What's your one must-have gardening item?

My Fiskars clippers (slim and pointed blades) and my swimsuit!

Like BassetMom, my favourite must have item is my grabber, and for the exact same reasons, without it, it would be almost impossible for me to garden from my wheelchair. With it, I can do most anything I need to...although to be honest, I hate weeding and have convinced hubby that my 'grabber' just doesn't work well with weeds LOL *Big Grin*

Hmmm saying that though, I guess it would have to be a bit of a tie as to my favourite, the grabber or my hubby....shhhhh though don't tell him that *Grin*

My "must have" item is definately MY HANDS!

My favorite tool is my old Smith and Hawkens digging fork. It is useful for turning and spreading compost, as well as digging up my clay soil.

In an area where the soil is at least 75% rock, I've got to vote for my ditching spade (also called a drain spade). I have two, one is an Ames and the other a super-cheapie one from Big Lots, and each is great for digging a new area--

A regular shovel would be astonished to sink into unamended soil more than a half-inch without encountering rock, but this much narrower blade can go in a bit farther between the rocks, and by jiggling the narrow blade, can sneak in between sometimes to a depth of an inch!!

Pat

My wonderful Fiskars unbreakable shovel. I even carried it to TX when I went on vacation. My friend Sue, who lives in IN, goes to auctions. Knowing I break all my shovels, she bought this at an auction for $3!!! When she came to visit, she brought it with her and presented it to me--the unbreakable shovel.

It was BRAND NEW--still had the Fiskars tag on it. Had never been in the dirt. It is solid metal with wide non-skid "steps" where you put your feet to shove it into the ground. It's a beautiful shiny black with a florescent orange tip (so I can find it). It is my prized possession.

I don't loan it to anyone. And it's the only shovel I did with anymore. I can pry a huge Rose of Sharon bush out of the ground with it. Try that with a fiberglass job.

I just "dig" my unbreakable shovel. LOL

NancyAnn

A simple pair of scissors. I am cutting things back daily now.

My favorite tool is a 3 tined digging fork that is one-piece painted steel (similar to the picture of one by Lezko), about a foot long and 4" wide at the tines. Years ago a friend gave it to me and it's been the number one tool in my arsenal ever since. Although the tines are no longer straight because of hitting all the rocks and digging our hard clay soil, I still have and use that old fork -- I've hammered out those tines more times than I can remember!

I looked long and hard over the last couple of years and finally found a new one to use this spring - it was part of an English set - fork and spade. I still use the old one and now keep it in the front where the "easy" gardens are...kind of giving it semi-retirement...

These one-piece steel forks (I think they're forged) are not easy to find. Most places sell the ones that have a solder where the fork blade meets the handle...they last about one time out in our rocky clay soil!!!

This message was edited Jun 19, 2005 5:22 PM

I voted 'other'. I have to have my gloves. I've bought various kinds over the years but now have a favorite. They were freebies that came with the Farm Tek catalog I ordered. Boy are those gloves great! They're woven cloth so your hands don't get hot and they have gripper nubbies all over them so you can grab anything and if one side gets a bit wet, switch them around and keep working for awhile!

I voted other :) My must-have is my hands!!! :) Specifically my left hand and especially my left thumb nail. I love having the dirt all jammed up under my "manicure" :) Here's a tip... if you have a spray hose attached to your kitchen sink, just crank the water on full strength and blast under your nails with the spray hose. Mine gets all of the dirt out with no problem :)

I'll echo the three or so votes above for the Mantis tiller. It makes preparing new planting beds and vegetable garden seasonal changes a project which can be completed in minutes in our sandy soil in NE Fla. The tines could be made stronger and I had some problems getting it cranked up after winter storage, but it sure beats trying to pull up weeds and hoe the remaining growth into "green manure." It has come in handy for helping out neighbors that wanted to till up their yard for sod or other community beautification projects (Am I right, Sugarweed?!)

I also use the snap fit water hose connectors mentioned above. The plastic type that shut off the water flow when you disconnect the hose are especially great. I haven't installed a permanent sprinkler system yet -- still waiting to see where my flower bed patterns will emerge -- so I have hundreds of feet of hoses stretched across my yard to oscillating sprinkler heads in the current flower beds. I can easily transfer the water to different beds just by pulling off the connection at one of the main water supply hoses and reconnecting it to one of the sprinkler hoses.

I always wear 2 sweat bands,have my leather palm gloves, shovel, and more stuff that I put in my little red wagon thats pulled by my little Ford 1210 tractor. My one must have item would be MY SHOVEL! With it alone I'll get something planted in the soil.

My can't live without garden tool is the one balvenie posted , whatever it is called ...........







borrowed balvenies picture

A hat. It helps keep the sun out of my eyes, and keeps things literally out of my hair.

A very sharp pruner/loper ? is also good.

My dibble! It's great for bulbs and bedding plants. I also use it to "poke a hole" in the ground to insert fertilizer stakes or just fill the hole up with time released plant food. I don't know what brand it is. Mine's made in England and it's nice and heavy with a groove cut lengthwise in it.

Other - a pick ax... LOL... gotta clear out the rocks before I can plant

Okay ya all just had to pick this question eh? Well first here is what I have to say about the beer thing:

Spare the beer, feed the slugs.

Don't drink while gardening.

HEADLINE READS....

Due to unknown circumstances several gardeners have been found to have a huge attraction to their gardening tools...

While taking a poll to find what gardeners one must-have gardening item was we have found that gardeners have a huge attraction to particular gardening items. Here are just a few of our findings:

1) While mowing his lawn a gardeners riding lawn mower mysteriously jumped out of gear and ran him over.
Findings: It appears the gardener had dropped his can of beer while mowing his lawn and because he had been highly intoxicated, he proceeded to lunge after his beer, leaving the mower to drive along on its own, turning towards the driver and running him over. The gardener was taken to a nearby hospital and received several stiches, the can of beer was shaken, but caught by a near passerby before it hit the ground. The passerby was thankful no harm had been done. Names were with held due to embarrasment of gardener and passerby unwilling to remove the can from his mouth long enough to speak with us.

Okay seriously...my hand trowel and pruners. Gotta have my hand trowel, if all else fails use hands. Pruners for whatever gets in my way.

Okay ya all just had to pick this question eh? Well first here is what I have to say about the beer thing:

Spare the beer, feed the slugs.

Don't drink while gardening.

HEADLINE READS....

Due to unknown circumstances several gardeners have been found to have a huge attraction to their gardening tools...

While taking a poll to find what gardeners one must-have gardening item was we have found that gardeners have a huge attraction to particular gardening items. Here are just a few of our findings:

1) While mowing his lawn a gardeners riding lawn mower mysteriously jumped out of gear and ran him over.
Findings: It appears the gardener had dropped his can of beer while mowing his lawn and because he had been highly intoxicated, he proceeded to lunge after his beer, leaving the mower to drive along on its own, turning towards the driver and running him over. The gardener was taken to a nearby hospital and received several stiches, the can of beer was shaken, but caught by a near passerby before it hit the ground. The passerby was thankful no harm had been done. Names were with held due to embarrasment of gardener and passerby unwilling to remove the can from his mouth long enough to speak with us.

Okay seriously...my hand trowel and pruners. Gotta have my hand trowel, if all else fails use hands. Pruners for whatever gets in my way.

Definitely, my Mantis Tiller....gardening has not been the same ever since I bought it! Love the small size, lightweight, and maneuverability! Would recommend it to anyone.

Couldn't maintain my garden without a hand cultivator. I hate bending over (hurts my back) & prefer to garden kneeling or sitting on the ground. A good hand cultivator does so much - loosening soil, grabbing creeping buttercup roots (& that of many other weeds) for easy pulling, chopping slugs if you use the back edge, prying apart pot-bound roots when transplanting plants from gallon size & above containers, working out some larger rocks that I don't feel like digging out with fingers, & the list could go on.

When working in soil at ground level, nothing beats a hand cultivator. I have a number of close 2nds but keep this one by me at all times. In fact, I have about 4 of them so I always have one handy. No particular brand but make sure it's sturdy & the tines are solidly welded together.

My rolling seat! It's the greatest for picking green beans and limas.
I really wouldn't plant beans without a comfortable way to harvest them....

My shovel! It takes a big chunk of dirt and is the only one I grab for most chores. The handle cracked down low, but duct tapes' holding it together. I have 4 shovels of varying sizes, but this one's my right arm.

I have 2 favorites. I've gotta have my gloves and a special digging tool, oh, and my pruners (for deadheading). So I guess I have to have 3.

Gotta have my CROCS!

ok....
Don't need at all:

Gloves - THAT would spoil all the fun! -

Must Haves:
My drop of Jameson's - tastes better than ever!
A pair of scissors (hope the spelling's right!)
My watering can
My fiskars fork - fell in love with it, God knows why..

Better still if I havem':

My 3 year old son
My husband, most adored pesky critter, smiling at my enthusiasm
New plants

Heaven on earth:

A REALLY big garden instead of my balcony!!!!!!!!!!!! (not a substitute for all the above, however :-)

I've changed my mind. The ONE tool I absolutely could not do without is this site.
Seriously.

My pink mud gloves!!

My Loppers, or Pruners ..... I can't imagine living down here in the South without them!

My next item would be Sunscreen and a Hat!

Must have??? Good Garden Soil !!
Tricia

mine would be a few things so i say other:

i'd have to have my dh and my 5 kid's helping it is just so fun to enjoy with all them there and who could refuse 6 extra sets of hands to help. we talk for hours while we work and spend quility time together learning and haveing fun(although laundry day later on is the killer for me).

many many hand trowel's my 2 year old always looses them in the yard when i need them most.

any kind of new plant, tree or other i can add to my collections. i love to plant and the kid's love to have fresh veggies, berries and flowers to pick.

you'll laugh at this one but my son's old skateboard. perfect hight and size to sit on and roll down the rows as you plant. it is so convienant and it don't hurt your legs or back. of couse i happened on that one by mistake,lol. the kid's think it's neat. now they use them to haul dirt buckets or planters too. who would have ever thought it could have so many other uses.