What's your favourite gardening implement?

Long handled spade. And I mean loooooong, like Americans and mainland Europeans use. I made my own handle from the ash shaft of an old patio sunshade. The top of the handle comes to about shoulder height on me. It's so much easier on the back, especially when digging deep holes and you can get terrific leverage if you need it e.g. digging out an old shrub.

 

I have been wondering this - why are English spades and shovels so short? I have European relatives, and when they saw my shovel, they nearly fell over laughing, asking me if this was intended for a pigmy. They gave me a long handled spade from their own collection, and it is wonderful. So what's the reason fo rthis peculiar-seeming design "feature"?

 

I have what I know of as a Cornish Shovel which has a long handle:

 

It has to be my hoe. :thumb:

 

my flourescent , orange, plastic, bought, for 80p, 4 inch dibberis my unreplaceable favorite tool. Present bought by old friend in 1987....my Xmas pressie.given alongside a 4 inch plastic fork, un-losable but lost in my raised bed....I think/hope....still looking for it

 

Yes why short handled spades, why? Also in Germany they have these little spades. They are cute, and thank God I am small, but I miss my long handled one.

In theory my favourite tool would be my digging fork. But actually I have two of them, different models, and what I would love is something that combines the features of both. I have seen one but it costs a fortune. Christmas?

 

My favourite is a pink-handled pair of shears that are sharp enough to do what they are supposed to do.

 

my gardener!

 

What an interesting question.

Well I have to do all my gardening sitting down...usually on the floor....so the one implement I couldn't do without is my lawn edger with a D shaped blade. Used to be my dad's and now I have it.

I use it for hoeing, digging, planting and virtually everything else. I have replaced the shaft a few times, but the head I just keep sharpening when necessary. I would be lost without this tool.:thumb:

Must say though, you need long arms and powerful shoulders...but I do.

 

Like do you mean what could you not do without in the garden?

If so has to be my lawnmower as I am very lawn proud.

If I got it wrong then it has to be my hoe also

Jane x

 

like bob I have a few!!!

Hand tools wise, My tapemouth shovel, razor sharp and perfect for lifting turves diging planting holes etc, My pick aze, thirdly my most used tool my felco no7s.



Power tools wise:

My clearing saw, This is my favourite machine, it has a cruise control trigger the result is a halved fuel bill,hardly uses any cord and no backache even after 8 hours solid use cutting slopes. tons of power for long grass when opened up:




My blower, saves no end of time especially in the gardens were i look after a lot of topiary yew and box hedging, barely any raking.



My 575 ample power for what i need and a beutiful pice of enginerring, As an ex forestry worker i always hankerd after a husqy 372, this saw is farr better and more tourq, with the big bar on its has cut up some very large windblow along with lowering dozens of tree stumps and a fair bit of felling.



Thirdly my pole saw, 30' of reach. an amazing time saver that has paid for itself dozens of times, I even fit a hedge trimmer blade on it ocasionally.

 

The implement I make most use of is a diver's knife. It's just brilliant for weeding between closely spaced veg and flowers.

 

The first and foremost has got to be my knee pads just a shame the industrial ones don't come in pink!

Flexy buckets are a close second like BobJ has although ours are purple and orange Bob drawn the line at the pink ones! Hel.xxx.