A
rake is an essential tool , especially if you grow a lot of vegetables.
There are a number of different types but for ordinary garden and
allotment work buy a good quality rake with a flat forged steel or
stainless steel head. They come in various sizes and are usually measured
by the amount of teeth that they have - 12-14 toothed are the usual
sizes for garden use. The type that is a flat strip with what look
like nails sticking through tend to be not as useful, particularly
when tamping soil flat for seedbeds, as a flat rake and tend not to
be as strong. When choosing your rake, the lighter it is the better)you
will not get as tired when using it for any length of time) and ensure
that it has a handle long enough to be comfortable when in use.
Much wider rakes
are available and these are usually used for landscape work and tend
to be difficult to handle.
Other types of
rakes are:
Springtine Rakes
-These
are used to rake moss and thatch from lawns, raking grass seed into
the soil in newly prepared lawns and removal of leaves. If you suffer
from moss or a lot of leaves, it is an invaluable tool, if you don't,
you probably won't find much use for it.
The Rubber Rakes
- with their
rubber fingers are a pleasure to work with. Used primarily to sweep
leaves and are especially suitable for use on hard surfaces, whether
concrete, pavement or bricks. They are also effective on lawns where
a lot of leaves fall and it will not damage shallow-rooted plants.
Hoes
A hoe is probably
one of the most used tools in the garden (or it should be). They are
used primarily to remove weeds and break up the soil to allow air
penetration.
Whatever type you
choose, it is important that the blade is kept sharp, it should be
as sharp as a knife to be effective. A hoe with a blunt blade will
not cut weeds off, it will just try dragging them out and the task
becomes hard work (this is why a lot of people do not like hoeing
weeds). Invest in a small sharpening stone and hone your blade before
each use to keep it in tiptop condition.
There are many types
of hoes, some of which are:
Dutch Hoe - This
is the most useful of the hoes and is used while you walk backwards,
leaving the weeds lying loose on top of the soil to either dry up
or be raked up. There are a few different designs about, some with
a flat blade with two supporting struts, some with a single supporting
strut that look similar to a golf club, some with straight heads,
some with angled heads, some with - oh never mind- you are best looking
at the selection in the hardware store - it is basically just a matter
of preference. This is one case where the cheap is probably just as
good as the dearer ones - both will wear out with constant sharpening
but do ensure that the handle is long enough to make the hoe comfortable
when in use.
Draw or Swan-necked
Hoe - This
type of hoe has a head that is angled down at roughly 90 degrees.
It is used to draw drills, ridge up potatoes etc. and to hoe out larger
weeds with a backwards chopping motion. It is really more useful to
vegetable gardeners than flower gardeners. Although it is a useful
tool is is not essential and can be tiring and awkward to use.
Wheeled Hoe -
This can be a very time saving tool, especially for vegetable gardeners
with large beds. The hoe is just pushed along through the rows of
plants but it does need to be kept extremely sharp.
Onion Hoe -
Originally used for hoeing between rows of onions, this small hand
version of a swan-necked hoe has become popular for weeding in amongst
plants. It can be quite useful, especially in the smaller garden,
and enables you to hoe while kneeling down near to plants and gives
a lot greater accuracy and damage to plants is avoided.
Two-way Hoe -
This hoe is like a thin sharp blade that is used with a push-pull
motion.
Cultivators
These
three pronged (some have four prongs) tools are used for breaking
down clods of soil, usually at the beginning of the season after the
soil has been dug over and left rough or loosing soil that has capped
after heavy rainfall. Although some gardeners swear by them, I personally
have always found that a rake and a hoe will do the job just as well.
They are available in different sizes and lengths of handle, so it
is wise to buy one that suits you personally if you intend purchasing
one.
A
rake is an essential tool , especially if you grow a lot of vegetables.
There are a number of different types but for ordinary garden and
allotment work buy a good quality rake with a flat forged steel or
stainless steel head. They come in various sizes and are usually measured
by the amount of teeth that they have - 12-14 toothed are the usual
sizes for garden use. The type that is a flat strip with what look
like nails sticking through tend to be not as useful, particularly
when tamping soil flat for seedbeds, as a flat rake and tend not to
be as strong. When choosing your rake, the lighter it is the better)you
will not get as tired when using it for any length of time) and ensure
that it has a handle long enough to be comfortable when in use.
These
are used to rake moss and thatch from lawns, raking grass seed into
the soil in newly prepared lawns and removal of leaves. If you suffer
from moss or a lot of leaves, it is an invaluable tool, if you don't,
you probably won't find much use for it.
with their
rubber fingers are a pleasure to work with. Used primarily to sweep
leaves and are especially suitable for use on hard surfaces, whether
concrete, pavement or bricks. They are also effective on lawns where
a lot of leaves fall and it will not damage shallow-rooted plants.
This
type of hoe has a head that is angled down at roughly 90 degrees.
It is used to draw drills, ridge up potatoes etc. and to hoe out larger
weeds with a backwards chopping motion. It is really more useful to
vegetable gardeners than flower gardeners. Although it is a useful
tool is is not essential and can be tiring and awkward to use.
motion.
These
three pronged (some have four prongs) tools are used for breaking
down clods of soil, usually at the beginning of the season after the
soil has been dug over and left rough or loosing soil that has capped
after heavy rainfall. Although some gardeners swear by them, I personally
have always found that a rake and a hoe will do the job just as well.
They are available in different sizes and lengths of handle, so it
is wise to buy one that suits you personally if you intend purchasing
one.