the years, there has been a tool or piece of equipment developed to make every job in the garden that much easier. There will always be certain items that are reserved only for technophiles or gardeners who just have to have everything, regardless of whether they are really all that useful. Most gardeners swear by the tools and equipment they have had for years, but modern developments in certain areas have made gardening much easier, so the best range of tools is a mix between the two.
Essential Tools
Spade
If asked to name one tool for use in the productive garden, I would think that most gardeners would give “spade” as the answer. Soil cultivation is one of the most essential constituents in the productive process, and the spade is the workhorse most used to satisfy this requirement. There are two basic types, the border spade and the digging (or garden) spade. Although named for use in other areas of the garden, the border spade does have a place in some growers’ sheds, particularly those who have a bad back, limited mobility, or just find a digging spade too heavy to handle when full of soil. The better the quality of the spade, the more expensive it will be, but also the longer it will last. For that reason, I always look toward wooden-handled border and digging spades.
A spade with a wooden handle can withstand heavy-duty use.
There is a spade out there for everyone, as different makes will result in different lengths of handle. There is no substitute for going to the garden center and trying out a prospective spade in person. This will limit the problem of backache caused by using an inappropriate piece of equipment. Breaking or losing a trusty spade can be likened to a pool player breaking his cue or a golfer losing his trusty putter! My preference is for a stainless-steel blade on my spade, primarily because we have a clay soil at Barnsdale, and I find that it is much easier to dig with this type of blade.
The digging spade has a larger blade and therefore stronger handle than the border spade, as it is made for heavier work. Both types will need to be treated with respect to ensure that the blade is not damaged or the handle broken. The great advantage of wooden-handled types is that, after many years of use, when the spade has more than fulfilled the promise shown on that first day and the handle finally snaps, you can buy a new handle to replace the broken one. This is not possible with plastic handles.
If you are going to be doing a lot of digging, it may be worthwhile investing in a spade that has a foot tread on the blade. It is very easy to get into the digging groove and, without thinking, end up with a hole in the bottom of a good pair of boots because the corner of the spade has pierced it. This generally happens when pushing into heavier ground, but if this may be a problem, then a spade with a foot tread is the answer. It will spread the weight on the underside of the foot and prevent the spade from piercing any quality boot.
Fork
The same principles apply to forks as do to spades with regard to the quality bought and the length of handle required. I use my fork for light cultivation of the soil, as well as for breaking up the bottom of the trench when double-digging. A fork is used for many more jobs than a spade, although not usually for such heavy work. It can be used for cultivating, breaking up lumpy soil, harvesting root crops, dividing large clumps of herbs and artichokes, and filling wheelbarrows with organic matter, as well as many other jobs in the ornamental garden. There are also border forks as well as the digging fork, with the border forks having a smaller head. These are useful for gardeners who cannot manage the larger digging forks.
The versatile garden fork has a wide range of uses.
Spork
This is a hybrid between a spade and a fork, hence the name. It does a job that is somewhere between the two, as the tines are wider than a standard fork, but it does not have a complete blade like a spade.
For gardeners confined to a wheelchair or with limited mobility, this tool is easier to use than a spade, but moves more soil than a standard fork.
Trowel
Trowels are usually sold in sets with small forks. I find the trowel essential in the productive garden, but not so the fork, which seems to disappear off into the ornamental garden area. The trowel is primarily used when planting or transplanting crops outside, although it can also be used to divide smaller clumps of herbs, where a spade or fork would be just too large. Along with the dibble, this is probably the most likely tool to be lost or inadvertently damaged.
Trowels also work well as measuring sticks, so, depending on which crop is being planted, using the trowel will very often save on having to fetch the planting board. There is also an easy-grip trowel available, where a soft-grip handle is angled approximately 90 degrees from the trowel blade.
Trowels and small forks work well for more precise work.
Dibble
Essentially, the dibble is a tool for making a long hole in which to sow large seed, such as fava (broad) beans or green (runner) beans, or plant vegetables. There are types that have markings down their length that are very useful when determining at what depth the appropriate seed is being sown. Although dibbles make excellent presents, if you do not want to go to that expense for yourself, they are cheap and simple to make. (See Chapter 6 for instructions.)
A dibble is used to make holes for sowing seeds or transplanting seedlings.
Rake
The garden rake is a must for leveling ground and preparing seedbeds, but is also one of the most dangerous tools in the garden shed. It is so easy to lay it down in between jobs, forget where you put it, and then cause severe facial damage to yourself or somebody else when you inadvertently stand on the rake head. When not in use, rakes should always be left with the head up and the end of the handle on the ground. It is better still to hang them up in a toolshed or cupboard.
The head of the rake comprises usually between eight and fifteen prongs. Rakes are available with varying gaps between each prong, with everybody having a particular favorite dependent on their soil type, what they want their rake to achieve, and their or a family member’s or friend’s past experience. It is possible to buy metal, wooden, or plastic rakes to fit the requirement. When raking soil, the rake head will collect large soil clumps and stones but allow the majority of soil to pass through.
Long-Handled Hoe
There are two main types of long-handled hoe: the draw hoe and the Dutch hoe. It is beneficial to have one of each in the shed, with the Dutch hoe being used for weeding and the draw hoe mainly for making furrows.
In the organic productive garden, weeds should usually be small and therefore young and soft when they are hoed off, so the Dutch hoe, which is pushed forward to cut off the top of the weeds where they meet the soil, is very easy and efficient at the job. The draw hoe is very good for chopping through larger, woodier weeds, as a sharp downward action will usually do the job. I find that the draw hoe also moves quite a lot of soil around during weeding, while the soil falls through the large central hole of a Dutch hoe, leaving the soil very much in place.
The long-handled
