Keep gardening longer and make it easy by choosing tools and equipment to suit your physical needs and garden. Much as I support online shopping, nothing beats seeng and handling a new piece of equipment before buying to know if it’s right for you.
Start by assessing your own strengths and weaknesses without underestimating yourself. The less you do, the less you can do. But you should make allowances for weaker hands or back, dodgy knees and poor eyesight.
Can you bend and stoop easily? And will your preferred tool manage to do what you want in the garden?
Nothing could be more personal than secateurs. My wife and I have excellent, sharp Felcos but, being left-handed, I simply can’t use Jane’s.
And judge a pair by feel, not price. Several manufacturers produce two or three different sizes of a product, so ask your retailer to open a pack to let you hold it. The smallest size doesn’t always suit the smallest hand.
If you have weaker hands, look out for roll handled secateurs as they will move in your hand to fit the angle of the cut so will be less painful on your wrist.
And hand and arm strength matters when choosing between an electric or petrol powered mower or strimmer. A pull cord can have too a strong kick – the one on my rotavator couldn’t be fiercer. The flick of an electric switch could solve your problem.
And what about saving your back? Leaf blowers may only blow leaves into a pile you then have to pick up. If bending is a pain, select one with a vac option and let it collect and shred leaves for you, all ready for the leafmould bay or compost heap.
More generally, long-handled tools are usually the answer for a bad back and stop you having to kneel.
This type of spade or fork lets you dig away merrily without enduring the agony of constant bending and stooping. Before
long-shafted forks were marketed, I got the local blacksmith to make one for me.
These spades and forks work beautifully for me. But, because of my poor eyesight, a long handled trowel would be a step too far as I’d probably end up removing as many geums as dandelions.
Using a kneeler and hand trowel is the only safe solution for those who can’t see well. And buying a hedge trimmer extension to deal with a tall hedge would be an act of madness.
Every tool has its limitations, so make sure a purchase is up to the job.
Battery-driven tools are less robust than the mains powered ones, which are trumped by petrol machines. If you need a strimmer to tidy the edge of a lawn or border, a lightweight battery model is fine. You could even get one with a solid plastic blade. But don’t expect the machine to do too much.
A battery may last for only 20 minutes before having to be recharged, so you might need a second, expensive battery to finish a job. A stronger model, driven by mains electricity, is required to deal with tougher weeds or longer grass.
For a larger area with woody plants, a large petrol strimmer, probably with a brush cutter, is the only answer. Full protective gear and a harness are essential. It’s demanding work but very satisfying if you can manage it. If not, get a professional.
Before going on a spending spree, check you have enough storage and select equipment with easy storage features. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to shift two or three tools to get to what you want.
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