Sooner or Later…

My list is short and to the point:

• A good rear tine tiller. They simply go deeper and are much, much easier on the body.  If you are breaking up new ground it is the hands down winner.  Troy Built are my dad’s favorite–they are pricey but the larger models come with attachments.  Someday I hope to have my very own.
• A good garden rake.  Smooth handles and screw the head on.  Walmart ones are not bad but for real work you must attach the head better than how they are sold.
• A good hoe–garden not street.  I like the one that looks like an elongated ’C’ at the bottom.  Lighter weight and gets around plants better.  Has points that make good rows.
• A trowel.  Also know as a hand-digger.  Get a good padded handled one for you and get a cheap wally-world one for each small child in the family.  Teach them not to dig their fingers and they will have sand shovels for years.  The padded kind aren’t really padded but have better handles.  After planting very many of anything your hands will know the difference.  The $5.00ish one at Walmart is not bad.
• A bucket–5 gallon.  Hauls weeds, water, garden produce, and upside down is a seat.  When finished for the day stores the hand tools inside.
• Watering supplies:  hoses, sprinklers, soaker hoses but so far I haven’t been too thrilled with mine.
• The favorite tool hands down:  A Garden Weasel.  The two handle one is the best buy.  Use it standing up to shallow till all the small weeds or just pretty thing up.  Take the middle section out to go over a row.  Attach the middle section to the short handle to sit down and weed.  It takes out the small stuff so you don’t have to.  Also the entire thing unattached from the handles makes a good weapon.  Be careful it is sharp–I stepped on a blade once and it sliced between my toes so neatly it didn’t even hurt, but it bled like anything.  It does dull down after a few years, but keeps working fine.  See it here.

So without the tiller, it is about $50.00–if you don’t sales shop.  Anyother suggestions?