What are your reasons for gardening? Health, aesthetic and property values, and the well being of pets and children all factor in to make gardening a source of endless fascination and effort. And also occasional frustration. Finding the right tools such as a shovel rake or root saw can make all the difference to being able to bring your vision to life, whether you’re transplanting trees and shrubs or just weeding the strawberry patch.
Why we garden
Gardens and gardening mean many things to many people. These meanings are inextricably tied to our sense of self and home. We learn at an early age to love gardens. Almost all children, or 95.6%, who have an opportunity to be introduced to gardening through pilot projects, come to love it, according to a 2009 survey.
Gardening and landscaping can improve the value of a home, increasing it by as much as 12%, according to realestate.com. It also adds to a home’s curb appeal, whether or not you’re thinking of selling. The most important reason people have for gardening, according to a survey conducted in 2016 by Houzz.com, is to provide a better environment for their pets. As many as 46% of homeowners garden for their pets, as compared to the 33% who have their children in mind when undertaking garden projects.
Preparing the ground
Over-enthusiasm may actually be the biggest problem beginning gardeners face. They may just take on more than they can easily handle. Many people are familiar with the aches and pains they develop after a day spent gardening not wisely but too well. The trick, as they eventually learn, is to plan ahead and to pace yourself. Having a realistic plan for work each day or each weekend, along with the right tools, can make gardening easier.
For example, when starting out with a large and overgrown yard, don’t try to clear it all in one day. It’s better to divide it up into sections, 10 or 20 feet square, and do a little each day. Having the right digging tools or root saw can help you clear the undergrowth much faster to prepare the ground for planting. A serrated shovel can help cut through the tangle of roots and soil faster and more easily.
The right tools
It also helps to have the the right tools. Whether you’re weeding, or preparing vegetable beds, it helps to have tools that can help your work instead of increasing the effort required. Yard tools are a sound investment, and good quality ones will last you for years. With the right tools, you can even transplant trees and bushes with ease.
A multipurpose garden tool that combines the functions of a rake, shovel and soil sieve in one can help you get through big or complicated tasks with ease. The rake shovel combination should be lightweight, so it doesn’t tire you out. It could be used to rake fallen leaves or cut grass and trimmings, and shoveling them into a wheelbarrow or onto a tarp.
As novice gardeners soon learn, patience and planning are the key to the garden of your dreams. Having the right tools along the way, like clippers, shovels and root saws can make the job easier and quicker.