Basic Tools For Vegetable Growing
When you watch any recent gardening television show, they always have enough tools in the potting shed to build Kew Gardens! If you were to watch a series created by the BBC in the 80's named Victorian Kitchen Garden then you would realise that to grow fresh vegetables you only require a hand full of basic tools for the vegetable plot.
Below is a brief description of each basic tool you will require, what it is for and how you use it in the vegetable plot.
Each of the titles below are clickable and will take you to what, in my opinion, you should purchase. You can of course go your own way and purchase something else, just try not to buy cheap and nasty equipment or you will find yourself replacing them all the time and paying much more over time.
Common Garden Hoe
The common garden hoe is a tool that is pulled towards the
user to cut the tops of weeds and also to break up the surface of
the soil to help water easily reach the root systems of your
vegetables. The more you use the common garden hoe, the more weeds
are removed from your vegetable plot which allows your vegetables
access to more nutrients resulting in larger, tastier vegetables.
Garden Fork
The garden fork, in my humble opinion, is the one most
important tool in a basic vegetable growers shed! As a child I could
never understand why anyone would want to 'Dig' with a spade with
huge gaps in it! As time went on and I became a little less 'green
between the ears' it dawned on me that were other uses to the fork
than digging holes.
The primary use for the garden fork is to break up large clumps of soil into smaller more manageable pieces. A garden fork will penetrate heavy, compacted soil that would normally be impossible for the common garden spade.
When harvest time comes you will be thankful for the garden fork, they are perfect for lifting potatoes and other root vegetables.
Spade
There are a number of of gardening spades available on the
market for the vegetable grower but for the basic tool shed you will
only need a common garden spade.
If you live in a heavy / clay soil then I would recommend a stainless steel spade head (The sharp end) on the other hand if you live in an area with sandy or light soil then try and purchase a tempered steel spade head (The sharp end)
Hand Trowel
A hand trowel is in reality a miniature spade. The main
purpose of the hand trowel is to allow easy planting of blulbs,
onion sets and garlic sets. It can also be handy for digging small
holes for planting plants, there are so many different shapes, types
and sizes of hand trowel that it would be easy to go insane trying
to select the right one. All you require for your basic vegetable
growing tool kit is one with slightly curved sides on the blade, try
and not purchase the very cheapest of hand trowels as it will not
last more than a couple of hours. I can speak from experience!
Soil Sieve
A simple large plastic sieve for creating fantastic soil
surfaces prior to direct sowing of seeds on the vegetable plot.
Soil Rake
A soil rake is great for levelling out your vegetable plot
once you have dug the soil over at the start of the growing season
and can also be used to rake out weeds and roots after you have run
the hoe over the vegetable plot.
Pen Knife
A high quality pen knife is a must for the vegetable
grower. They are not only useful for pruning back plants but also
for harvesting and a thousand other tasks on your vegetable plot.