The Most Useful Garden Tools for the Tomato Gardener
What are the most useful garden tools in the tomato patch? There are a few pieces of equipment you simply must have.
Top 6 useful garden tools for the tomato garden
1. Garden rake (also called a rock rake or metal rake). Use to rake clods out of rows before planting seeds. Flip over garden raketo drag soil over planted rows to smooth dirt.
2. Garden trowel . This hand tool lets you dig small to medium-sized holes. A garden trowel makes it easy to mix in compost, fertilizer, and other soil amendments to tomato holes. It’s worth a few extra dollars to buy a quality trowel. A strong, durable trowel penetrates compact soil and will last years and years. (Cheap trowels can bend and break.)
3. Pump sprayer . Use it to apply fungicides and pesticides. When you choose a sprayer, beware that bigger may not be better – you need to be able to carry it from plant to plant to apply spray. A smaller version (1 -2 gallons) is portable, making it easy to carry through the tomato patch. Look for a sprayerthat holds its pressure (which means you won’t have to pump it each time you spray) and that’s easy to clean.
4. Tomato cages . The pros for staking tomatoes with cages are numerous, including the fact that cages make it easy to manage sprawling tomato plants. (Learn more about staking options here.) Get cages that are reusable year-to-year. The best are sturdy and long-lasting.
5. Garden gloves. Planting tomatoes, weeding, spreading mulch – there’s a lot of dirt in your garden that can cover your hands and get stuck under your nails. A good pair of garden gloves has coated palms and fingers (durability) and is washable (convenience) ... not to mention that garden gloves simply help you stay cleaner.
6. Tiller Cultivator . A tiller cultivator eliminates heavy hoeing by breaking up dirt clods each spring. Fine soil means easier planting. Tilling or cultivating the soil also allows air pockets into previously compacted soil, which lets roots breathe. Water can get to roots more easily in loosened soil, too. A lightweight tiller cultivator allows you to work in your garden not only during planting time but also mid-season, when you want to break up weeds.
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