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Post by desertwoman on Jul 18, 2020 23:41:05 GMT -5
Thought this a good one to revisit. In another thread weedkicker posted: I remember way back in the OG days we had a thread where everyone picked one garden tool they simply could not live without. I think at the time I picked a shovel, but if I had to pick today it would be a garden hose. Maybe it's not technically a tool, but if I couldn't use them I'd give up gardening entirely.
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Post by emmsmommy on Jul 19, 2020 3:40:03 GMT -5
I love my long-handled garden fork! It makes turning the compost a breeze and is handy when dividing perennials. However, the one I simply couldn't live without would be the foam kneeling pad. I injured my right knee in 2006 and had to have surgery. I've also went down on concrete twice on it. My kneecap seems to have spurs on it and getting down on any surface that isn't padded is painful.
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Post by binnylou on Jul 19, 2020 6:24:05 GMT -5
I think my hori hori knife would be most difficult to do without. I love that thing. It’s tough, does a great job of reaming out planting holes. I use it as a measurement device. A cutting device. Last year, or maybe two years ago, I lost my hori hiri knife. Since I knew I wasn’t going to be happy using just a trowel, I ordered another knife. Sure enough, the original one surfaced.
Did I say how great the point of the knife is for digging grass out of sidewalk cracks?
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Post by tom 🕊 on Jul 19, 2020 6:58:39 GMT -5
The tool I use most is an onion hoe. I carry it with me when I go into the yard. People ask me what I am doing with the hoe, and I say it's to keep off snakes. Since most of then fear snakes, that seems plausible to them. This light hoe has many uses. I use it as a staff when bent over to pull weeds. The hoe supports my back. I use it as a walking stick when footing is uncertain. I use it as a hook to draw things to me -- like fig branches when picking figs, and to move things I don't want to touch, and it is a deadly weapon.
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Post by reuben on Jul 19, 2020 8:51:13 GMT -5
Basic spade/trowel.
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Post by James on Jul 19, 2020 10:33:02 GMT -5
I am with Tom, hoe, hoe, hoe.......
I also like a garden knife. A good butcher knife with an 8 inch long wide blade is excellent for getting down for close weeding around small plants.
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Post by breezygardener on Jul 19, 2020 12:18:44 GMT -5
Since my current gardening is primarily in containers, I think the tool I use the most is a plain old pair of scissors. I use it to trim off dead or diseased leaves, to trim roots when repotting, to prune tender stems, & to harvest veggies &/or flowers.
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Post by davidjp on Jul 19, 2020 12:44:57 GMT -5
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Post by Wheelgarden on Jul 19, 2020 13:29:41 GMT -5
Besides my military shovel, I've got to have a big, sharp, sturdy folding knife. I kind of take it for granted, until I lose another one in the garden, then I almost feel half-nekkid until I get another one. Ah well, more garden archaeology for future discovery.
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Post by gardendmpls on Jul 19, 2020 13:55:00 GMT -5
This mattock goes with me all over the garden. Good for digging holes, digging furrows, transplanting, weeding, lifting bricks and rocks, harvesting potatoes and doing and other stuff. Though a prong is broken, it still works great. Also use it as leverage to help me stand up after sitting on the ground.
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Post by martywny on Jul 19, 2020 16:20:19 GMT -5
This item is fast becoming one of my favorites, my garden kneeler. It's great for keeping me out of the mud and water, has good padding and the side bars make it easy to get back up. It's also good for praying when things in the garden aren't looking so great. Flip it over and it's a seat.
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Post by breezygardener on Jul 19, 2020 17:31:23 GMT -5
I have one of those as well, but with my crappy knees, using it as a kneeler is out of the question - it's too hard. But I do use it as a garden seat. It's just the right height for container work.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Jul 19, 2020 18:19:37 GMT -5
I'm with you, breezygardener - scissors are my most used tools out there, for trimming, and harvesting. Not a day goes by that I don't use them, while other tools go many days without using. I couldn't use a kneeler, either. The thing I use for helping to get down low is a 6 gal bucket, with a seat on it - 5 gal are just too low, but the 6 gal is just right, and slightly higher than the chairs I have around the yard, making it easy to get up from. Another thing I use almost every day.
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Post by pondgardener on Jul 19, 2020 19:02:43 GMT -5
martywny, I have the same type of kneeler that you have pictured, in fact I have two of them. I use it for a lot of work that involves kneeling, as it seems like the older I get, the harder it is to get up from kneeling. The side extension makes it easy to get up using my arms. And I find that I use it inside the house for various projects as well.
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Post by centralilrookie on Jul 30, 2020 17:37:44 GMT -5
I can’t really say what my favorite gardening tool is but my mom, who is 86 and has a plethora of flowers that she tends herself, has that same kneeler/ stool. She sits on the stool and uses a long handle dandelion fork to cut the weeds off and her hi reach grabbers for picking them up. Where there’s a will there’s a way!!😂😂😂
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