Tools part 1

So you have your, land. You have an idea of what the soil is like. You know what you want to plant. But what tools do you use for the job. i am not talking about machinery but hand held implements.

There is a theory that a gardener only needs 5 tools, these are:

*A Spade
*A Fork
*A Rake
*A Trowel
*A set of Secateurs

These would indeed cover most basic actions in the allotment. But there are many tools for many jobs, just walk in to any gardening or hard ware shop and you may well be over whelmed by the shear number of tools available to the modern horticulturist (i hope i have spelt that right), compared with what our fore Fathers would have used. I have meet a few eldearly gents who do every thing with a spade and a knife, and a few young people who have a shed full of tools they have never used. So i will try and help you out with what i have found useful.

* There are different handles, weights, lengths and materials for most tools. find out which you prefer, your height and weight may determine for you a lot of this. for example if your 6 foot 4" you don't want a small Lady's spade, your back will never forgive you. Say you where 18 stone you want something that will take your weight and strength, so a metal shaft may be better than wood. Remember you will be using these tools often so making the right dission early on will save a lot of time, money and effort.

to be continued.