6 Tips On How To Choose The Right Gardening Tools
If you happen to live in a home where you have a garden you should know that you have a very valuable resource that can literally change your life. Apart from just setting up a BBQ for the boys and an inflatable pool for the children, you could put your garden to really good use and profit from it. With a few simple pots and pans, you can grow everything from homegrown fruits and vegetables to cannabis to even creating your own high-quality worm compost.
Depending on how large the area is and how good you are at gardening, you could even turn this into a very profitable business. In fact, if you take it a step further with cannabis and process it to create tinctures and THC oil, it can sell for thousands of dollars per gallon. Of course, it would take quite a lot of cannabis raw material to create a gallon of oil but it’s all about how far you want to take it. Maybe even use the cannabis plant to harness the hemp from it. There are a few other things that you could also grow in your backyard that can very easily be converted into saleable high-profit products. You could also just use your gardening skills to create extremely delicious, fully organic fruits and vegetables for your own consumption. Or use the space to beautify the house and plant all kinds of attractive and aromatic flowers. The options are endless with gardens but to achieve any of those goals, you will need a few basic tools.
1. Shovel
If you are looking to give your plants the best start possible it is highly likely that you will need to change the soil. You could change the soil in the entire garden or it might be easier to simply create pots with better quality soil in them. There is no best soil, rather, depending on the crop you are growing you might need different kinds of soils to give that crop the right environment. Having a reliable shovel is something that comes in to move soil and is a staple for anyone working in the backyard. This is what you will rely on when it comes to uprooting large plants, plowing the hard ground, and even breaking down small pieces of wood.
2. Rain Gauge
All plants vary in the amount of water they need and the frequency with which they need it. If you happen to live in a climate where there is plenty, that might be enough to maintain your plants. In less rainy environments you will need to give the plants water through other means. In most cases, gardeners go by the look of the plant and determine whether or not it needs more water. While this is fine, this is not the optimal approach. With a rain gauge permanently installed in your garden, you will know exactly how much rain you have received in your backyard and you can more accurately determine whether or not your plants need more water. For certain plants like cacti, it can actually be harmful to give them too much water.
3. Strimmers
The best part of a garden is a thick, velvety layer of grass across the ground. Just like a thick head of hair, the grass needs to be kept in good condition and at the right size for it to look its best. Manually cutting grass can be exhausting and having an ATV-sized lawn mower is not convenient for smaller gardens. You can still do it quite easily by hand using some of the best cordless strimmers according to DIY Garden. These cordless strimmers can be used for all kinds of grass and even hedges. While there are many gasoline engines as well, a cordless electric is much more merciful to your ears and also a lot more durable. Moreover, you don’t have to deal with all the problems of a petrol engine like oil changes, refills, and smoke. If you’re still opted for gas trimmer then you must wear ear protection for loud machinery.
4. Sprinklers
Depending on the size of your garden you might be able to water it with a hose by hand, but this isn’t the best for the plants. Not only do sprinklers take the burden off of your shoulders but they also deliver the water to the ground and the plants in a much gentler way. Rather than a thick spurt of water, it is a thinner and softer throw of water that doesn’t damage the plant or the ground that it is planted in. This will be particularly important with sensitive plants that can easily be damaged if pushed in the wrong direction too hard.
5. Gloves
Gardening might seem easy but it can take quite a toll on your hands. As they are constantly exposed to water, prickly and rough surfaces, and all kinds of chemicals in the form of pesticides, it can seriously damage your skin. More importantly, if you aren’t careful about washing your hands before you touch other parts of your body, you could easily ingest these things when you eat, rub your eyes, or even touch your face. Having a pair of gloves protects you from a lot of threats in the garden and also makes it easier to handle tools.
6. Pruners
Whether you are growing plants large or small, a pruner is a must-have. While it functions just like a pair of scissors, it has a much beefier construction to make it effective against the much thicker objects that it has to snap its way through. Especially if you are growing delicate plants like roses or grapevines, having a pruner will make your job that much easier. Simply plucking fruit off a true or plucking off a flower can not only damage the stem that you pluck it from but can even impact the roots on smaller plants. Also, you’ll save your hands from unexpected thorns and prickly hair stems like those found on the tomato plant.
As is the case with anything good in life, gardening takes time. That is one of the great things about it that it is a daily activity. No matter what happens, you can always come back to your garden and start off where you left off. Unfortunately, when you get well ahead in gardening you might find that you are stuck with this creation. Once your garden reaches a certain stage you can’t risk leaving it alone for too many days. At this point, it is a good idea to get some help and hire a professional who can take care of the plants with as much love and care as you do.