What Are the Right Tools for Gardening?
What Should I Do to Improve My Soil?
Do I Have to Weed?
What About Lawn?

What Are the Right Tools for Gardening?
For a Gardener to produce a rewarding quality of vegetables, it is important not to be stingy when it comes to buying the proper amount of nescerry gardening tools.

Fork: A full-width fork is necessary for digging over the ground, moving bulky items and making suitable planting holes in the soil.

Spade: When moving finer items such as mulch, a spade can be used, so be sure to have one on hand!

Rakes are also an important tool for leveling soil and breaking down unwanted lumps in the surface of the dirt. Planting and sowing requires a smooth, uncompromised surface, so be sure to thoroughly yet gently rake the desired soil lot to be used for planting and seed sowing. Be sure not to confuse a garden rake with a lawn rake.

Hoe: Gardening can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience, but without the proper tools it can also cause some unwanted wear and tear on your back. So unless your garden is quite small but sure to invest in a hoe -- this little tool is great for getting on top of those pesty weeds.

Trowel: Used for planting and weeding, trowels will be getting a lot of use out of them, so be sure to buy a sturdy and long-lasting quality one. Cheap items lead to cheap results.

Shears: A standard shot-handled pair will do lots of work around your garden, such as trimming hedges, shrubs, perennials and lawn edges as well.

Watering Can: Instead of lugging a garden hose throughout your entire garden, invest in one of these handy tools. Metal cans are attractive yet more expensive. So simply buy a long-spouted, full-size plastic one instead. If you find that carrying it will be too difficult, purchase a smaller one.

Wheelbarrow or bucket/carrying bag Used for moving rubbish and materials. If your garden is large you will need to use a wheelbarrow, but in a small plot it is possible to manage with a builders' bucket or a stout plastic carrying bad designed for garden use.

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What Should I Do to Improve My Soil?
A quite intimidating sight at any garden center is all those cast stacks of bulky, multicolored bags. There are potting mix soil and planting composts, concentrated manures and mulches -- how is one to know the proper choice? Relax. Here is an at-a-glance guide to what they all do and which one you are likely to need.

Soil Improvers: Soil improvers should be used when you are preparing ground for planting. They consist of bulky, well-rotted organic matter that will improve all types of soil by giving them a greater capacity for holding on to the water and good for your plants need, as well as making a better environment for roots to grow in.

Planting Compost: Planting compost is designed to give plants a really good start in life -- which is very important with long-lived permanent ones like trees, shrubs, climbers, roses and perennials. The compost is made up of a fine grade of organic matter, plus fertilizer to feed the plant for its first season.

Mulches: A mulch is a layer of material that is put on the bare soil between plants. It improves plant growth and also cuts down on your work -- which can't be bad! It reduces the amount of water that evaporates from the soil, stops the vast majority of weeds from growing and also helps to prevent plant roots from becoming too hot or too cold.

Potting Mix Soil: All plants in containers need to be grown in potting compost because they need to get their roots into something really good in order to grow well in such confined spaces. Whatever you do, don't be tempted to eke out your potting compost with a cheaper soil improver or garden soil -- the poor results just aren't worth it.

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Do I Have to Weed?
Weeding is one of the downsides of gardening and something that most people hate with a passion. The trouble is, there's just no way of having a garden to enjoy without having to do at least a little but of regular weed control. Weeds are immensely successful simple because they have evolved to grow best in your local, so they'll nearly always be able to outperform garden plants.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. Bringing a weedy patch under control need not be a hard slog. Indeed, it may take hardly any work at all if time is on your side. And, once the garden is clear of weeds, there are plenty of labor-saving ways to discourage their regrowth and reduce the amount of regular weeding.

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What About Lawn?
Our garden plants tend to get the lion's share of any tender loving care that is going, but our poor old lawns are all too often abused and ignored, yet still expected to look green and gorgeous. Grass mat be functional but it also needs to look good to show off the rest of your garden, in the same wa that a well furnished and decorated room needs an attractive carpet rather than a threadbare one. Investing in the right equipment, together with a bit of regular well-cared-for lawn will set your garden off a treat.

What sort of Lawn?
If you are making a new lawn, be sure to choose one that matches your lifestyle. All grasses mat look the same but there are different types.

Which Lawnmower?
A lawnmower is the most expensive piece of garden equipment you will buy, so choose carefully and do not just go for the cheapest one on offer. Mowers come in different sizes, so match yours to the size of your lawn. If it is a large expanse, bear in mind that the wider the cut, the sooner the mowing will be finished -- lawnmowers are noisy and you will be thankful is the job gets done quickly. However, the mower must be small enough to cut round corners and flower beds.

OTHER TOOLS FOR LAWNS
Lawn Rake: A metal springtime rake will do everything you need, from raking out moss and dead grass (known as 'thatch') to clearing up cut grass and leaves.

Half-moon Edger: For cutting near, new edges to lawns once or twice a year. A sharp spade can do the job but is much trickier to use.

Shears: For regular trimming of lawn edges. A short-handled pair will be fine if you only have a small lawn. If you have a large lawn, or suffer from back trouble, it is well worth buying a long-handled pair with angled blades. Always clean and dry shears after use.

LOOKING AFTER A LAWN
Taking care of a lawn is rather like looking after a house -- a bit of regular cleaning and then occasional blitzes on certain jobs. With a lawn, the key to success is regular moving to keep the grass in tiptop condition, along with seasonal jobs like feeding, weeding and leaf-clearing.

Mowing Do's
- Cut grass regularly from spring to autumn. HOw often depends on the weather -- maybe twice a week in a warm, wet spring and once a fortnight during hot, dry spells in summer.
- Mow if necessary in winter but not when the grass is wet or frosty. brush the lawn first with a broom to scatter wormcasts, set the mower blades high.
- Keep the mower blades sharp.

Mowing Don'ts
- Never mow when the grass is wet.
- Don't scalp your lawn in the hop of stretching the time between mowings. It'll weaken the grass and let moss and weeds take over.
- Do not cut long grass in one go. Set the blades high and lower them gradually for a second or third cut.

Feeding the Lawn
Lawns really benefit from an annual feed, and so will you -- strong, healthy grass not only looks green and lovely but also outperforms moss and weeds. Don't starve your lawn in order to reduce the amount of mowing.

Drink Up!
A 'dowling-green' lawn will need watering during dry spells, but with a hard-wearing type you can leave it to its own devices. If it turns brown, it will green up when wet weather returns. If you do water, do so in the evening or early morning to avoid sun scorch.

'De-thatching' the Lawn
'De-thatching' (or scarifying) describes the use of a springtime rake to drag out moss and dead grass. Do this a couple of times a year. For larger lawns, it is worth using a powered raking machine.

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