The trug thread was probably getting slow to load, so I thought it best to open a second tool page.

Back to the trowels, and I've thrown in some much-used scoops from the potting bench. One on left was used in old Texan general store for scooping bulk grain/seed. Scoop on right is my fav size for potting up. It is made of the same material as the trowels that likewise get too cold to hold in winter. Think it might be aluminum. It is a diff cold than steel, such as my fav clippers, which seem to retain the hand's heat and give it back. But the shiny ones never warm up in the hand.

Besides the neat Soil Scoop trowel thing on other thread, the green handled ones are my fav standard trowels - all one piece and cushioned handles sim to Caro's. The two aluminum (?) pieces are from a gift set which is not comfy to dig with, as well as cold, but work nicely as scoops for potting up smalls. Has anyone else noticed this 'cold' problem with shiny maybe-aluminum metal?

It is aluminium (aluminum, see another Anglo/Amer difference)and it is perhaps a faster conductor of heat than steel, although I don't know that for certain. It is one of the reasons that I changed my aluminium greenhouse for a cedar framed one, plus the cedar fits into the garden scene much better. I use the same scoop as your top right, Maggie, for scooping out bird seed from my storage bins, I also use a stainless steel pan, minus handle, for scooping out larger amounts for topping up my larger multi-hole feeders.

Its funny the things that we probably should throw out, that we find uses for. My favorite scoop for measuring out the animals' feed is an aluminum saucepan minus the handle, which looks like its been run over by a couple of tractors. Originally round, it now looks like it has a pouring spout at each end. However, it measures out exactly the right amount of feed and is easy to hold.

al-u-min'-e-um... It's doesn't come easy after doing it the other way! You've probably heard it on film Terry, but its done a-lum-in-um here - such a diff that extra 'i' makes!

Yep Caro, we scoop out DE for the pool with anything going. One-gallon plastic milk jugs with the top cut off and the handle left on, are great things to keep around for light weight contents. An just yesterday, I 'potted' a stem of Sedum 'Ruby Glow' for you in a clear plastic bakery container. The stem is full of dozens of babies needing air and light with soil underneath, instead of on top to root into. Since a verticle pot planting would smother them - the clear, shallow, lidded box makes a perfect little greenhouse. I poke holes in top and bottoms for vent and drainage.

The spade on the left is from our garden in England. I don't remember seeing round-end shovels back then. Round-end is so much more effective on clay soil, instead of having to fork it up first.

The next one is called a 'Sharp Shooter' over here. Do you have those in UK? Even better for deep holes in horrible clay.
Maybe you can see where this garden has worn the bite off my old shovel. The new one at far right has some serious strong teeth and extra long handle - love it!

We have something similar to the narrow one for digging out holes for fence posts. The curved ones I remember from the Western films, they always got them out to bury some poor soul.

Maggie, keep showing them. I'm making my list of what I'm pilfering when I'm around and you aren't!

Good thing the place is locked up, hot-wired and filmed,,, GAIL, haha!

Amazing they still don't use the round-end shovels over there. I never buried a body with mine, unless you count the plantacides I have inadvertedly committed.

Whatever makes you think it's me?

duh
;-)

Hee-hee.

David has an ingenious substitute for a trowel. Straight outta 'Tool Time' ... urr urh
Truth or consequence time David.

Yes, It is I.....Just when you thought it was save on the Forum....
Anyway I use a cordless drill with a large drill bit. I bought it at a garden center a long time ago..It is 8-10" long and about 2" wide.(No jokes)The drill bit has an auger shape to it that can save alot of time planting 4" pots and just about anything else. Sorry, I am a lazy gardener and this is one of the best inventions ever.....Next to the string weedeater(wacker,edger, Etc)

David, I like that idea, perhaps with a masonry bit though to tackle my "soil". When I put in garden canes I usually need a hammer.

Just guess what kind of soil he has Terry.....
course I have offered to let him see how it works in clay. There's a couple a flats of pansies out there that would make for a good test ;-)

I've got plenty of test ground too! Notice I use the word ground, not soil. Soil would be too nice a word!

I must say.....Yes, I have just wonderful soil...Nice,rich,dark colored sandy loam!!!! Sorry, guys it just HAPPENED to come with the house......David

I have sworn that the next time I go to buy a house, I'm taking my shovel with me first!

Me too Gail!!!

Thought it might be fun to share my 'Baby Tools'.
I once saw a display of garden tools for children and thought the mini-shovel would be perfect for digging multiple little holes for annuals and bulbs along the front of the terraced beds. With the small blade, I could just pop up the spots without bending and without all that getting up and down. It was great. Now they are making that size for us grownup-sized gardeners such as my newer red shovel below. It is sturdier than the kiddo one it replaced.
I couldn't resist trying the even smaller green one to its left, that doesn't get much use (unless I can't find the red one ;-) since the green one's short handle still requires stooping, bending or kneeling.
I love the baby rake for working around perennials and hardscapes.
The long handled trowel is from that Japanese gift set. Great idea, if the spade and shaft were all one piece - it bends.
Yes, the one on top is a folding fox hole digger. It was a gift and was not my own from WWI.

left off the picie!

That top one is a genuine antique, wonder how many of todays will be around in eighty years time.

It appears to be a reproduction Terry. I'd take better care if it had really served in WWI. Have been told these repros are sold at 'military surplus' stores. They are popular with hunters and militant/survivalist fanatics. Are there similiar vendors there?

I found the catalogue I bought the Felco's from on sale -- of course, they are not on sale now. It's Walt Nick's Garden Talk. www.gardentalk.com Keep an eye on it and perhaps they'll be a sale soon.

Yes we do have them here as well Maggie, Army Surplus Stores as they used to be called, and we get USA army surplus. Apparently you can buy slightly used jet fighters, one careful owner type stuff, but I think you would have to go ro a specialist to get those. Great for beating the rush hour traffic, or even blowing away the rush hour traffic.

That's just what Larry needs for that Dallas traffic!

back to the Felco shopping... keep an eye on Garden.com, they are about to run a clearance sale. That's the good news - here's the other: So sad to see such a great organization go under.

Go under? How's that possible? They are one of the most popular sites for gardeners, aren't they?

unfortunately I was too slow. The Felco's are sold out.

Darn about the felcos ,,, then me too.

Deal is, these big commercial sites run on investors money until they show a profit. They rely on new investors to keep coming in to keep them going. G.com ran out of money and new investors. Lots of traffic doesn't support a site unless the users support the co with purchases. Banners may pay the electricity, but these big boys have huge overheads - they actually pay their writers and other employees. What a concept ;-) I keep hoping someone will jump in and rescue them - can't bear to thing of all they have accomplished going to waste.

Got a new one to share with you ... the Holey Moley

OK. It shoots water into the ground, right? What else does it do? Too cool.

A small stream of water makes the hole, while the thing is wobbled around. Plus, I like the handle length because I don't have to kneel or hop up and down while making dozens of holes. But with this heavy soil, I still need to fork-till the area first. I put 2 flats of pansies in, in an afternoon last month, with it and then the 200 tulips later on. You might be able to see the tulip holes in that pic. Pretty nifty gadget. It could also be used to aerate the lawn, or to make holes for adding gypsum, rock powders etc down into the soil, or for giving something a deep drink in our droughts. There's more info and a video clip on their
Holey Moley page here

It's that time again,,, I'm needin my weeders.

You could substitute cat for the one on the left Maggie. Second one would be good for cleaning out my bird cages. I'm not surprised third and forth ones are bent with your ground. Can't think of anything funny to say about the last one.

Maggie, is the one you have the 1200 or did you get the 1500? I see that the 1500 works for larger plants and I wondered if it would work with small holes also or is it just for larger holes? I keep staring at the pictures on their site and not really getting an idea whether the 1500 would work for both small and large. Maybe I need to come by and use yours to get a feel for it. Have any bulbs/plants left that need planting? (this, of course, is a rhetorical question!)

Mine is the 1200, Gail. I keep the terraced bed edges more formal-tidy than the other borders, which requires a twice a yr annual change out of 6-pk or 4" pots. Its great for making all those little holes quickly and just the thing for squeezing bulbs between perennials without disturbing everyones roots.
The 1500 would be great for folks like you about to install a lot of 1 and 2 gallon plants, but I wouldn't expect it to do little ones too. When that thing starts digging, its does what they promise! We could ask the manufacturers to be sure.
Do come try mine - you are right - there's always something in need of planting round here!

She's not interested in my weeders Terry ;-) That claw saves a lot of fingernails. Now if I could just train Moggy to scratch where I want her to. The baby hoe can get under and around perennials nicely and the bent ones are perfect for getting up long rooted tree seedlings. There was one like them in Heligan's excavated antique tools. The bend gives it leverage - prys up deep tap roots nicely. Maybe you could tell the one on the far right has had a hard life, so it was nice you of you to not tease it.) It was used for digging up treelets until the bent ones came along. Its shaft broke lose and now lives mostly inside the handle. Its one of those things that has outlived its original purpose, but served for so long, its hard to throw it out. And comes in handy when you don't have the right tool for a job and would ruin a good one if u used the wrong one... hammer, scrapper, paint can opener, threatening weapon etc.

Gail, you can borrow some those hand tools too, to weed around your henbit ;-)

weed around? Humph! I just mow 'em! they are green and they'll die off if you mow 'em regularly.

It used to drive crazy me when Larry would spend time pulling them out of the lawn, cause I knew they would they die by the mower or the heat, which ever came first. But he was so persistant at getting them before they set seed in the lawn, that they only return in the flower beds now. He doesn't tread in there tho, for fear of yanking the wrong the 'weeds' - the ones I want to keep!

I hope no one ever weeds the clover out of my lawn or I would have no lawn. Wonder why we try so hard to grow grass when clover does so well and stays green in much drier conditions?

I seeded over with clover a couple of years ago on purpose and can't get it to grow! Bring some on over!

I spread rye seed on the herb bed lawn one year and watched the birds gleen every morsel! Maybe that is what happened to your clover?

Okay, Maggie, don't know whether to start a new tree or not but...

Here's my question. Every year I dig holes with my tennis shoes on. After about a month of this, I split them on the sole. So, I want a recommendation for the best digging shoes you own. Clogs seem to come off too easily. Anyone got a work boot recommendation? What's your favorite, sturdy pair?

Yep, I went thru 2 pairs of Reeboks one year before deciding that was a bad idea! When Callie was in high school, the kids were wearing something called 'Ducks' (waterproof) and those were great - the knockoffs being much cheaper. Then ski crowd caught on to them and the makers added space age thermal lining - really great. I wear those when its cold, wet and mucky, my wellies when its just wet and yucky and rubber sandals in summer (from the drug store or wherever) when its too hot to wear anything else. My shortie wellies are splitting down the back seam - need to go back to UK to get some more ! Here's the old pic, pre the 10,000 mile reading ;-)

How's yours holding out Terry?

Same problem Maggie, built in obselecense, they could put stronger webbing in, but then they wouldn't sell so many pairs. Yours must be the most expensive gardening shoes ever Maggie. Are you coming on Concorde to get them?

Maggie, just let me go ahead and put my order in with you so I can save some money and not make the trip.

Mamakane? Terry? Susan? Caro? What do ya'll wear to dig?

To dig? Cowboy boots.
To otherwise work in the garden? tennis shoes.

If it's heavy digging, I wear my hiking boots, which have sturdy soles. I like to use a spading fork, but stomping on the fork is hard on the feet if I'm not wearing shoes with sturdy soles.

Part of our yard has soil that has been compacted - that's another story! For digging there, I use the spading fork & wear my hiking boots. My husband uses a pick. When I used a pick, I felt the (painful) aftereffects in my arms & shoulders for several days after digging.

I prefer the slow-but-easier approach. A few times of hack-&-whack, yank-&-tear with weeks-long aftereffects convinced me that slow & easy is the way to go.

Sounds like you have worse soil than I Susan - and that's hard to imagine! Nice to know I'm not the only hopelessly-determined fool, when it comes to bad gardening grounds. My back hurts just thinking about your hack & whack trial. The foundation guys used jack hammers last month here - have you considered that?!
Speaking of backs - strange how doing the right work improves my tricky spine, such as turning the compost pile, which strengthens the muscles. But just carrying something heavy for just a few feet, or inches can really tear it up. That pic ax work will rip muscles to shreds if they aren't up to it. We removed all the boulders out of the long border with pics and such. I've never been so strong again since - and never will again!

Wish I could hop over there in just 3 hours Ter - would have to take up bank-robbing on the side! That 8 hr flight is a killer.

Gail, go find a size-conversion chart for Anglo-Amer shoe sizes and I'll get ya some, next time I wade over. Hey, we could add that to our weather page, next to the C/F converter. Larry just wouldn't understand ... shoes for gardening in wet soil - mud - shoes - rain,,, naw, never mind ;-)

I don't do much digging these days, not much bare soil to dig, so I get by with the cut down wellies Maggie, and have on occaisions even been out there in my slippers. You know how it is, nice morning, just have a quick look outside, hmmm I'll just get that one weed out, now would could I pop in it's place. Two hours later "YOU HAVEN'T BEEN GARDENING IN THOSE NEW SLIPPERS HAVE YOU?" As if you could plant a garden in a pair of slippers, I ask you.

T, I've ruined plenty of house slippers with the same mind set. But hey at $2-3 a pair, I never really care. Just toss him and buy another. I'd like to get to the point I have no bare soil! One of these years I'd like to say "it's done." This year is definitely not one of those years. I'll have you know though that I finally took BEFORE pixes last weekend in between rain showers. So now for the AFTER.....hmmmmm...any volunteers to help with that project???

Know what you guys mean - I have learned not to take tea out in the mornings unless I'm already dressed in gardening rags. Robes wear out real fast in spontaneous gardening episodes too; esp around the rose bushes ;-)
Sounds like Christine has Terry-Alerts, sim to my household's Mom-Alerts!

There goes Gail again, with her fruitless fantasies. I don't know how any gardener finds time to volunteer in another's garden, when they have one at home - probably in need of its own volunteers, like mine! Maybe you need to post that request around apartment buildings Gail

That's a scary thought. No telling who I'd get! Maybe someone crazier than me!

Terry, I know what you mean about a quick look outside. What happens to me is that both hands are full of weeds and/or my slippers are wet (toes get cold fast). Springtime in the Pacific NW!

But in summer I like to take my coffee out & admire our daylilies. Can you deadhead & hold a cup of coffee? No way!! The coffee gets cold & the daylilies get deadheaded.

I always use a red mug for the coffee Susan, it's the only way I can find it after I've put it down and wandered off.

Good idea, Terry! I have lost my blue coffee mug for days at a time. Not to mention burying my trowel which had a green handle. The trowel I now use has an orange handle.

Same here! Every pair of snips without brightly colored handles has been composted at least once in this garden!

Thought you might get a bang outta this one.

That is one hell of a mouse trap Maggie.

I knew you'd figure it out Terry ;-)
It's called a 'Weed Popper'. When that 2" of black clay was solid, the thing would rip out huge divots, instead of just the roots. Now the lawn is softened, it works great. Glad I didn't trash it, cause now we have the most awfull weed grass in the lawn. When mowed, it looks like what I imagine 'crab grass' to look like. When it gets tall in the beds, its leaves look like a daylilys and the seed heads get even taller - then hang down like sea oats grass. It is all over the neighborhood. In some places it is smothering the lawn grass completely. Larry has a new mission. He's taken out 4 wheel barrows of this stuff and there is tons more to tackle.

Weed Popper...hmmm. How long are those pointy spikes? The dandelions I've been trying to dig up have deep roots. When I try to uproot them, I usually break off the root a few inches down. That gets rid of the dandelion for several months. Even red clover has a major root 4 to 6 inches long.

How long ago did you take that picture, Maggie? Our birdbath hasn't frozen over for weeks, but shorts & sandals are a far-off dream

Sorry Sus, it prob wouldn't get those tap-root babies! I think they are 3-4" long. Thank goodness the grass is short-rooted when young!
The pic was taken a week ago, maybe less.
When it was chilly yesterday, I was dreading putting my arm (down to the elbow) in the pool to plug in the hose. But when I did, the water felt wonderfully warm, compared to the air. Yep, we've had sweaty digging days already! When the girls were younger, it was not unusual for them to be swimming in April - its still too chilly for this ol gal until late May tho