Garden tool sets can be a great gift, or just an easy way to get started gardening on your own. There are a lot of options in considering a tool set, but here are some of the more typical tools that you will want to have in your tool collection.

Gardening tool sets are a popular gift for the gardener in your life. These tool sets are a good way to get a starter set of tools for your own garden. Garden tool sets come in a number of different packages that will cover a range of needs for the gardener.  Here are some things to look for when buying garden tools.

The number of tools can vary a bit. Some simple starter sets have the bare minimum of three tools, while the high end offering is often a set of more than twelve to fifteen different tools. You’ll find the price will vary some with the number of tools, but if you start with a price target it will help you narrow the selection quickly.

Look at the handles of the tools.  This will give you a good idea of the overall quality of the set. Tools with plastic handles will often be cheaper, and unfortunately the construction of the rest of the tool will sometimes cut corners as well, for example using stamped tines instead of cast. Wooden handle tools are a favorite because they wear well and feel good in your hands.  There are also some with high tech ergonomic handles, which may be a good choice if you think you will be using these a lot, or if you have arthritis or some other discomfort in your hands.

The tools that come with a garden set vary, but there are a few included in almost all sets. A favorite is the garden trowel. These resemble a small spade or shovel, and is used for many chores like transplanting a small vegetable set, adding fertilizer to the area, or harvesting onions and garlic.  Check that this in not made from thin stamped steel, as it will easily bend and break if used under a decent amount of pressure.

A bulb planter looks like a narrow trowel, and is used in much the same way as a trowel, but is used to plant items that are smaller but still need a deep hole like flower bulbs.

A garden fork, sometimes known as a cultivator, has hooked tines on it and is used to work the surface of the soil. Good for cultivating or weeding a smaller area, they are good for preparing a smaller bed area for smaller seeds like carrots and radishes.

Pruners are popular in garden tool sets. Usually a set will have a bypass pruner, since these are smaller and more useful for things like trimming flowers and some vegetables such as cucumbers.

A garden tool set will come with a variety of holders.  Some are simple plastic holders, others included a leather holster, and some included a carrying case.  Cases sometimes have plastic molded inserts for the tools, or the very high end cases will be made of wood themselves.

Finally, a garden cart can be a good gift. These are a good choice for grandma or grandpa, who may have trouble with all the bending and lugging associated with gardening. One favorite feature on some carts is a seat formed in the top to allow the gardener to sit and work.

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Image by cmkalina via Flickr

Do you enjoy working in your garden, but want a place to store those tools and pot those plants? We felt that way as well and had to use our basement until we got our own garden shed.

With a garden shed, you don’t have to go back and forth to the basement or garage. You are also more likely to take better care of your tools. If you follow the below points befors purchasing your garden shed you will end up with a product you are very happy with.

1. Materials

Selecting your garden shed material is significant and can be affected by the area you live in. Medium Garden Sheds can be assembled using different materials like wood, metal and pvc.

Wooden garden sheds have a environmentally friendly feel that blends in well with your garden and surrounds. However they need frequent maintenance like periodically re-staining or sealing the wood. Despite the durability of wood, over time it can rot, split, warp or become susceptible to mold and mildew, and can be vulnerable to termites – so wood garden sheds ought be treated for protection.

Another option is metal garden sheds. These normally arrive in pre-fab sheets and are more long-lasting and cheaper than wood. But they don’t look as natural as wood and can make the yard look a little dull.
Plastic garden shed kits utilizing heavy molded plastics such as PVC and polyethylene are less costly than sheet metal garden sheds. Plastic sheds are not susceptible to termite and wood-boring insect damage, and are just about maintenance-free. They can also come in several colours and styles to accommodate your present architecture. Plastic garden sheds are highly durable and very low maintenance.

2. Function

The most important factor when buying a garden shed is knowing what you are going to use it for. Will you use it for potting seedlings? Or simply as storage? Would you preferably use your garden shed as a workshop or a potting area? If you are considering using it as some form of potting area, you could consider using it as what is known as a potting shed. These are small structures that are the perfect size for potting up hundreds of delicate seedlings.

Consider about what materials or functions you’ll need from your garden shed. Will you need big bins to store compost, potting soil, mulch, and other bulky garden materials? Shelves that hold pots and indoor potting workbenches give you an easy place to re-pot your transplants even when it’s raining outside. A small, outdoor storage garden shed or potting shed can be a big plus.

Ensure you’ve enough space to work in. If you’ve to move out a lawn mower, garden cart, and other tools before you can work at your potting bench or screen your compost, your garden shed won’t be as effective as you had desired. Some gardeners choose a built-in potting bench, whilst others prefer a wheeled bench so they can work outdoors in good weather and indoors when it rains.

3. Design

You typically have three choices when it comes to building the garden shed. You are able to have it delivered pre-assembled, get a pre-fab kit where partial assembly is involved, or build it yourself. It all depends on your budget and your skills.

The easiest, least costly sheds are available in kit form. The assortment of sizes, shapes, styles and designs is virtually endless, ranging from a simple, small structure for keeping your gardening tools dry, to a back yard barn large enough to house a large lawn tractor, all the family’s bicycles, boating gear, and still allow enough room for other tools.

If you’re tight on space the garden hutch is good for small spaces for outdoor storage. If you’re only seeking a place to store tools an outside cupboard, in kit form perhaps all that’s necessary. If you would like to go the entire distance, additional contingents such as barn-style doors, cedar shingles, shutters, windows and window boxes add style and charm.

Many garden sheds are modular to allow for easy extensions, peg-boards, shelving, attic-storage, windows, skylights, and other accessories to be added later.

Make sure any windows and doors you select are lockable. Also check that any doors or windows are placed to accommodate the situation where you want to put the garden shed.

As you can now tell their are many finer details you need to know before you make your garden shed purchase. If you stick to these simple steps, that choice ought to become a good deal simpler, and most importantly you should have a garden sheds which you enjoy for numerous years to come.

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Since my wife and I have started gardening both flowers and vegetables we just have to know where the local nurseries and garden centres are.

We also travel and if I know we are fairly close to a nursery I like to stop and see what they have our local nursery doesn’t have.

Our backyard is still pretty sparse but we are making it our own and that’s going to take a few more years.

I am listing the nursery and garden centres in our area but if we missed any, and I am sure we have, please leave us a comment and point us to the one we missed, thanks.

Our List of Garden Centers And Nurseries in the Moncton Area.

Cornhill Nursery
2700 Rte 890
Cornhill, New Brunswick E0A 2H0
Phone: (506) 756-8511

Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse
371 Osborne Corner Road
Dawson Settlement, New Brunswick E4H 2A6
Phone: (506) 734-1908

John’s Garden Center
890 Hillsborough Road
Riverview, New Brunswick E1B 3W5
Phone: (506) 386-1234

La Rocaille Garden Centre (1989) Inc.
58 Purdy Avenue
Moncton, New Brunswick E1C 7V8
Phone: (506) 859-9699

Les Serres LeBlanc Greenhouses Ltd
2439 Acadie Rd.
Moncton, New Brunswick E4N 3B3
Phone: (506) 577-4622

MacArthur’s Nurseries Inc.
232 McLaughlin Drive
Moncton, New Brunswick E1A 4P7
Phone: (506) 859-2727

Maritime Nursery
47438 Homestead Road
Steeves Mountain, New Brunswick E1G 4P5
Phone: (506) 858-8980

Serre Barachois Greenhouse
1146 Barachois
Moncton, New Brunswick E0C 2N0
Phone: (506) 532-2788

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Once spring finally arrives I plan to get to each of the garden centers and nurseries listed above. What a great way to spend a day or two.

If I get it figured out I will also link each nursery to a Google Map page to make it easier to find them. Nothing worse than wasting time driving around because I don’t like to ask for directions. My wife added that comment.

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