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WHITBY FREE PRESS, SPRING GARDENING SUPPLEMENT, WEDNESDAY. MARCH 31, 1976, PAGE 7 Garden Tools Start with the basics The new gardener, about to purchase his first set of garden tools, may find the arsenal of tools at his local store bewildering. Do you need THAT many tools? Which ones are necessary? By buying the most familiar tools such as shovels, rakes, hoes etc you won't go far wrong. Don't buy all your tools at the crne time. It's a good idea to disregard any specialized items until you are well versed on your needs. Listed below is a compedium of tools and their uses. long weeds, manure, and other materials that hang I Forks I Long handle spading fork. Long handle gives good leverage when you are working in hard soil. Breaks up adobe clods better than a spade. Buy the best quality fork: otherwise, tines may bend. Short handle fork. You have a choice of a num- ber of models. Tiiies range from 7 to il inches long. Weight also varies. Get the model that's right for you. Usually short hI l d d k i ç i li i fn , ks together. It holds than a hay fork. good for turning layers of compost. more Also ove r Hoes Garden hoes. There are hoes for just about everv job. A hoe with a 2½- inch wide blade for light jobs in narrow spots; an 8-inch wide blade for drives and walks. The 6-inch wide hoe is the mòst commonly used. A number of hoes have nanes that suggest their use: lanter hone cotton jobs, resharpen about every two hours. Hoes with the conven- tional design of those sketched at left work best with a chopping action, the flat front edges cutting weeds off at ground level, or the sharp edges working like a small pick. Get a hoe that is light enough to be wielded for an hour or two at a time. SCu ffle hoe. A special hoe for the fast removal of weeds. You don't chop, but push the hoe ahead of you as if you were playing shu ffleboard. It's a good tool for cutting the tops off anniul weeds. (Perennial weeds need to be dug Lip). This hoe works best on packed, level ground. Weeding hoe. Hioe on' Ole side, weed puller on the other. more strength and makes it better for digging planting holes or ditches with vertical sides. . Long handle, square point. For leveling areas for patios and walks, squaring off the bottoms of ditches, and shoveling snow. When shoveling dirt or gravel, this one is handy when you get toward the bottom of the pile. D-handle shovels. For close-up jobs of moving soil, sand, gravel, and for picking up garden litter. Round point and square point models are available. Shears Prning shears. Probably the niost consistently used of ail garden tools. Also available in addition to anvil and hook-and- blade types, are special rose pruning shears and shears arc not a sub- stitute for pruning shcars. They won't cut through thick stems or branches. Lopping shears. Essential for pruning branches smaller in diameter than a broom handle. The long handle gives you greater cutting and reaching power. Handles are between 20 and 24 inches long. Some models have shock absorbers. 1 Rakes I Level head rake. Flat top used to level seed beds and make seed furrows. It won't do the heavy work the bow rake will. Metal bow rake. Good tool for leveling soil or gravel and collecting earth clods. The bow acts as a shock absorber giving the rack a springy, resilient quality. nancieu spaum ng or i. iiiiLiiuu u u i -- .. -- -. 1.ý l - work best in crowded hoe, square top onion sears for ,utting flowers. planting beds or to lift hoe. The latter, also I I Buy a model tlat "feels Lawn rake. Indispensable clumps of perennials called a strawberry hoe, good" in your hand. for raking :wns, leaves, without damaging the las a blade 7 inches wide Long handle, round paper, and other light tubers, rhizomes, or a and aboti1 inches point. A versatile tool for Hedge shears. For matter on both paved plant's fleshy or thick high; use around shallow digging, scooping, and shaping hedges, shrubs: and natur .1 surfaces. matted root system. rootec plants. To be shoveling, The round- cutting or shearing back You have a wide selection effective, a hoe shouild point irrigation shovel perennials, ground covers, to choose fromn. Sorne Barn or manure fork. be sharpened each time (sec sketch of two shovels and faded fiower heads. are made of metal, others Not for spading, but for you take it into the it lcft) has a straighter Sone models have built-in of bamboo; some are moving garden prunings, garcien. On harci,,-Litting shank, which gives if shock absorbers. Hedgc fanshaped, others rec- tangular. On models you can the width of the face. some adjust raking Special Tools1 Weed and grass cutters. Wèed cutter for rugged weeds and grasses in uncultivated garden areas. It removes top growth but not weed roots, unless you use blade as a chopper. Grass cutter is for help in cutting grass along the edge of a lawn. It is used' like a golf club. Try various models for correct balance and weight. Trowel. One of the most personal of all garden tools. Shop around until you get one that fits your hand, is well balanced, and light enough for your needs. A straight :hank model is good for rhu'b planting. Drop shank is most popular. Asparagus or dandelion weeders. . For lifting out tap-rooted weeds in the garden and for weeding in such tight places as those between stepping stones in a path. These tools are useful, too, for small cultivating jobs.