Living in the real world version of Mayberry (seriously, Andy Griffith grew up here in Mount Airy, NC so Mayberry is modeled after us), Barney Fife is an icon I see nearly every day. If you’ve ever watched the show, and who hasn’t, you likely know of his one trusty bullet, dutifully resting in his upper shirt pocket. It’s always at the ready should a time come (God forbid) that he’d ever have to load it into the chamber. If I were Barney, I’m not sure I’d take great comfort in having just one bullet, or in my case, one tool, to take care of whatever challenge is before me.
For me, narrowing down the tool choices to just one would be nearly impossible. I have gardening tools I’ve never used, tools I’ve never seen, and tools I’ve seen that I don’t even know what they’re for. I certainly don’t need them all, but I can’t get by with just one either. I have my favorites and I know what I like. In the spirit of a Barney’s six-shooter, let’s load it up six of my favorite tools for in and around the garden.
1. Pruners, but not just any pruners. I rarely head out into the garden with my Fiskars PowerGear Bypass pruners. I was a fan of these long before my relationship with Fiskars. But now that I’ve had the opportunity to demonstrate them to other more skeptical consumers, seeing is believing and I believe we’ve converted many a gardener over to the PowerGear design. For the money, there’s no better pruner on the market. Better yet, it, along with other Fiskars models are the only ones certified by The Arthritis Foundation for the prestigious Ease-of-use Commendation. I already loved them. But the older I get, the more attached I become.
2. If I’m heading out to the garden with only one tool in my hand (and pruners on the hip), it’s my favorite weeding tool, the CobraHead. Many weeds have deep taproots and without the right tool to extract them all, the weed will quickly grow back. That’s no longer a problem with the CobraHead. It’s like a steel fingernail. I actually derive great pleasure in popping tough weeds out after plunging the CobraHead into the soil and under the weed and roots.
3. When it comes to watering, I found a nozzle a few years ago that I can’t live without. It’s called the Dual-flo nozzle and here’s why I like it so much. First, it blasts out a high-pressure stream of water, more powerful then those cheap, flimsy models. But the beauty is in how with one simple turn of a lever on the handle, the flow is diverted to a gentle trickle; perfect for watering a thirsty container of filling a soapy bucket.
4. For working the soil, a lot of people would turn to their trusty tiller, if they had one. Not me. My favorite tool for turning the soil, and I use it often, is my old-fashioned garden fork. With tines wider than a pitchfork, it’s broad enough to actually turn the soil. And with the thickness of the steel tines, nothing can stop it. Unfortunately, my antique hardwood handle broke a few years ago. But I was able to replace it with an even better version made by Fiskars.
5. I’m not sure gardening gloves count as tools, but every gardener has a pair or two and I’m no exception. But, there’s really only one pair of gloves for me that I wear on all but the toughest jobs: Atlas Gloves. They fit like a surgeons glove but have all the feel you’ll ever need. And they’re so comfortable I almost forget I have them on. For a price around six bucks, buy several pairs. They’re well worth it and last surprisingly long.
6. I’m a big composter and fan of mulch. I use both all the time. Not long ago, I found a tool that I love that lives in my compost pile but when I need to spread mulch or scoop up either, I use the Unifork, by Union Jack. Unlike heavy metal forks that can rust, and stainless steel that can be expensive, the Unifork is lightweight and made of very strong plastic so it can be left outside (right by your compost pile) with never a concern of rusting or frostbitten hands from grabbing a cold metal handle. The sides of the Unifork are slightly raised and it works much like a scoop or shovel and the rounded tips provide a better way to scoop mulch or compost from the surface without getting the prongs stuck in the ground.
Simple tools that provide great results are always a favorite of mine. Over the years, I think I’ve settled into a few tools I’ll never be without…but I’m always looking. So now that you know about some of my favorites, what’s in your tool arsenal that you can’t live without?
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