HOI

Friday, March 1, 1991 - North Shore News — 13

+ rer

A spade Is a spade,
but not a shovel...

Now’s the time to check Geog¢
over gardening tools

IF YOU sit very quietly you can almost hear them; a quiet,

muffled grunt or perhaps a suppressed groan.

Soon the weather will warm
and they will begin to emerge
from their winter sleep. Then the
clamor will increase daily until it
reaches climax in a crescendo of
mumbled grumbles and whimper-
ing whines punctuated by the dull
thud of effort.

Of course 1 am speaking of the
Goon Spoon, otherwise known as
the shovel, spade, scoop or chiro-
practor’s best friend. This week I
hope to tell you everything you
never wanted to know about these
indispensable garden tools — even
though you may wish you could. I
may even add in a word or two on
afew close cousins to boot.

First, I'll give you a few terms
to add to the gardener’s glossary:

Shovel — typically having a
slightly curved blade and a round
or tapered point. Good for digg-
ing through hard, compacted or
gravel soils.

Spade — Flat, heavy-weight

blade with a square end. Best used
in well worked soils and in digging

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larger root balls for transplanting.

Scoop — Flat, square mouthed
and light-weight. The perfect tool
for moving large amounts of loose
material such as bark mulch
(ugh), newly delivered soil, gravel,
etc.

Digging Fork — a four pronged
(tined) fork where each of the
tines are of heavy weight. These
are great when used to dig over
the flower or vegetable beds or
when turning the compost pile.

D-Handled — a short handle
having a distinctively ‘D’ shaped

ip.

Shank — the metal portion
which surrounds or grips the han-
dle.

I love good tools almost as
much as I detest those of inferior
quality. Nothing makes a dirty job
more endurable than doing it with
the best equipment. Just as
nothing makes the simplest task
more tedious than being forced to
use mediocre tools that break
down just when you need them

Tobiasson

4

most.

So what's the difference be-
tween shovels, you say? Well,
other than the obvious difference
in price, that is. I have seen

‘disposable’ shovels as cheap as
$6.99 and as high as $200.

Let’s see if we can’t come up
with a better indicator than price
as to the differences in quality.

First, look at the blade. Is it
made of thick,

well-tempered

api
eat

OVER THE GARDEN GATE

2558 Haywood
922-2613

steel? Thin, poor quality steel will
wear much faster causing that
characteristic hoilow where the
sharp point should be.

Then look as the socket or
lower end of the shank. If it is
open, soil will work its way inside
the shank causing the accelerated
rotting of the wooden handle.

Wooden handles should be
straight, tight grained and set so
that the grain runs perpendicular
to the applied force. Nothing is
more useless than a shovel with a
broken handle; you know you will
never replace it with a new one.

If you take the time to sharpen
them occasionally, shovels and
spades will last much longer and
be easier to use. The optimum
angle of the bevel is 45° to 60°.
Sharper will increase the ease of
use as well as the rate of wear,
while duller will have the oprosite
effects.

Oil the wcoden handles regular-
ly. As they are exposed to drying
sun and soaking rains, the wood
tends to crack. This will increase
the risk of rot and breakage as
well as the incidence of slivers.
Rubbing them down with an oily
cloth after each use will reduce
these problems.

Groundeover, Heather
& perennials

4” pot size

Reg. 1.99 ea.

2 Kg box for

Manure 20 L bag

Reg. 3.99 ea.

Reg. 2.99 ea.

985-1784

5 (E38
te]

Treat bulbs
as perennials

MANY CANADIAN gardeners
do not realize that most bulbs,
tubers, corms and rhizomes
should be treated as perennials
and will produce excellent re-
flowering results from one
season to the next. Daffodils
and virtually all of the ‘little’
bulbs are good examples of
this.

However, hyacinths and
most tulips (especially the
botanical varieties) may also be
treated in this way. The only

special care they need is to en-
sure a supply of rich soil. This
simply means adding cormpost
or other rich, organic material
to their growing site.

Otherwise, the key is not
what vou do to encourage the
tuberous plants to bloom —
but rather what you do not do.
That is, don’t rake or weed
over or around them at the risk
of beheading the young bulbs.
Let the leaves fall where they
may to decompose on the spot
and ensure an active soil life
which will help feed the bulbs.
Thus, leaving bulbs along to
perennialize means iess work,
not more for the active
gardener.

West Vancouver North Vancouver
1343 Lynn Valley

GARDEN CENTRI