Garden Tools

The 2011 UC Master Gardener Vegetable Demonstration Garden Project has recently finished. A group of certified Master Gardeners and trainees spent time each week from January 27 through December 15 learning vegetable gardening techniques through hands-on experience.

They documented their project so that they could impart lessons learned throughout the2011 project. This article is the sixth in a series to share this knowledge.

Garden tools:

Tools in the garden can save time and effort.    

• A hula hoe is a great tool to extract small weeds.
• A pocket knife is a handy tool that should be carried while gardening.
• The blades of bypass pruners and loppers should only be sharpened on one side of the blade. If they are sharpened on both sides of the blade, a small gap will be created between the blades allowing the material being cut to wedge itself between the blades and precluding a clean cut. Anvil-type pruners typically need to be sharpened on both sides of the blade. When sharpening tools, only sharpen surfaces that were originally sharpened at the factory.

Questions on gardening? Please contact our Master Gardener helpline at 645-1455 or contact them by email at mgventura@ucdavis.edu.

The 2011 UC Master Gardener Vegetable Demonstration Garden Project provided many opportunities for learning. Shown above is the container garden section of the project.