The Golden State: Where & How to Live, Secure, Visit, Enjoy and Thrive in California
15 Basic Ways To Landscape Your Homepage
Hoes are made in many shapes and sizes, but a floral hoe is purposely small and lightweight to maneuver around delicate plant materials. A hoe with five-inch-wide blade sells for about $3.00.
Most often used manner of breaking up reluctant soil is through application of a spading fork. A fork with four tines is easy to use and costs from $2.50 to $3.50. However, make sure the handle is long enough to permit using the fork while standing erect. If you can work without bending your back, spading the garden is much less tiring.
When time comes to plant seeds or young plants, nothing else does the job half as well as quality hand tools. The garden trowel and hand cultivator top the list for home gardeners. But these simple tools should be carefully inspected before purchase. Many stores stock inexpensive garden equipment which will bend or break the (list day used. A sturdy trowel or cultivator will cost from 75c to $ 1.50.
After hand tools, consideration should be given to the purchase of enough hose and sprinklers to water the planted area. Check your water service before buying a sprinkler head, as some types work well at both high and low pressures; while others work only on high pressure systems.
You could build a storage shed onto the garage for tools and maintenance materials.
Lawn mowers may have changed radically in the past few years, but it's still a question of buying the right size mow er for the lawn to be trimmed. At one time the only available machines were the rotating blade type with its iron wheels skidding over the grass. Today rubber tires prevent skidding, while gasoline and electric power take the backache out of lawn care. The old style rotating blades are still used, bur some brands of single blade rotary power mowers cost only a few dollars more than a hand machine. It is usually figured that if more than a thousand square feet of lawn is to be maintained, a power mower will be the best investment. In addition, most power mower companies offer attachment kits to chop leaves, cultivate the ground, or edge your lawn. These accessories are well worth the few extra dollars involved, if the yard area justifies initial purchase of a power unit. Don't make the mistake of investing a small fortune in an estate mower, just to trim your 10 by 10 back yard.
Once the selection of basic tools has been purchased, they need a home. Small sheds can be built onto the garage or perhaps room still remains in the space for a second car. Hooks or nails on the garage wall keep garden tools out of children's hands and from under car wheels. The power equipment can easily be parked in a corner of the garage with its small supply of gasoline and oil in safety cans.
