The gardeners of today prefer to grow their own vegetables to keep healthy and to save money during our recession. You can either have a standard vegetable garden which is growing your crop in the ground, or you can make life a little easier by using raised garden beds which will put your vegetable garden at a level that will be easier to maintain.
Many gardeners of today prefer the raised garden bed because they have a more productive use of space which will give them more crops. This version of growing vegetables will eliminate soil compaction, the drainage of the soil is much better and weeding will not be such a chore. A raised bed is much easier on your back and it will have barriers to keep out slugs and snails. The gardening supplies that are needed for this type of gardening are the same as for in ground standard gardening, the only difference being you will not need any long handled tools.
Your gardening tools should be of good quality possibly professional or the heavy duty type but you do not need to spend a great deal of money on them. Below are five gardening tools that are most commonly used for growing vegetables:
A spade is a tool with a long handle used for digging holes and working the soil. It should be just long enough, according to your height, so you will be able to use the foot rest to push the implement into the ground for digging. You will not need a spade if you are using raised beds. A trowel is a short handled tool with a shape similar to a scoop for digging smaller holes. It should be equipped with a sturdy wooden handle and a steel blade. The pruner is also a tool with a short handle and is used for trimming off dead branches.
A weeder can be a long handled or short handled tool that is very sturdy for pulling out the weeds. When working in a raised bed garden you can also use a short handled fork for weeding. Foam kneeling pads are better to use for kneeling on the ground than using an old rag or a section of a cardboard box. Planting your seedlings and hand weeding will be a little easier with these pads or by using a small garden cart with wheels that you can sit on.
These are just some of the basic supplies used by gardeners for growing a vegetable garden. Some other handy supplies that are helpful are: a garden hose, a kit for testing the soil, good quality starter plants and seeds, trellises for the vine crops, stakes for vegetables that climb, fertilizer, pesticides, good vegetable potting soil for raised bed or container growing and some type of fencing for keeping the animals out of the garden.
If you are a vegetable gardener for the first time, do not despair with a little bit of regular care including watering you should end up with a good crop of vegetables to harvest. Your gardening care will go much smoother with good quality tools and supplies. Just remember to enjoy growing your own vegetables, once you have tasted your harvest you will be convinced it was all worth the effort and you will want to do it again next year.
Barbara has looked into gardeners tools and supplies regarding growing crops in the garden. She has several articles on gardening and some on needed accessories on her website Gardeners Garden Supplies. Barbara would like to hear some of your comments and thoughts.
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