David Robson

Does anyone need more than 40 garden tools hanging in their garage? Do you have 10 different types of shovels and spades, from a little one not much larger than 4-inches tall and wide to a fiberglass handled trenching spade? How about eight hoes with blades shaped like rectangles, squares, triangles and stars?

Or how about more than 12 different types of rakes, from the large pegged landscape rakes used to move gravel and wood chips, to the hand-held types for getting that last leaf from under the forsythia without getting down on your hands and knees and literally picking it out?

And on top of that, what about the 25 other miscellaneous tools from claws to edgers to picks to pruning equipment?

Yes, I am a garden tool addict. Whether I will ever use all the tools I own is a minor consideration compared to how much money I have spent or how much space they take up.

One of my favorite tools is a little gas Mantis cultivator. It gets more of a work-out than any of my other tools except for the sprinkling cans. Throughout the year, the cultivator gets primed and fired up for digging and working the soil around existing plants or in renovated areas.

It does make a racket and, at times, seems to reduce the shoulder muscles to Jell-0. Nothing, though, can beat the four little heads digging into the ground and working the soil to a nice fluffy texture for the spring bedding plants and fall-planted bulbs.

Unfortunately, a Mantis isn't the easiest to store on a pegboard. Not that it's impossible; it just doesn't look as clean and efficient.

Of all the tools, and all the "autumn" tools, as I call them, nothing beats the rakes. In fact, September, October and November are the peak months for rake usage.

The grading rake, with its big flat head and wooden pegs isn't much use in the fall. In fact, with a width of 3 feet, it really isn't much use in a postage-stamp garden. However, if you are renovating a large area, it can't be beat.

Most of us use a Springbok or fan rake, whether it's metal, bamboo or plastic. The flexible prongs the spring back (or "bok") make it easy raking up leaves in quick pulling motions. The larger the rake's head, the more leaves you can move with one stroke. A large rake can quickly make light work of a yard full of leaves.

That's okay if you live with large expanses of yard. (If you live out in the country, most people sort of just let the leaves blow away. I think they end up eventually in Indiana. Of course, we have Iowa and Missouri leaves in our state, though the Mississippi River is a great catch basin.)

The English Wizard rake is similar to the large leaf rakes except the head is flat and usually has soft plastic or rubber tines. The tines do less damage to the turf and plants than a regular leaf rake.

Thirteen years ago, I bought an expandable head rake as one of my first two purchases. The head expands from 8-inches wide to 24-inches. It was perfect for reaching between closely spaced boxwood and perennial plants and spearing oak leaves, or expanding to rake the entire yard. It was the workhorse of all the tools.

This past spring while removing the remnants of last fall's leaves, the tines simply fell apart from the rake. It was recycled, but not without the proper mourning. It's hook is currently empty, but not for long. It's too valuable.

Most garden rakes just seem too big for small yards and small jobs. That's where the child's version comes in handy. I have never been opposed to using tools designed for small hands and feet. The Merlin Rake is a small version of the Wizard Rake and gets in those tight places. There are even eight-prong leaf rakes available. Sure, they are perfect for teaching youngsters, but they can also be great for adults. You may have to create a handle extension, but what a small price to pay.

Don't forget to take care of your tools, especially your gas-powered tools. And be extra careful with any cutting tools or tools that require extension cords.

David Robson is an Extension Educator, Horticulture, at the Springfield Extension Center, University of Illinois Extension, P.O. Box 8199, Springfield, IL 62791. Telephone: (217) 782-6515. E-mail: drobson@uiuc.edu

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