Garden Tools & Supplies
For a professional finish around trees planted in the lawn, loop a rope around the tree trunk and the shaft of a spade. Adjust the length so that the spade reaches to the drip line of the tree. Scribe the outline of a circle, then remove the rope and retrace the circle, sinking the spade vertically to make a neat, clean edge.
Maintaining your metal garden tools is important. Tools that have become rusty probably haven’t been cleaned at the end of the day. Brush off all dirt and debris and make sure the surfaces of the tools are dry before you store them. By simply adding a little lubricant to the edges and surfaces of your loppers, trowels and shovels and then wiping them with a soft cloth you can help prevent the surfaces from rusting.
A simple, easy way to measure postholes as you dig them is to mark 6-inch graduations up the handle of your posthole diggers (a permanent marker is ideal for the job). A similar approach works well for a shovel handle; only here you can measure from the handle end instead of the blade end so you can invert the tool to measure as you go.
Certain times of the year nurseries will have bare root trees such as fruit trees and roses. Late winter and early spring are great times to find and purchase these. The nursery will typically have them in wood chips which need to be completely removed before planting so that they do not rob the tree of nutrients.
There’s nothing worse than spending a lot of time getting leaves raked and loaded into the wheelbarrow only to have a bump on the path or a gust of wind empty them out for you. Here’s a solution that will make collecting leaves easier and keep them in the wheelbarrow.
Protect vulnerable shrubs and trees from potential weed whacker or lawn mower accidents. Keep a plastic juice bottle, slit down the side (with the top and bottom removed) tied to your machine. Stop before working too close to plants and slip the bottle around the trunk while you weed or mow in that area. Remove the bottle when you move on.
Few of us are blessed with the perfect soil for our lawns and gardens. If yours is the rocky variety, here’s a great solution. Take a section of metal hardware cloth (available at home centers with ½” or ¼” holes) and cut a section slightly larger than your wheelbarrow.
A child’s wagon makes an easy-to move base for off-season tomatoes. Two tomato plants in separate 10-gallon containers can easily fit in such a wagon. Let the plants grow outdoors as long as the warm weather lasts; as temperatures begin to fall, wheel the plants indoors overnight and back outdoors during the day.
