8 • The Southwest Portland Post
FEATURES
March 2014
Early spring is the right time to hunt for good gardening tools
GARDEN MIND
By Rebecca Hart
Here in the Northwest how do we tell
spring is close by? From the sounds. All
manner of birds return, filling the air
with song.
Frogs of different sizes contribute
their peeps, ribbets and croaks. We are
fortunate: while another polar freeze
blankets the north and northeast parts
of the country, here the days approach
mildness.
Temperatures nudge up into the 50s,
and the intrepid gardener ventures out-
side. What to do? Where to begin? Are
you anxious to plant seeds? To settle
bright primroses or potted spring bulbs
for some needed color?
For me the early work is tempered by
the idea to “start where I am.” What I
see, what I need to do, what I’m most
capable of completing given the re-
sources at hand. This reckoning doesn’t
always match with my ambitions, but
I’m learning to aim for completion,
which means chunking stuff down.
I like to divide seasonal garden tasks
into categories. Indoor and planning
tasks. Outdoor weather-dependent
projects. Planning and executing shop-
ping trips. The busy mind of the gar-
dener considers the possibilities.
If you use a garden journal you can
refer to prior years’ notes to get a read
on your garden. Inventory the garage
or potting shed for items to replace, or
to recycle.
If you have chemicals you don’t wish
to use, take them to a Metro station.
Have you thought about adding a gar-
den structure, or decided to do some
hardscaping, requiring new layouts of
beds and walkways?
Maybe it’s time to consider getting a
new tool or gadget to make the work
go easier.
Whether you buy your garden goods
via Internet, retail, or garage sale, re-
member this--every craftsperson of any
discipline respects and hunts for good
tools: gardener, cook, woodworker.
Here’s a short list of my essential tools.
Soil thermometer: Invest in a good
one. It indicates soil temperatures.
Why? Early spring is when the enthu-
siast plants seeds. Often seeds sprout
easy-peasy. But seeds are especially
sensitive to soil temperatures and off-
timing can result in germination fail.
Don’t let it happen to you.
Garden journal: If you don’t have
one, get one. If you are serious about
your garden, get a journal. Make regu-
lar short entries.
Gloves: I use latex or nitrile for every-
day gardening; I like the tactile sense.
Buy gloves on sale, stock up, and throw
out the old ones seasonally.
Hand hygiene: If you can’t abide
gloves but need to keep your hands
clean, get a jar of Barrier Cream, from
art supply stores. Run soap under your
fingernails for quick clean-up. Avoid
skin cleaners with “micro-beads,” a
newly discovered ecological complica-
tion. If your hands tend toward sore-
ness, consider “craft” compression-style
New foliage on a Japanese maple is a sure sign of spring. (Post photo by Rebecca Hart)
fingerless jersey gloves
Hoses: Invest in good hoses, nozzles
and shutoffs. These pay for themselves.
Do not let your hose kink. Ever. Use
a good shut-off valve to stop water.
Never, ever kink a hose to close off the
water.
Hand tools: Japanese wrought iron
hand weeder, three prong. Fishtail or
dandelion weeder. Narrow trowel that
doubles as a bulb planter. Japanese
serrated garden knife for cutting root
divisions, string, landscape cloth, or
cleaning between bricks or decking.
Two pairs of garden pruners like Felco
or Corona. Typically I lose mine so I buy
knock-offs, and replace them as needed.
Small sharpening stone. Long-han-
dled pruners. A small step stool (I don’t
sit on ground, or kneel, or stoop). Con-
struction wheelbarrow. Tool bucket to
carry it all in. Twenty-gallon black pots
for weeding.
Full size tools: Shovels, one with a
small head, another one regular-size.
D-handle narrow spading fork. Long-
handled cultivator.
Those are the basic tools I use these
every day I’m in the garden; the rest are
treats. In time you’ll add to your list of
essentials.
This winter, Mother Nature has been
sending us some extreme weather and
how it presents in Oregon is anybody’s
guess. As gardeners we do the best we
can.
If droughty conditions prevail this
year, water-recycling and proper mulch-
ing will become big concerns. See you
in the garden.
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