THE TOOLS FOR THE JOB

Martin Fish continues his series on back to basics. This month he discusses must-have garden tools

- Martin Fish

To garden, be it in a small veg patch or large allotment, we need the right tools to carry out various jobs throughout the year. These will make the work easier, faster and hopefully give a better finish to your work.

There is a huge range of tools to choose from and it can be a little daunting knowing what to buy, especially if you are new to gardening. I started gardening with an old spade and fork of my dad's and then gradually bought more as needed. But remember - if you buy good quality tools and look after them they will last a lifetime.

BASIC TOOLS

If starting from scratch I would suggest a spade, fork, rake, hoe and trowel. These five tools allow you to do most of the basic jobs such as cultivate and prepare the ground, plant large and small plants, level and grade soil and control weeds. You can then expand your tool collection and buy different hoes, smaller or large forks and spades and a selection of hand tools.

SPADES

Perfect for digging over soil, levelling and moving soil and compost, digging holes and planting, spades come in a range of designs and sizes with a steel blade. It needs to feel comfortable to use, so if the standard digging spade is too large or heavy, consider the smaller border spade. The shaft can be wooden or tubular steel, which is sometimes covered in plastic. I prefer wooden, which is also warmer to handle in winter. The other difference is the handle or hilt which comes in different shapes and have a D, Y or T shaped grip. Again, it's down to personal preference and what feels comfortable.