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Turn to Growitveg.com to learn about all types of gardening tool and supplies. Read how to sharpen garden tools and store tools during the off season. The topics of composting, organic mulches, and using fertilizers are all covered along with gardening tips and weed control products.

Gardening Supplies

When you delve into vegetable gardening there will be companies sprouting faster than weeds that will try to sell you all kinds of gardening supplies. Here are some of the must have, basic gardening tools, some "necessary for certain jobs" garden equipment, and some simply nice to have gardening supplies. Organic fertilizers, garden mulches, and composts are all necessities for organic vegetable gardens. Read what to use and how to make your own garden soil into a super garden soil, on the page below.

Gardening Tools - The Necessities

Check out the article links on this page to find out more about Gardening Supplies and tools.

A good Shovel or Spade - For turning the soil and planting trees and shrubs, a good quality shovel is called for.  Long or short handled, get the type that works best for you or have one of each. Look for a good hardwood handle, metal can be a pain when it is cold and transmits more vibrations to the hands and shoulders. Don't skimp on cost here, get a shovel that will take abuse and last a lifetime.
Don't just use gardening tools, care for them also. 
Hoes - Some of the different types of hoes include: The large draw hoe, good for wacking off large tough weeds and chopping up chunks of hard soil, the sharp pointed scuffle hoe for precise weed removal, and the double edged hoe that will chop off weeds both when pulled back and pushed forward. Both draw and scuffle hoes are good for making shallow planting trenches, while a double edged hoe will cover larger areas more quickly when removing small weeds. 

Rakes - A shorter tined bow rake for working the soil prior to planting and a good leaf rake are both important gardening tools. A bow rake with 3 to 4 inch tines is used to smooth over dirt beds, and for breaking up clods to prepare for planting. Pick a leaf rake that will work with the leaves being gathered.The tine spacing
should match the leaf size so they won't past through the rake tines. 

Pitch fork - A good pitch fork comes in very handy when gathering and moving straw used for a garden mulch. Dry cow patties are easy to gather with a pitch fork.

What's Your Favorite Gardening tool?

Don't see a Gardening tool you like listed here. Vote for your favorite tool using the list below or add one you like. Don't forget to give an opinion of any you have used. Check under the "Gardening Supplies" tab at the page top to find a tab for the "Vegetable Gardening Store" where you can find all kinds of gifts for the gardener and good deals for yourself. There are Amazon products and a link to my Zazzle store. 

Hand trowel - From potting up plants and setting out seedlings, to digging up bulbs and rooting out young weeds, a good hand trowel will be used everyday. Whether metal or plastic, pick one with a strong union where the handle joins the blade.
Santa Claus knows all about ho-ho-hoeing. Give him plenty of hints on your gardening needs. 
Wheel Barrow - A good size wheelbarrow is needed for mixing up and moving loads of topsoil, hauling gardening tools and trays of plants, and for transporting bags of fertilizer and mulch.

Potato Fork - With heavier tines than a pitch fork, potato forks are good for loosening the soil, turning compost piles, and of course for digging potatoes.

Loppers and Snippers - Branches need to be cut, plants need pruning, flowers and fruits are best cut from plants rather than being pulled. Long handled loppers and hand snippers are always needed when gardening.

Axes and Saws - For larger branches, a hand saw or axe may be needed. An axe can also be use to chop out large roots and stumps. A bow saw is best for major branch cutting jobs.
 
Watering Supplies - Hoses, sprinklers, watering cans, and spray nozzles, are all necessary when vegetable gardening. Buy heavy duty, commercial grade hoses that will last many years. Use soaker and drip hoses to irrigate with rather than sprinklers to save on water. Spray nozzles having threaded tips can be used with siphoning spray bottles for applying liquid solutions.

Gardening Supplies, Article Links

1. Sharpening garden tools
2. Composting for the home gardener
3. Reuse Plastics, Papers
4. Composting
5. Understanding Fertilizer
6. Organic soil Additives
7. Wood Ashes -cautions
8. Blue Jeans Apron
9. Preparing Gardening tools and Equipment for Winter
10. Gardening Tips
11. Tillers
12. Worm Composting
13. Mulching
14. Chippers/Shredders
15. Garden sprayers
16. Insecticidal soaps
17. Building Bird Barriers
18. Gardenng for the Elderly or Disabled
19. How to build Garden Trellises from Plastic pipe
20. Mending a Garden hose
21. Using Greensand  
22. Garden Scarecrows
23. When to add Compost
24. Making Raised Beds
25. Composting info
26.

Care of Gardening tools

For gardening tools to last and stay in good shape they must be cared for properly. Wooden handles should be treated yearly with a pentrating oil such as tung nut oil or linseed oil to ward off rotting and cracking. Don't over task long handled tools by using them like crowbars to pry large roots or stones. The handles can crack and break. Store gardening tools out of the weather, preferably hanging them up. Keep metal tools well oiled to prevent rust, especially before storing them for the winter. Use a grinding stone to keep the blades of hoes, shovels, and all cutting tools sharp and clean off caked on dirt after each use. Don't leave plastic tools and watering cans out in the sun as it will weaken them. During the winter months drain all hoses so they won't freeze and burst. Don't leave hoses out to be run over by mowers or vehicles and relieve the water pressure on them when not in use.
Vegetables in the freezer are like money in the bank.   

Make personalized gifts at Zazzle.

Fertilizers

Over use of fertilizers is a common gardening mistake. Many garden vegetables will actually bear larger crops if not fertilized heavily. Peas, beans, and okra, will produce lots of growth and foliage if fertilized heavily rather than set heavy crops. Fertilizer runoff causes algae blooms and fish kills in surface waters, and ground water pollution with nitrates. Do soil tests to see what the soil is lacking before adding fertilizers.
Grandular Fertilizers - Always work these into the soil, never simply sprinkle them on top or their soil nutrients will be lost to the air and to water runoff. These products are good for a quick supply of nutrients. They do nothing to build up the garden soil and can burn plant roots if applied too closely. Fast growing, one time bearing crops such as corn can benefit from an early side dressing of a grandular fertilizer like 8-8-8.
Liquid Fertilizers - Small containers, ease of application, and quick results, are all reasons for using water soluble fertilizers. Over use of them can cause a buildup of plant killing salts in the garden soil. Again they do nothing to improve the soil and can actually kill beneficial soil organisms if over used. Many liquid fertilizers are best used for foliage feedings rather than as soil treatments. Sprayed on the plant leaves, the nutrients are taken in through the foliage. 
Composts and Manures - These soil amendments will actually improve the soil quality and encourage beneficial soil organisms. They will release soil nutrients slowly over a long period, making them ideal for long bearing crops such as tomatoes, asparagus, potatoes, cucumbers, and squashes. They will help the garden soil hold on to moisture and loosen hard packed soils.  
Organic Nutrient Sources - Cotton seed meal, Bone meal, Blood meal, Fish emulsions, and Corn Gluten meal, are all excellent sources of plant nutrients. They are long acting, releasing their nutrients slowly and providing trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.
Bone and Blood meals are good sources of calcium to prevent blossom end rot in tomatoes. Corn gluten meal can be used as a weed preventer as well as a fertilizer.
Wood ashes from the home fireplace can be used in the place of lime to raise the garden soil pH as well as a source of potassium. Use sparingly as too high a pH can be bad for some plants. 20 lbs. of ashes or about a five gallon  bucket full is enough to treat a 1000 sq. ft. area and is equal to 6 lbs. of lime. Ashes are fast acting and must be well worked into the soil.   

Compost and Mulches

The best way to improve soil and control garden weeds is by using compost and mulches.

Why is compost better than chemical fertilizers?
1. Compost will not burn plant roots and it will not add salts to the soil.
2. Compost will not leach out of the soil polluting waters.
3. Compost will act as a sponge holding on to water until it is needed by plants.
4. Compost will slowly break down, building up the soil layer and nutrients.
5. Composting is a way to recycle wastes from the garden, lawn and kitchen.
6. Compost encourages the buildup of beneficial soil organisms like earthworms.
What can go into a good compost pile
1. Fall leaves and grass clippings - Don't use materials from Black walnut trees. It contains a plant toxin. Don't use grass that has been chemically treated with unsafe toxins.
2. Kitchen wastes - Add all cooking wastes except for meats, oils, dairy products, eggs, and citrus peels.
3. Garden wastes - When plants are past their prime add them to the pile unless they are diseased or treated with toxins. Don't add the seed heads of weeds or weedy perennial grasses.
4. Rotted manures - Use manures sparingly and don't add dog or cat droppings. Green manures can burn plants, especially chicken manure. 
Garden Mulches
Mulching heavily will help cool the soil in summer and hold in heat in the spring and fall. It will cut water loss and control weeds. 
Newspaper and cardboard sheeting make nice mulches. Many newspapers are printed with organic soybean based inks, so even the colored pages are safe. Check with your paper company to make sure the inks are organic.
Leaves make a wonderful organic mulch. Larger and tougher leaves can be run through a shredder or mowed over to break them up for easier spreading. 
Wood chips and sawdust, while they make good walkway mulches are not the best garden mulches. Sawdust may compact and block water from going into the soil. Wood based mulches can rob the soil of nitrogen until the wood fibers totally rot. 
Hay and grass clippings may contain seeds and bermuda grass can root from cuttings and even hay.

Favorite Gardening Tools

Vote for your favorite gardening tools or add one that you like.

Looking for a garden tool that someone has recommended? Do a web search to see what is available.

When your mulch starts to breakdown forming soil, just till it in to improve the soil for next season.
Make earthworms and mushrooms welcomed in your garden and compost pile. They help to break down the waste and work the soil, tilling it for you.