Essential Equipment and Extras?

[Lisa0825]

I was thinking I should start shopping for equipment early, since I am a gardening newbie and pretty much have nothing. What would you say are the essential pieces I will need to start with? What "extras" would be great to have?

I am figuring on a shovel, spade, pitchfork, hoe, rake, wheel barrow, hose (soaker or regular with a nozzel?), gloves... just getting the list started... what would you add?

[BOSSHOG]

1. An easy chair and an umbrella to enjoy your labors

Don't go too far overboard. A sturdy hoe and a bucket should do it. Gloves are good for protection but I like to get my hands dirty and actually feel what I am working with/on. Stakes or wire cages if you are going to have tomatoes. Maybe a wheelbarrow but get a small one. You don't want to lug heavy loads, but heavy loads of what will you be hauling? And get a nice file to keep your hoe and other tools you may have sharp, makes the job so much easier. You may inquire into a tilling service. Maybe someone local can come till up wherever you want to have a garden. That will save you so much time and backache. Good luck to you. Nothing beats homegrown veggies from the garden.

[Lisa0825]

2. I just want to buy some of the basics first

so I won't have it all coming out of one paycheck when it is time to go. I saw this thing called the "Ames Lawn Buddy Cart which looks cool. It came up when I searched for a wheelbarrow, but looks like it could be more useful/multi-purpose.

Based on the prices I see online at Lowes, I am estimating I can get started for about $150-175. (stuff to mix with the soil, wood to border the box, basic tools and supplies, and plants) Does that sound like it's in the ball park?

[BOSSHOG]

3. I got an Ames Easy Roller

and its so much less cumbersome then a wheelbarrow. I'm too darn old to be pushing a wheelbarrow about. I can't imagine you having to spend more then $150.00 for what you want and it will be an investment. After the upfront costs you are good for years and years. Make sure you clean your tools up after each use and a light oiling for your metal products and anything hinged when your done at the end of the season. If you get tomato cages (they are fairly cheap) you can stack them inside each other and store them until your future seasons. What "stuff" would you be mixing with your soil? You may want to get your country extension agent to test your soil. He will be able to tell you what it needs for what your plans are. Lowes or other such stores may have a cheap soil tester you can use. Get a calendar for nothing but garden stuff and start planning your planting schedule. This requires some patience because every body gets spring fever, starts planting stuff and the there is usually one more frost to hose up your plans. A calendar is also good to keep track of when it rains and when you fertilize (however lightly.) Happy gardening.

[Gormy Cuss]

4. Buy a good set of hand tools.

A trowel and a hand fork at a minimum, but a cultivator is nice as is a weeder (for tap rooted weeds.)Also helpful are garden snips or shears (small scissors for clipping flowers and vegetable stems) and decent garden shears for bigger cutting jobs. OXO makes good hand tools with gel handles but you should choose hand tools based on how comfortable they feel in your hand.

You probably would be better off with a spading fork rather than a pitchfork because it has heavier, flat tines and is designed for aerating soil. Also if you go with a standard hose for watering, get a decent nozzle with variable flow controls or patterns. If you choose to buy a soaker hose instead, get a small watering can with a rose (see link) for spot watering.

[pipoman]

5. I have bought almost allof my garden tools

at estate sales and auctions. Just check the handles out good and be sure that the heads aren't loose. All of my stuff combined cost less than $150 (except my tiller) and I have lots of stuff! It is a great way to get started and often get better quality than I would buy if I bought new. Garden tools are like anything else, you get what you pay for, there is a reason that one new shovel is $5.95 and one is $26.00. I would also steer clear of the miracle tools like the garden weasel, etc, they usually look better on TV than they are. About the only new I have bought are watering hoses.

One of the handiest handled tools in the garden IMO is a pitch fork. They make many jobs like mulching and weed clean up much easier. Other must have is a dirt rake/garden rake, the kind with stiff tines.

[NEOhiodemocrat]

6. here would be my beginners list

shovel, hoe, flat head garden rake (one with metal tines about 2 or 3 inches long, good sized old basket or washtub type container to put weeds in when pull them, some type of wheeled contraption to haul in (I use wire wagon from Lowe's @$79, my most expensive tool besides rototiller), few hand tools, and a foam kneeler for my old knees. I have been gardening for about 35 years and except for these and several garden hoses with nozzle, and ball of twine for marking rows (use discarded branches for support) and some stakes and wire cages for beans and tomatoes that is about the extent of my gardening arsenal. And I have two gardens about 40 foot by 40 foot each. Good luck! There is nothing quite like gardening. Relaxing and good for the pocketbook, health and soul.

[NMDemDist2]

7. question for ya from a newbie

i have several strong fences around and am thinking I can just tie up my tomatoes and squash plants

ya think?

I'm doing a combo of container garden and square foot garden but have a couple lovely places in the sun with strong cyclone fencing running north and south

my 'container' is a 5 foot circle bath tub that's about 2.5 foot deep and i'm thinking that's the spot for lettuce, radishes and herbs

i have a 8x12 bed with really good amended soil that I want to put corn on the north side and melons and taters to the south, with tomatoes on the other fences across the yard

i'm such a newbie, I just need to get some plants in the ground :rofl:

[NEOhiodemocrat]

8. definitely use the fence for support

when I lived in town our back yard was contained with wire fence. I grew my cucumbers up one section and it worked out great. I think that tomato plants could be tied up easily on fence although I never did that. Just don't fasten your tie to tightly, leave a finger space and use something gentle for the tie, like old nylons,or strips of soft fabric. In fact I liked my fence growing so much that my husband put me in a section of fence where we don't even need one and I use it to grow my green beans and cucumbers. My squash didn't seem to get the idea, but then I didn't tie them up to get them off to a good start. So if you did that it should work fine. Your round tub sounds like a great place for the items you mention. I love square foot gardening, got a great book at a garage sale and am going to try to use even more of the ideas in it this coming year. I grow my potatoes in staggered rows. They worked out good. In a wide row of about 28-30 inches I put three potatoes then move down a foot or so and put in two potatoes, then down another foot and place row of three more etc something like this if you get the gist. Saves on weeding and watering, can still hill up and weed from either side. Easy to dig too.

[Gormy Cuss]

9. Hey NMDem

We use a chain link fence to support our most vigorous tomato plants.
:-)

[NMDemDist2]

10. cool!

I wanted to get out and start working the beds a bit but it's 19 degrees out :scared:

think I'll wait til next week LOL

[TygrBright]

11. If you're going to spend good money for ONE tool...

...make it a top-quality hand pruner. I love me my Felco #7!

It's lasted ten years and still going strong though I've replaced the blade once and the spring twice.

Other than that, a good round-point spade, a transplant spade (narrower, square blade,) a heavy-duty rake, a small, narrow, lightweight "cleanup" rake, a hand trowel and a couple of different hand weeders, a couple of lightweight, easily totable containers for leaves, weeds, brush, etc., and a hauling gadget (I use a red wagon,) and you're good to go.

If your soil's heavy you'll bless the day you bought a sturdy fork.

Most of that stuff can be found at yard sales and old-fashioned hardware stores, just be sure you're getting handles that will stay on the tools.

You will want a good quality hose with a very sturdy (not cheap plastic crap) adjustable nozzle. A wand is nice, too. You can buy soaker and lay it under your mulch once you have your planting in, but you'll want the hose-plus-nozzle combo for watering in, spraying pests off leaves, and a dozen other uses.

Good luck!

horticulturally,
Bright