Below are some tools and books that I find very useful. The books have a wide variety of information on Sustainable gardening, backyard landscape ideas, gardening designs, backyard landscape design, do it yourself landscaping - all with a sustainable approach. Learn about rain water harvesting, low-effort native landscapes, and scientific agricultural textbooks.
The tools are simple - we don't need a lot of force of effort to work in healthy soil.
Hand tools:
Shovel
The basic hand tool - use it too turn soil, turn compost, spread mulch, make raised beds, plant flowers and trees. Blades are steel, usually stamped, sometimes forged. Handles are wood, fiber-glass, or sometimes metal. wood ones do not last as long as some of the composite or metal handled ones, but the are lighter and feel better in your hand.
This one is described as a 'a tank'. Smooth surfaces, ergonomic design.
Trimming shrubs, dead-heading flowers, removing produce from the garden, fitting drip irrigation lines. Light pruners that cut up to 1/2" diameter will do 95% of your garden cutting chores. Avoid 'anvil' type pruners (which bruise stems) in favor of 'by-pass' pruners which leave a clean, quick-healing cut.
This is one I am currently using. Nice, light yet sturdy composite construction, easy-on-the-hands grip rolls to saves effort.
Pruning large or woody shrubs, trimming / training trees
In Southern California, "Corona" is a standard, locally made, favorite tool brand. Some of their tools I've used are listed here:
Corona By-Pass clippers come in a wide range of sizes. Smaller ones are more useful than some larger sizes.
A Weeder
One of the best is a celery knife, with a serrated edge. A hoe works well, too. If you mulch, you won't need one of these as badly...
Another really handy tool is the 'Hula-Hoe'. This push-pull weeding device has a ndle and 'D'-shaped sharpened stirrup that slides just at or below the surface or the soil. It takes very little effort to loosen young weeds.
A Compost Thermometer. This tool helps you keep track of your compost heap or bin temperature. Knowing the temperature will help you keep you compost cooking. Too hot, and you kill off the micro-organisms that do the work, and too cool means you need to add more nitrogen, or that the compost is too wet or dry. Proper temperature is needed to make compost quickly and to kill off weed seeds and pathogens.
Trowels - There are so many sizes and styles of trowels, you have to find the one you want by it's feel. Please watch for weak, stamped, spot welded ans generally shoddy hand-tools. See what other gardeners have and are happy with. Try one like that...
Reference Books
These books are must-have items. Learn to tell good bugs from bad ones, plant, fruit, vegetable information and suggested varieties, plus coverage of too many useful subjects to mention.
The Sunset Western Garden Book, The Western garden 'Bible'. It has over 8,000 common plants, 30 plant selection guides, and many articles on basic landscaping and gardening topics from soil preparation and plant propagation to garden designing tips.
Owen Dell's new 'Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies'. Owen is the leading authority on sustainable landscaping, and this book covers the topic in the familiar 'Dummies' format. Look for it at your favorite booksellers, or order it on-line. This book has money and environment saving ideas you can start using today! I got my (signed!) copy from Owen yesterday, and have to give it a big YES! This book covers every aspect of sustainable garden design, installation, and maintenance. I will be giving each of my coaching customers a copy of this book...
Available NOW! - Click on the book to order.
Here is another 'must read' book for the home owner. Joe Lamp'l (aka Joe the Gardener) is a TV personality and and author, and passionate proponent of sustainable gardening. Joe lays out a wide array of practices you can implement today to help your garden, the environment and save money in the process. Joe shows you how much difference our gardening practices can make, how to save water, reduce our chemical dependance, turn waste into valuable fertilizer and soil conditioner, consume less energy in the garden, and how to help spread the word 'over the fence'.
The California Master Gardener's Handbook. If you can only afford one book, this is the one. All science - no Voo-Doo!
Written specifically for California - nearly 700 pages of science-based gardening knowledge. This is the course book used by Master Gardener Trainees. It covers everything from basic soil science, diseases and their treatments, pruning, grafting, propagation, Entomology (bugs - both good and bad), lists of seasonal vegetables with planting, care, common ailments, planting times, and nutritional information.
Also available from University of California Cooperative Extension Offices, located at:
669 County Square Drive, Suite 100,
Ventura, CA 93003-5401
Click on the book to order on-line
Amid food scares and environmental woes, some Americans are transforming their neatly trimmed front yards into a showcase for nature's bounty. This book is one that started the movement.
'Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us', by Set Godin.
This book deals with how we, as individuals, can create and lead a 'tribe' - or how to create a grass roots movement. While it discusses the internet as a tool, the basics are there - how we can create a groundswell that will make a difference.
I know you probably have a lot of garden tools, from trowels to leaf blowers, but lets look at what a home garden really needs...
