Basic Gardening equipment recomendations

[Chaesman]

Ok I am trying to reasearch what basic tools I will need while accually working in the garden (Outdoor equiptment)

What I have so far is as follows

1. Riding mower and garden trailer
2. push mower
3. weed eater
4. Couple square point shovels
5 couple round point shovels
6. one hard rake
7. couple leaf rakes
9. one garden hoe
10. one garden trowel
11. couple hundred feet of water hose
12 one soaker hose
13. couple sprinkler heads
14 one front tine tiller

Ok now you know what I have to get started. I would appreciate recomendations on what I need more of and what I am missing and so one. Please keep in mind I am on a budget so I am trying to gather items as they are on sale or when I have a few extra $$'s thanks for your input.

[applestar]

A few other items that I use often are:

- Long handled garden fork
- Short handled hand fork (it took me a while to find one)
- Short handled hand sickle (I use a Japanese kind) -- I'm planning to also get a scyth soon
- Hand pruners and long handled loppers (I keep good sharp ones for pruning and old ones for ground level and root cutting)
- Folding pruning saw and long handled pruning saw (if you have fruit trees)
- Floating row covers
- rebar (useful for lots of stuff)
- rabbit fence (must for my garden... how about you?)

[lorax]

It's a pretty good list. To it, I'd add only a few more tools, none of which are specialty or very expensive:

1. A hand-cultivator (that thing that looks like a little 3-fingered claw)
2. A transplanter's trowel (a long, thin trowel with depth marks on the blade)
3. A really good pair of bypass pruning shears (Felco is a great brand) - spend the extra now for good ones, and you'll never curse them or need to replace them.
4. A pair of all-purpose garden-only utility scissors (all-steel is best).
5. A small machete or similar garden knife, blade no less than 8" long. I used an old carving knife for this for years before I got a machete, and it worked wonderfully.
6. A seed distributor. I have no way to explain this - it's a little handheld thingy into which you put the very small seeds you're going to plant (lettuce, carrot, herbs, etc.), then adjust the spout to let out only one or two seeds at a time when the thing is tapped. Here's an example of what I'm talking about - this one is about $2 at McFayden.com.

[Chaesman]

Thanks for the responses so far

I am familuar with most of the items refrenced.

will have to check the shed for some of the misc tools I havent listed that maybe burried in there.

Rebar currious about the many uses - Guess I will have to raid my son in laws shop (he has a concrete bussiness) I am sure I can find left over rebar in there

however I am not familar with floating row covers are. are these store bought home made or what and when and how are they implemented

[Canadian Farmer Guy]

Floating row covers are tunnels of lightweight fabric draped over your garden beds

They are typically supported by semicircular hoops placed at intervals along the beds.
(another use for rebar?)

The purpose of floating row covers is to repel flying pests and/or keep plants warmer.

Hope this helps

CFG

[DoubleDogFarm]

Floating row covers.

They can be laid right on the ground or over hoops. Plants will push the cover up as they grow. Protection from sun, frost and bugs.

Here is a example of rebar and cover.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Metal%20Work/DSC01621.jpg[/img]


Eric

[SWMOgardens]

Get a good pair of tile setters knee pads, the hard plastic kind. I use a long screwdriver for weeding. A garden journal listing your plants type and location will be helpful later. A ginsu (or similar) knife. Build a compost bin.