Useful garden tools

Beyond the usual pruners and clippers, I've found a few things that have made my gardening much easier. What tools or clever gadgets have you found useful? I thought an exchange of ideas might be helpful for all of us. This first one is an O-Cedar outdoor broom I found at OSH. I have a rough-surfaced patio that gets a ton of leaves dumped on it every fall from a trash silver maple. This is the only broom I've discovered that does the clean-up without a lot of effort. The bristles are a stiff plastic, thicker than normal bristles, and the handle is very comfortable.

This message was edited Oct 24, 2009 12:35 PM

The next is an inexpensive pair of "garden claws". I don't like those noisy blowers, and I found these for under $10. They scoop up dead leaves easily, and are lightweight enough that they're easy to work with.

I have trouble finding shoes to fit, but finally found these 'muck shoes' at a discount website. They're men's shoes actually, but I have wide feet and the extra-small fits me perfectly. They're comfortable and very non-slip, which is critical for clumsy people like me!

I have one of these and it's been misplaced. I know it's around somewhere, so I need to hunt around for it. It is more bowl-shaped than a regular trowel, and has a serrated, pointed edge (not sharp enough to be a real danger) that helps dig through our heavy clay soil. It doesn't take the place of a regular trowel, but I find it particularly useful in weeding my crowded garden beds.

You've given me some great ideas jkom. I personally like my kneeling pads, and the rolling toolchest/stool.
I really like the leaf scoop. Do you have a name for that last tool? It looks useful.
Thanks!
WIB!
SW

The last tool shown is called a 'soil scoop' - HTH!

Can't find my pic, but here's my favorite tool in the Garden Products database:

http://davesgarden.com/products/gp/view/2/

Also, I love my Hula hoe (aka stirrup hoe, scuffle hoe) - http://www.ehow.com/how_4491636_hula-hoe-stirrup-action-hoe.html

This probably falls under the "usual" tool category, but I find that I use an ordinary pair of scissors quite a bit in the garden. They come in handy for cutting twine, opening bags of potting soil, random clipping when the pruners aren't nearby, and if you have long hair I suppose you could even take a quick swipe at any that falls in front of your eyes when you're trying to weed.

Me too, GardenSox. I have an extra pair of scissors I keep outside on a little wheeled cart I use as a potting bench/storage unit.
Before I found a cheap good source for flat white plant labels, I bought boxes of white plastic knives and used them instead. They are very sturdy, and can be used over and over again.
A long flat "icing" knife is great for sliding down the inside rim of a pot to help get a root bound plant out when tapping it upside down doesn't work.
If you have fruit trees that put out long straight new shoots, strip them and dry them out to use instead of buying a new bundle of thin bamboo stakes.
Short ones can be cut into one foot lengths, bundled and dried, to add to the coals of your bar-b-que and ad flavor to your smoke. Same with extra rosemary wood.
How about unusual items used as containers for plants?

I used to have those "leaf scoops" a long time ago and they are indeed awesome! After reading this thread, I finally know what they are called, and I'm buying them online right away!