Qualtiy hand tools

Hi! I once saw a list of web sites somewhere in the discussion forums that had quality gardening hand tools. Can anyone point me in the right direction, please? (since I can't seem to find the right place) I have a friend that is just now getting into gardening and I want to give her some good tools. Thanks! Ladypearl

LadyPearl, The link below will take you to products and sources here on DG. You should find the info you are looking for there.


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

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 4:56 PM

Hi Ladypearl,
Don't have websites, but have some advice about hand tools for your friend. I'm actually probably just reminding you of what you already know and use.

Have extensive experience perennial gardening in southern Ontario, usually on heavy clay, upgraded with organic matter. Don't know, however, about your soil types or what's being grown.

Find the old (multipurpose) garden tool designs that have stood the test of time are usually the easiest to use and the most durable.

Tools I use in one hand: (1) hand trowel (other than a spade, my most useful tool). A hand trowel with an 18 inch handle is far more useful (power, leverage) than a short-handled hand trowel. It is far easier on the wrist: (2) secateurs (hand pruners). Find the parrot-break type by far the best (cuts well and wears well): (3) Hand saw: (4) scissors (for some deadheading, trimming and cutting twine) (5) a brick layers hammer for hammering in bamboo stakes and (6) an old cutdown blunt knife for cleaning earth off spades, hoes and trowels.

Thank you Moonhowl and Sunnyborders for the info - I appreciate it very much!! Now for the fun part (shopping)
: D

Oh, I forgot to add that we also have a clay type soil (very heavy) here in this part of Texas. (so good quality tools are important.) Gardening is wonderful in this area when the weather isn't too extreme and when there is plenty of rain. I wonder how difficult it is to garden up there in Ontario since you are so far north.....

Hi Ladypearl,
I like shopping too, but especially for plants, food (and a bit of booze).

Am very used to clay, as said, I've gardened on sandy soil too. Sandy always makes me nervous (lack of organic content and drains too fast), though lots of perennials love it. Back to the food and drink thing, I guess! The heavy clay may be good stuff, but it's hard work to break it up to upgrade.

Heard about some Texas weather from DG'er south of Dallas this year. As you refer to, drought. A real challenge with some plants. Gardening here is pretty easy as gardening goes. Grounds well frozen now and stays so, usually with a continuous snow cover, till spring. Can have warm days in March, but earliest bulbs really appear in April. Conditions through April to October/into November usually quite predictable (snow melt water in spring and fair bit of rain in fall). Think this is probably very good for cold climate perennial or other gardening. Have lots of bright sunshine. Such a nice change from my mother's excellent garden in England.

As you know gardening is all about learning what not to do (e.g. not using invasives) and keeping up with things (e.g. weeding). That just requires some intelligence and a fair bit of physical energy (plus joints in more or less working condition). Despite that a gardener's life is a happy one!

Sounds like you have adjusted well to the climate there. I am just too much of a wimp to live where the ground freezes for half the year. Do you actually have weeds/invasive plants up there? Our worst invasive is something a lot of people plant intentionally (lawn lovers) - bermuda grass (a gardener's worst nightmare.) To keep it from taking over the vegetable garden we have put up a run (fenced perimeter to keep the chickens in and the dog out) all around the garden so the chickens can eat the grass and help keep it scratched up.
We lived in Alabama for a long time and the soil was very sandy with rocks (in that area.) Gardening was a challenge, especially near trees because they took every bit of moisture in the soil. The bell peppers and tomatoes did very well there, however, in the garden where we had put a dump truck load of top soil .
Say, what do you do to keep the cold wind off your plants in the spring?

Very interesting to hear such details, Ladypearl.

Find our long winter a good break from gardening. Not to say that I don't have some problem adjusting to non-physical gardening activities.

Heard of Bermuda grass. Guess are lots of invasives everywhere. Depends on local conditions. Think the single worst invasive I've met here is goutweed/bishop's weed. Had same problem as you with that coming into back garden from neighbours'. Don't have area to vegetable garden, but never use toxics on weeds anyway. Do it all manually, but tend to keep on top of it.

Know what you're saying about trees and taking moisture from the soil.
I've installed a few shade gardens, but I would only now put in and work on sunshine gardens. A friend of mine does have a flower bed under pines, but he had to cut off the lower branches, build the bed up with leaf-
mould and has to water it relatively frequently. Even then he's got to be very selective about what he grows in it. Our local woodland/woodlots have really pretty wild flowers blooming in spring, but you don't see blooming after the leaf canopy has closed over.

Interesting what you ask re wind. Our late springs may be cold, but I don't think they're particularly windy. The cold is only really uncomfortable (if your dressed properly) in winter when it's windy (wind chill). Have not noticed it notably windy when gardening season begins. Have to do a lot of staking in summer/fall because many perennials are quite high by then.
Central Canada isn't usually affected much by things like hurricanes and tornadoes. Do get a few of the latter.

As have already complained to DG friends, the only really unpleasant part of winter here is icy conditions (worst early and late around winter): problem is driving and walking. Go to St Pete Beach, Florida, for month in January or February. A very major reason is to be able to walk without having to continually watch out for ice. The kids never worry about it (and, of course, don't have to drive). Snows no problem.

We have lots of birds migrating through in late spring and fall, but no chickens!