Ramblings of Garden Tool Co.
Blake Schreck
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Home page: http://www.gardentoolcompany.com
Posts by Blake Schreck
A Garden Tool to Save Your Back
02 weeks ago
Most gardeners have at one time or another had to move a large garden pot, weather it was to move it in the house for the winter or just re-arranging. Not only is it difficult because of its awkward size, but also the back breaking weight.
Well now you can carry those large heavy pots with ease with the Potlifter. This great new product can carry up to 200 lbs. with out killing your back or your pot in the process. And, the Potlifter is so useful for so many other uses including lifting landscaping rocks, small trees when planting, heavy bags of soil or concrete and so much more…Lifetime Warranty!
If you’d like to learn more and see the video of the Potlifter in action, please click on this link: Potlifter at Garden Tool Company.
Planning Your Garden…Tools
01 month ago
Planning this spring’s garden can be fun activity and it can be a bit overwhelming. Those garden supply and seed catalogs have been filling your mailbox and every year the gorgeous pictures in these catalogs give us an idea of what gardens and vegetables look like in the perfect world…you know, that world that has set designers, lighting consultants, make-up artists and I’m guessing someone whose job it is to shine the vegetables or airbrush a little more color on the flowers.
Well, that’s not my gardening world and I’m guessing it’s not yours. What’s in our gardening planning are all those tough jobs that go into making our gardens more beautiful or veggie gardens better producing.
You know what I’m talking about… what do I want to plant this year , does my soil need more amendments, what can I plant this year that requires less water, does this new planting area get enough sun, how will I deal with pests or disease, oh, and what about those weeds. These and hundreds of others are on our mind when we’re planning this year’s garden, but there is probably one thing you haven’t thought about…your garden tools.
I’m sure that at the end of the season last year you took inventory of your garden tools. While you were cleaning, sharpening and oiling your tools for their time off in the shed, you might have thought of a few tools that might make your gardening more enjoyable, but probably not. Well, now’s the time to start thinking about what garden tools you might need to replace or a new garden tool that will make your gardening easier.
Now I’m not saying that we all need every different garden tool out there, because we gardeners seem to find all kinds of uses for a single garden tool, but in your garden planning, is there a garden tool that will make your job easier, more enjoyable and less tiresome?
If you are buying new garden tools this year, purchase the best quality garden tools you can afford. It’s just counterproductive to buy cheap tools. You’ll be rewarded with a garden tool that not only lasts longer, but a tool that works harder and won’t end up in the landfill.
One last note and it’s a shameless one: If you’re looking for some of the finest garden tools made, you may just want to check out Garden Tool Company…quality garden tools and fast, neighborly service.
Red Pig Garden Tools…Handmade, Hardworking and Made in the USA
01 month ago
When was the last time you had something in your hand that was truly handmade? Probably a long time, right? The days of products being made by a person and not a machine have gone by the wayside…well, not so!
There’s a small blacksmith shop in Boring, OR that still makes garden tools the old fashioned way…with fire, a heavy anvil, hammers and a lot of sweat.
Bob Denman, his wife Rita and an apprentice are all that make up the company Red Pig Garden Tools and they like it that way! Bob handcrafts each garden tool from raw steel the same way he’s been doing it for over 15 years…with fire and muscle.
Red Pig Garden Tool are now available at Garden Tool Company, so please click over to our website for a closer look at what real quality, handmade garden tools look like.
Click here to see more of these Red Pig Garden Tools.
The Best Gardening Gifts Should Last a Lifetime!
02 months ago
Is it a gardening gift you’re buying or just more garden junk? Gifts for the gardener seem all the rage these days and because of that, it seems that every garden and non- garden retailer wants to sell you the “Perfect Garden Gift”.
So, what is a good gift for the gardener in your life? Well, it’s not another pair of cheap pruners (have 10 already), it’s not a designer resin “Welcome to my garden” sign and it’s certainly not that fake rock with the speaker built into it.
Why not buy them something they can enjoy using while doing something they love and last a lifetime…a quality garden tool.
Not very often does a gardener walk out to the garden without carrying with them that favorite garden tool and if it’s one of good quality, they’ll be thinking of the person who gave them that tool for many, many gardening seasons.
Now where can you find these quality garden tools? Garden tool quality is as varied as the shapes and sizes of the tools themselves, so first look for a good warranty, preferably lifetime. Then look at the company selling you the garden tool; are they going to stand behind that warranty should something go wrong? Find those two qualities and you’re well on your way to making a gardener very happy.
I’m a little biased, but I just happen to know of one such place to purchase quality garden tools:
Garden Tool Company – quality garden tools and fast, neighborly service…when neither seem easy to come by these days!
Fall Garden Clean-Up…Don’t Forget the Tools.
04 months ago
OK, OK…I’ll do it! The weather people are telling us (if we can ever believe them) that our first taste of winter is coming in a couple of days. What this means is that I really can’t procrastinate any longer about cleaning up the garden tools and putting them up for the winter.
I have patted myself on the back for getting all of my fall gardening chores done except for this one…well probably not all of them as I seem to find something else every time I go out. None the less, let’s clean some garden tools.
This is just the way I do it, so if you have a better way…by all means, do it.
- Start by gathering up all your tools and using a putty knife or a wire brush, knock off as much dirt as you can.
- Clean any rust that may be on your tools. You can do this with a wire brush, sandpaper or a rotary wire bush in your electric drill.
- Thoroughly clean all surfaces with warm soapy water or a good blast with the hose and scrub off all remaining dirt with a stiff scrub brush.
- Disinfect your tools – This is optional, but if you have the time, you can kill any fungus and plant diseases on you tools by wiping them with a 20% bleach solution (3 cups beach to 1 gallon water). Rinse thoroughly after.
- Dry your tools – Use an old towel to dry your tools as well as possible and then let them sit overnight. This is especially important on any tools that have wood handles and have soaked up some water.
- Sharpen tools – By this time, you’ve had a good look at all of you tools and probably notice a few nicks or general dullness in some of your tools. If you take the time now to sharpen any tools that need it, your tools will be as ready as you are next spring.
- Oil your tools – Many gardeners have different ideas on what oil to use, but at Garden Tool Co., we recommend and use linseed oil on all our tools. Coat both the wood and metal liberally with the linseed oil and let it set for about 15-20 minutes, then wipe off excess with a dry rag.
Now it’s time to pat yourself on the back for a job well done…your tools are ready for action when spring rolls around. Well, not really…don’t forget your pruning tools.
- Pruners, Loppers, and Axes – Sap can build-up on your pruning tools after a long season of use, so it’s a good idea to give them a good cleaning as well. Start by removing the sap by scrubbing the blades with a Scotch Brite pad and some turpentine/mineral spirits. Then clean thoroughly with the bleach solution and a rinse, just as you did your larger tools. After they have dried, put a drop of oil on the bolt that holds your blades together and spray the blades with a spray lubricant such as WD-40.
Now with that done I can stock the fireplace with wood and wait on this impending winter blast (because the weather people are always right).
Garden Trowels – They’re All The Same…Right?
04 months ago
It wasn’t too long ago that if you went looking for a garden trowel, you could go to 10 different places and buy a trowel at each place and you’d end up 10 almost identical looking trowels. And that was fine; I mean, all we used them for was digging small holes, planting, potting and maybe some occasional weeding.
Well, times have changed and some of the better garden tool makers are making specialty garden trowels. Don’t get me wrong, the traditional garden trowel is and always will be around and there will always be a use for them, but some tool makers have taken a look that the different jobs that a gardener does and adapted the trowel’s shape to fit a particular garden chore.
Good trowel – bad trowel. A good quality trowel should last you a lifetime, but all too often these days the garden tools available today are cheap knockoffs. A good garden trowel should have some weight to it and made of a good quality steel. Another good measure of the tools worth is its warranty. Is the tool maker proud enough of their tools to guarantee it for life?
So let’s take a look at some of the specialty (and traditional) trowels that are available to gardeners today. When looking at the different trowels, imagine how the trowel might help you and your gardening needs.
Tradition Garden Trowels – This is the trowel that most of us are familiar with. It usually has a slightly dished blade with a pointed or rounded end. The traditional trowel is a good all-around digging and planting tool.
Transplanting Garden Trowels – This trowel typically has longer, narrower blade making it easier to dig deep enough to remove a small plant and all its roots. This trowel could easily be called a potting trowel because its narrow blade makes it ideal for planting in tight quarters such as pots.
Weeding/Rockery Trowels – These trowels have a long slender blade that makes it great for digging deep to extract these long tap root weeds. This trowel is also great for gardeners that plant in very tight spaces such as rock gardens.
Potting Trowels – This trowel typically has a wide deep dished blade making it good for transferring soil from one place to another such as from bag to pot. Some makers have combined the deep dish with a little narrower blade for planting as well.
Other Trowels – While some trowels have a unique shape that is specific to a particular gardening job, there are others that combine some of the different features of the above trowels…even some that allow you to use both hands.
Like buying any garden tool, it’s up to you to decide which tool will work best for the way you garden. What works for the way I garden may not be the tool that works best for you. All of these trowels can be seen in greater detail on our website at Garden Tool Company or if you have a question, please give us a call at 1-800-830-4019.
Best Garden Tools…How Do You Know?
04 months ago
The phrase “best garden tools” is a bit subjective. If you’re a “gardener” once a year when spring rolls around, then a less expensive tool from one of the big box stores might be “best” enough. On the other hand, if you’re an avid gardener that depends on your tools to work as hard as you, every time you pull them out of the shed, then you’re looking for a tool that is a bit more substantial…a garden tool built by gardeners for gardeners.
Today, far too many tool companies have to satisfy their stockholders and as a result, the tools are made less robust. It may be a cheaper grade of wood for a handle, some plastic incorporated or stamping the cheap steel a little thinner, but it all adds up to a poor quality, disposable tool and more dividends to the shareholders.
So, what makes for the “Best Garden Tools”? Well, one might think that as simple as the typical garden tool is, there wouldn’t be too much to it, but there’s more than meets the eye.
First of all, there’s the design. Better garden tool makers have been refining their designs for decades or even hundreds of years. A little more angle here, a little less there can make a big difference as to how the tool feels and performs. They tinker with the thickness of the steel so it’s heavy enough for its purpose, but not so heavy as to tire the gardener out. It may be a design change for the way we garden. Today, raised garden beds are popular and some tool makers are making mid-length tools that are easier to work in those smaller gardens. The list of tweaks that these tool makers have made over the years is long and for the better ones, it’s never ending.
Now let’s look at the metal used in garden tools. A tool of lesser quality has thin steel that comes from a large roll, cut to size, stamped to its final shape and counted as X number of units per minute versus X number of units per day for the better tool makers. The best garden tool makers have tinkered with their steel formulas to get the strongest steel available and start out as a block of steel before being heated and hand forged into its final shape.
One of the most important points of a quality garden tool is how the handle is attached. For spades and forks, this is especially important as they are the real work horses of gardening. Cheaper tools have thin steel that is just wrapped around the handle and riveted or has a tang that is shoved into a hole at the end of the handle…fast, but not very strong.
These best garden tools should have either a socket or a strapped connection. The strapped connection is by far the strongest. The head and straps are one piece of steel and the straps extend far up the handle where it is riveted. Almost as strong is the socket attachment. Here too, the head and socket are forged of a single piece of steel and the handle is fastened into the socket.
And now handles. Garden tool handles are notorious for breaking and most of the time it’s because of a poor attachment to the metal or crappy wood. Several manufacturers have gone to fiberglass handles and I’ll be the first to admit that they are very strong, but they don’t absorb the shock of using the tool as well as wood and because they are hollow, they must be glued into the head which is bad news if you ever have to replace the handle. For centuries, garden tool makers have tried different types of wood for handles and have come to the conclusion that Ash hardwood is the best. Ash is not only very strong, but it also has a bit of give to it as well good at absorbing shock. Better tool makers will only choose the straightest grained timber, rejecting 40-50%. Another thing to look for is tool makers that have an eye on the environment and are using only wood harvested from FSC Certified managed forest.
Last but certainly not least…the warranty. When was the last time you bought anything that had a lifetime warranty? Well, the best garden tools come with the best warranty…lifetime. These tools are made to be passed down for generations and are an investment. I read somewhere and is so true for good quality garden tools…”the quality will be remembered long after the price is forgotten”.
Horticultural Healing
09 months ago
Every year Texas A&M University honors an outstanding Texas A&M University Horticulture Club member. This years winner of the Aggie Trowel is member Taylor Paine. Taylor’s unique interest in horticulture therapy is one that you may not have heard before, but is truly a honorable one.
Read more about Taylor and her persuit to help the mentally and physically disabled through horticulture by Clicking Here.
