How To - buy basic garden tools

[digitS']

. . . The flat-tine one insists having one tine that needs to be un-bended every 4th or 5th time it goes in the ground.
Got a hoe with a flat edge and one with a pointy edge. What's the purpose of these?? And why are they different? Seems that if I want to hoe a small area I could just use the corner of the flat one?? . . . Digits, can you describe the 4-prong cultivator . . .

That flat-tine fork is the spading fork. Cane', you aren't the only one who has lost your temper with that fork. The steel in the tine have "lost its temper" - or, never had much to begin with.

A garden buddy gave me an old hoe about 10 years ago. By the time I got it sharp, it was like a knife with 2 points at both ends. He had just completely worn it out. Still, I was curious how it would do for me. Fine. I'm not using a hoe as a "human tiller." In fact, I'm using it to kill weeds as little as possible. (The littlest weeds I like to kill with the rake .) What I use it a lot for is "punching holes" in a bed for setting in transplants. I've got a lot of square feet to cover and can do that little job quickly with my pointy hoe .

Your pointy hoe, Cane', is probably a Warren hoe. There are all sorts of hoe variations! I think that people have just tried to make a difficult job, easier. You just have to mess around with a few of them (& some alternatives to hoes) to come up with one that suits you.

Oh! The 4-prong cultivator is probably almost exactly like your little 3-prong cultivator for hand use. There are all these tools and alternative names for them . . . The thing I called a "muck rake" is just a larger version of the tired old 4-prong cultivator I also have. It might be used for pulling up potatoes by some folks. I'm not using it for that. The use I put it to and my rocky ground is wearing it down to where I'll be just calling it a "4-prong cultivator," soon. Below is a picture of a similar one.

Steve

 

[canesisters]

AH! Great, thanks for clearing that up.

I just found this article and thought I'd add it. Some useful stuff in there.
http://www.netplaces.com/small-space-gardening/choosing-the-right-tools/what-tools-do-i-need.htm

 

[897tgigvib]

I used to have a hand trowel. It's handy for transplanting perennials and things. Just never got around to getting another one.

Forgot to mention, but a good quality tape measure is great to have. Where a good quality tape measure should last years or decades, for some reason, they are a tool folks seem to borrow and then it disappears. I've learned to be real antsy about mine when it is loaned now. Done with it yet? I'm gonna need to use it in a minute. Where is it? That kind of thing. Tape measures do disappear. I finally decided to get a good expensive one, bright yellow and black, 35 foot long, and made sure everyone knows I have it, the best and biggest one around. They have the bigger chainsaws, the faster new boats, new trucks every year. Me, I have the biggest and best tape measure! And they all know it, it is a well known item, and if seen with someone else possessing it will be told it's mine. As you can see, I kind of got an attitude over the years and decades of not having my tape measures last long because of sticky fingers. This unit mounts onto my belt or my front pocket.

I suppose that's another topic. Safe keeping of tools.

Oh, sharpening shovels and stuff. Not really needed, but if you do sharpen a hoe or a shovel, do not make a long razor sharp edge point, bevel. Very short bevel angle, and may as well even give a slight flat blunt edge.

It is rocks, dirt, and soil that shovels and hoes get used on, not on fine carving mahogany. A long razor sharp edge would get blunted immediately on use, and then be even more dull than it was before sharpening.

 

[stephenmoore]

A lawn rake is a lightweight tool ideal for removing fall leaves, twigs, and other debris. A ground rake is used for smoothing new and existing beds.

 

[Nyboy]

Domnick the 23 year old who lives across the street, cost me $10 a hour worth every penny!

 

[canesisters]