Gardening - Neander style

[Brian Holcombe]

This thread is a partial gloat since I just purchased (finally) a set of worthwhile pruning shears. I bought a set of Tobisho handmade shears.

I mostly keep small trees and bushes and like to maintain them fastidiously.

As with most of my tool addictions I find a half measure to be hard to take, but I don't want to go completely overboard. So, I'm wondering what tools you guys like to keep for gardening, what are your go-to's for trimming and pruning?

[David Weaver]

I thought this might be about manual tillage!

[Judson Green]

Well, my garden consists of a few pots for herbs, though right now it looks like I'm a dirt farmer. So, I don't really have an investment in gardening tools. A big spoon becomes a trowel, kitchen scissors becomes a garden shears. I'm even to cheep, er I mean frugal, to buy a watering can; I use a old milk jug with a few holes cut in the top.

[Brian Holcombe]

Hah, seems I'm a very well pruned island in this regard.

[Jim Koepke]

I have a few. Give me some time for pictures. Maybe later on Saturday or Sunday.

Some of my cutters are marked "the Swiss" and are at least as old as me. My large shears have telescoping handles. Some of the other tools are also pretty good. I got tired of buying tools more than once. With shovels you may have to replace them every 15 or 20 years even if you do buy quality.

jtk

[Tony Wilkins]

After moving around with the Army for a decade I have finally retired and can settle down to have a garden. That said, I don't have much that needs much sheering. I'm using all native/well adapted plants for decoration and gardening in a vegtrug.

[Brian Holcombe]

I feel the same as you Jim, with regard to tools in general, buy once and keep it for life.

Tony, I like the VegTrug idea, much cleaner than random pots.

[Jim Koepke]

Was worn out after the farmers market yesterday so here is a picture of my favorite garden hand tools:

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From left to right, we have had this garden trowel for ~25 years. My only regret is not having bought the garden shovel and spade that were in the store at the same time. They were a bit pricey but they were of fantastic quality. Would likely be something my children and grandchildren would be fighting about.

Next is some modern small pruners. These can be sharpened if you take them apart. The area around the bolt hole also has to be honed to keep the blades aligned. This pair is small enough for my wife to use. They are kept in the greenhouse.

The fork is marked "Hercules Food Service Corp. Brklyn NY" I have looked but have not been able to find another one like it. This sucker could easily pick up a side of ribs from the BBQ. It is great in the garden. A friend gave it to me years ago. If another comes my way it would be bought since my wife and I are always waiting for the other to get done with this one.

Between the fork and the folding rule is a tool of my own making. It is just some metal packing band material fitted with a handle. It is great for getting seedlings out of cell packs or if a lot are in one pot for replanting. In the large cell packs with 128 cells it can slide down the side of the cell and lift out the whole plug.

Thesa pruners were given to me by my dad many years ago. The blade was damaged by one of my older brothers using them to cut some cable. Over the years of sharpening the big chip in the blade has become much smaller. These are uncomfortable for my wife. She also doesn't like the spring mechanism. They are great for me.

Not sure what the "swan necked weeder" should be called but it is handy in the garden against shallow weed seedlings and for breaking up dirt. Looks like the edge could use a little bit of time at the sharpening station.

Finally my big pruning shears. The aluminum handles telescope for more leverage or to stay away from thorny vines.. One still has to know enough not to take the tool beyond its limits and spring the blade.

Darn, I forgot to include my small pruning scissors. These are Japanese style that are handy for trimming plants to take to market.

Guess another image is needed.

Well, here are two images:

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These are the small trimmers used when pruning plants to remove dead leaves or other unsightly conditions.

Here is a detail of the mark on the larger pair of scissors:

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If anyone has any idea what the mark means I would be happy to know.

Candy, my wife, has a few more tools for her hobby of Bonsai, but that is a different subject.

jtk

[Judson Green]

I dig the older pruning sheers and that is one serious garden fork, must weigh a ton for its size.

Here's my only coveted gardening tool though I nearly never have a use for it. Ain't old, but is German. The black electrical tape is my doing.

290472290473

Also, I have folding army shovel I used to use a lot when I did more serious gardening/landscaping, its now doing duty as emergency shovel in the tire compartment of my car. Used it mostly with the head at 90° to the handle, kinda like hoe. Nice tool, well built. This isn't mine, but same thing.

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[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks gents, this is awesome stuff. Not sure what that fork was made for, but that thing is serious! Jim, those japanese scissors are great, are they of a different scale than the bansai tools that your wife has?

[Jim Koepke]

She has a couple of similar scissors but she also has a pair of more serious cutters for making a clean removal of small limbs. More like 'surgical' gardening tools.

I may end up borrowing her tools if I do some topiary work on a few plants in our greenhouse.

jtk

[ray hampton]

your fork could be hand -made, not sure why it do but it will break up clogs of dirt

[greg Forster]

I still have a pr of Felco hand pruners, I used 44yrs ago for 3-1/2 months, 40hrs a week pruning a vineyard
For prepping a garden I use a stone/asphalt rake-I like the heavier rake and for cultivating a
Beet hoe, and I always had a 10"
Mill bastard file stuck in my back pocket for sharpening

[Bill Rhodus]

I have a Disston docking saw (one man cross cut saw) and after learning how to properly sharpen it I use it for most of the pruning I do rather than a chainsaw. I also have a wheel hoe that I use daily in my garden and would not be without.

[Jim Koepke]

I have a Disston docking saw (one man cross cut saw) and after learning how to properly sharpen it I use it for most of the pruning I do rather than a chainsaw. I also have a wheel hoe that I use daily in my garden and would not be without.

Any images of the wheel hoe? Even a link would be nice.

I am always looking for ways to make gardening easier.

jtk

[Tom Vanzant]

Jim, Googled "wheel hoe", several versions came up.

[Jim Koepke]

Jim, Googled "wheel hoe", several versions came up.

Thanks Tom, hadn't had my full dose of morning coffee when reading Bill's post.

Looks like I could make something like that out of my assorted accumulation of stuff.

aka - junk around the shop and house.

jtk

I never mind my wife getting the last word. In fact, I'm delighted when she gets to it! --Walter Matthau

[Bill Rhodus]

Jim, sorry to take so long to reply but I have not been around a computer much lately. The hoe I currently use is the Hoss Wheel Hoe brand. These tools are much like many of the hand tools we use; small differences mean a lot. The bulk of the wheel hoes I have seen for sale used are a high wheel hoe that has a large diameter wheel and requires constant attention or the high center will cause the hoe to lean and get off line. There are many who advocate for these hoes but I believe it is because they have not used a wheel hoe like the Hoss (there are others) that has a low center and is lighter (less mass) than the high hoes. After using a variety of hoes over my lifetime I settled on the Hoss because there are a good number of attachments for it, a seeder is available for it, and the construction reminds me of items that were made during the American manufacturing heyday, well made and stout.

[Jim Koepke]

Bill, thanks for the information.

jtk

[Brian Holcombe]

Update: These pruning snips are fantastic, after a lifetime of terrible pruning gear I feel completely spoiled.

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/2014-06/095E503D-3C31-4F20-9475-DEF06EA7E233_zps3xvxw1ld.jpg

also, a turbo cut blade in a bowsaw goes through small tree/bush limbs in a hurry.

[Jonas Baker]

I found these at the flea market, and being a tool dweeb I thought it was neat that they were made by Disston, so I bought them and sharpened them up for trimming grass and clipping plants, etc. Even in their unsharpened state they worked surprisingly well, and once sharpened they cut with ease and they spring right back into the open position, since I guess Disston was quite adept at making "spring" steel...ha...ha.
290789290791

[Jim Koepke]

I found these at the flea market, and being a tool dweeb I thought it was neat that they were made by Disston

Those look like sheep shears.

A Google search shows them listed on ebay as both sheep shears and grass shears.

If they work for your needs it doesn't matter what they are supposed to be.

jtk