shears are a definite requirement for the gardener who is keen to produce many flowering plants.

Bonsai Shears

For the bonsai enthusiast, using a pair of scissors or your garden shears may have helped you start. However, they soon become tedious to use when the intricacies of bonsai or ikebana are realised.

Bonsai shears are designed with fatter blades to help guide the pruner around the plant without accidentally snipping off an important branch. Their scissor action is similar to garden shears and hand pruners ensuring that the cut is straight and the branch does not get crushed.

This type of garden shear needs to be strong enough to cut through age-old boughs, roots and still remain agile in the hands of a bonsai gardener.

Garden Shears

When you mention garden shears there is only one manufacturer who comes to name - Felco. Swiss-engineered and designed back in 1945. The company deserves its reputation after primarily targeting the development of garden shears exclusively and maintaining their quality for over half a century.

Garden shears and hand pruners are the mainstay gardening tool. Copycat versions have come and gone and you can always pick up a <$10 bargain at your local Bunnings or Home Depot. But, they never quite work as well as a pair of Felco's.

Felco garden shears are worth the extra expense because they have a reputation to last and provide consistent results. They will definitely require a place in your tool shed, away from little hands and bigger hands wanting to de-limb their plastic toy soldiers.

Garden shears come in two types; bypass pruners and anvil pruners.

Bypass Pruners

This type of garden shear is the most common. Based on the scissor action the blades don't necessarily need to be ultra sharp - just well-aligned. The blades themselves are shaped much like a bird's beak and that's not where the similarity ends. Mimicking nature, the blades remain in constant contact with the plant material throughout the complete action.

So you end up with a cleaner, straighter cut that is less likely to result in wounding the plant and allowing disease to enter. The action of using bypass pruners is actually easier on the hands as well because the leveraging from the blades do most of the work for you.

Anvil Pruners

If you picture an axe hitting an anvil you will understand the way anvil pruners work. This type of garden shear is not the most useful in many gardens but has a specific purpose when cutting away deadwood.

The blade on this tool needs to remain sharp and will take some maintaining to keep it that way. However, when it is, the anvil pruner can effortlessly cut away deadwood where bypass pruners may struggle.

The rolcut pruner is probably one of the best examples of an anvil pruner but it also has the adaptation of blades that draw back and forth like a saw.

Loppers

Loppers are the finally piece in the garden shear puzzle - that is if you discount pruning saws and chainsaws. They are the tool that is specifically built to handle small tree branches and effortlessly remove much of your larger shrub prunings.

Many loppers work on the same principle as the bypass pruner with the only difference being the length of the handle and the size of the blades. The increased handle size gives greater leverage and puts more power into each cut and while this has been the key for selecting good loppers in the past, its reasoning is far diminishing.

The reason for this is that many loppers are now turning to ratchet or gear powering that allows even more torque from a similar or smaller sized lopper. What once took a super-sized effort to achieve a decent cut can now be made quite simply.

Conclusion

When it comes to performing tasks around the garden there is always a tool that's better than a multi-tool. If a manufacturer can come up with one that can lop and deadhead at the same time, then they have my full attention. Until then, though, it's better to have the right tool for the right job.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (0)

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a great Australian site offering women their own gardening and DIY tools. And it got me thinking...what is it that women want in a gardening tool that they're not getting at the moment?

Are gardening tool manufacturers specifically designing equipment aimed at the male market? If so, what would their reasons be for doing this. Surely there are more women gardeners than men - even though I couldn't find a conclusive finding on the matter one could ascertain this purely from the ratio of women to male gardening bloggers.

Firstly, who uses gardening tools? In our garden the predominant tool user is me. I do most of the lifting, the digging, the raking, the mowing and the cultivating - and I'm male. But I'm not sure that I represent the vast majority of gardeners. Certainly most of my male friends (with security issues) frown on my fanatical passion for growing plants and flowers.

And, do I use gardening tools the most because they've been manufactured to male specifications? Would my wife use more tools in the garden if they were fashioned to her physical requirements?

According to this press release here are some of the features that manufacturers are incorporating into gardening tools and equipment to try and seduce the female market;

-- Easy to start - Avoid the aggravation by purchasing products that offer an advanced starting system and take less muscle to get the engines roaring. For example, there are lawn mowers that start with a push of a button and trimmers that have spring-starting assistance that reduces pulling resistance by up to 55 percent.

-- Lightweight - Whether you're planting new flowers or treating the lawn for weeds, gardening can be an exhausting task. To ease the pain, manufacturers are introducing smaller or portable versions of their most popular products that are often less than half the weight of their counterparts. For example, this year, Troy-Bilt introduced an edger weighing less than 25 lbs., making it simple to maneuver and easy to store.

-- Versatile - Research shows women today are multi-taskers and are seeking innovation plus convenience to meet their busy schedules. To meet this demand, many products have interchangeable parts that allow gardeners to tackle more than one task. For example, a full-line of Troy-Bilt's string trimmers, including the TB575SS, has the ability to accept eight interchangeable attachments, making it a snap to edge, cut, trim and blow.

-- Environmentally friendly - Most outdoor power equipment features a two-cycle engine that requires the hassle of mixing oil and gas. Many products are now offering a four-cycle engine. It eliminates the need to mix gas and oil, cuts emissions by 50 percent and offers 30 percent greater fuel efficiency.

Well, that might be all okay when it comes to power equipment but what about the standard hoe, garden fork or digging spade. What advances have been made to make them better for the women who use them?

To be honest, I'm not sure there has been much progress in this area. Most manufacturers have opted for products that are beneficial to gardeners alike but have never really plumbed the depths of suiting women specifically.

If you take the garden spade, as an example, the size of the shaft is aimed at a man's height. The mass required to plunge it into the soil is more effective if it's above the average weight for a woman. And, the handle is easier to hold if you have bigger hands.

So, for those inventors who are looking for a new challenge I think the next frontier in gardening equipment is going to be developing tools that are aimed at women specifically.

Posted by Stuart | Permalink | Comments (4)