Adam's Garden

There are only a few pieces of equipment necessary to run your average garden. Thinking about this for a while I tried to list them in strict order of importance, something which is actually quite difficult to do - more a fun exercise than anything higher. It also depends on whether you prefer kitchen gardening to ornamentals, or greenhouse gardening to the great outdoors, but in this case I will keep to the sphere of the general amateur gardener, such as myself.

Based on the assumption that only one implement could be selected to start off with I think the spade would come at the top of the list. I wouldn't say it is the thing I use the most but the job it does cannot be done with bare hands, unlike say a trowel which can be dispensed with on most occasions if you are prepared to get your hands dirty. A trowel is mainly used in soft, loose soil, and when it comes to compacted soil the job could be done with the spade in any case. I cannot think of a way to dig a hole in very hard uncultivated ground with anything other than a spade. Theoretically a fork could do the job but it would take so long that I rule this out as impractical. Besides, a spade can do most things a fork can, albeit less efficiently. In this category I include such tasks as shovelling manure, lifting plants and dealing with compost.

Returning to the bare hands limitation I select secateurs as my second most essential piece of equipment. It is theoretically possible to do the job by snapping off or nipping plants by hand but once again this has to be ruled out as impractical in most cases, particularly roses, and the resultant damage would leave the plants vulnerable to disease. Pruning and dead-heading of shrubs would take hours without secateurs and fruit trees would be unmanageable.

My number three may seem a surprising choice but I can see no way of maintaining a lawn without a mower. A tiny patch of grass can be done with a pair of shears but the average sized lawn cannot realistically be kept going with anything other than a mower. I know that in years past a scythe was used, or should that be a sickle, but the labour involved would make it unacceptable nowadays. Whether or not it would be possible to buy a scythe now I have no idea but maybe it is a sign of the times that what at one stage must have been one of the most common implements is now seldom seen. I guess the transition was made initially to push mowers of the cylinder type and then onto petrol and electric mowers. I use a hover mower because it is better on uneven slopes and rougher ground but for flat lawns it is probably better to go for a cylinder version.

A propagator is fourth on my list because it has the dual function of raising plants from seeds and producing cuttings. It brings the gardening calendar forwards by several months and then plants can be hardened off in sheltered conditions, away from frosts, ready to be introduced in the warmer weather. The big advantage a propagator is the steady temperatures it can achieve. Many cuttings will not strike or will take much longer in an unregulated environment so productivity can be vastly improved.

A wheelbarrow goes down as my number five. Once again, I can't think of anything that would serve as a replacement for this handy device. It is particularly useful for moving manure and compost but also doubles as a receptacle for larger tools and all the other bits and pieces you carry around the garden. It takes a lot of work out of relocating big containers, in fact it has so many uses it would be pointless trying to list them all here. It has altered little in design for years - only the materials used in the construction have changed. Having said that, I do have one wheelbarrow that is designed such that it can be tipped forward and rested on the ground to receive raked leaves. The only drawback is it's propensity for overbalancing whilst in normal use.

Having just argued against it appearing further up the list I select the garden fork as my sixth most useful garden tool. It is the one that is probably used the most and I only put it down this far in the list because it is theoretically possible to do without it, although it is the perfect foil for the spade. Our soil is tremendously fertile but when turned over some quite large clods are left behind. These can knocked down with ease using a fork. It is very relaxing turning and knocking the soil in one motion, working the length of a bed or border, stooping once in a while to remove a stone or weeds.

Last on the list I place the trowel. Once again it is not completely essential but is so useful that no gardener likes to do without one. It is used predominantly when planting out bedding and small plants but is also useful for weeding and aerating the soil around established garden specimens. Cheap versions are a waste of time because they usually bend at the base of the handle.

That concludes my list of essentials. However there are a number of items that I will add as almost invaluable: a rake for levelling out fine soil; a spring rake for leaves in the autumn; shears for general chopping purposes; a strimmer for rough terrain; a chainsaw for trees; a shovel; a string line; a hoe. The list could go on but it must stop somewhere!

I am off to clear out the shed and throw away old tools and accumulated rubbish. Happy gardening.

You can find more articles in the archive under Soiled Hands.

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