Dabbling in dibbles (or dibbers) for poking holes

A dibble (or dibber) can be a very nice tool to have. Essentially, it’s a handheld poking tool that creates a planting hole in the ground. The tool is generally cylindrical and comes to a point, somewhat like a stubby, sharpened pencil; larger ones may have a curved handle. End to end, the dibble may be up to 10 or 12 inches long. Fat ones are popular for bulb-planting or creating a hole for a larger seedling, while skinny ones are great for planting seeds or setting out smaller seedlings.
Why bother with dibbles? Because like any good tool, they make a project easier — your hand becomes much slower to tire. You can purchase one of many examples available from your local garden supplier, or you can make your own by sharpening a broken hoe, shovel, or broom handle. For small jobs, you can use a sharpened pencil or wooden dowel. Though a simple tool, a good dibble is often a two-part item. The top half, or handle, allows a comfortable grip and thus is usually wood or strong, durable plastic. If designed well, you should be able to grab the dibble almost like a pistol or screw gun, which reduces stress to your hand and wrist as you work. In any event, the bottom or digging or prodding half is best made out of strong, stiff metal, such as carbon steel.
Some dibbles have a hollow tip so that when the tool penetrates soil, the dibble captures displaced soil so you can set it aside. However, if you’re working in clay, this type of tool probably isn’t your best bet, because the soil tends to get stuck in the hollow and can be difficult to remove.
Owing to its smaller size and the scope of appropriate planting projects (namely, planting bulbs or seedlings), you shouldn’t be stooping or bending when using your dibble. Sit or squat on the ground, or kneel. This position also allows to you keep an eye on hole depth. Don’t get carried away, lazy, or tired and start plunking things into too-deep holes!

Garden forks: Not for dining!

Although not an essential garden tool, many gardeners come to find that a garden fork is quite handy and more agile than a spade or shovel for some digging jobs. You drive this shovel-size tool into the soil and then pull back on the handle and rock it to break and loosen soil. It’s useful for digging up bulbs and root crops, including onions and potatoes. It’s also good for scooping jobs (moving compost or hay from one spot to another, for instance). Garden forks tend to be shorter than pitchforks and have shorter, flatter tines. Yes, you can find many different kinds of garden forks, though you’ll notice that the four-tine model is standard. As with shovels and trowels, pay close attention to what the labels say and ask a store clerk for assistance if you need help determining which type of fork is right for you. A strong ash or hickory handle is desirable. As for the prongs, they’d better be strong — stamped or forged steel or high-carbon steel, maybe slightly incurved to resist the temptation to bend, with tines that taper to a point. Solid-socket construction where the handle meets the tines is critical because this tool can really take a beating in use, and you don’t want it to bend or break.
You want widely spaced tines so you expend less effort when digging.

Trowels: More than just little shovels

A good trowel is an indispensable gardening friend, with you through thick and thin for many years. Consider everything I say here, but definitely pick one that feels right to you when you hold and use it. As with shovels and spades, many different kinds of trowels are on the market. You have plenty of choices, so be sure to pay attention to the labels at the store and ask for assistance if you have trouble determining which trowel is right for you.

As you may have gathered if you read about shovels in the preceding section, good-quality materials make for a more effective, longer-lasting trowel. The blade (from cheapest on up to best) is made from

• Stamped metal
• Aluminum
• Forged carbon steel or (no rust!) stainless steel

Top-of-the-line trowels feature a carbon steel blade that’s epoxy-coated to resist wear and rust. As for the handle, good, strong wood is what you want —ash or hickory is best. Avoid cheap trowels of lightweight materials, because they seem to bend or even break at the slightest challenge. A sign of a quality trowel, one that can stand lots of use, is one whose wooden handle meets its metal blade in a strong and lasting manner so it won’t bend or break, of course. Cheap ones employ a simple tang-and-ferrule design. The ferrule is the circular clamp that holds the blade to the handle, and the tang, or shank, is the part of the blade extending into and usually through the ferrule. After a while, the ferrule tends to loosen and rattle around on the trowel’s shank.

This statement is not to criticize all tang-andferrule attachments; good, solidly anchored ones exist and are sometimes even reinforced with rivets. The alternative is a one-piece metal trowel. The one-piece metal trowels may send tiring shockwaves into your hands as you work and be icy cold to the touch, but clever manufacturers have solved this problem by coating the handle with rubber or PVC plastic. For other types, seek a smooth wooden handle so you don’t get splinters or blisters. In any event, you should be able to squeeze the handle comfortably, with little stress to your wrist.

Some trowels have a hole drilled into the very top part of the handle, perhaps with a string or leather thong loop for hanging and storing the tool when it’s not in use. Though this feature may seem frivolous, it can be a handy extra if you’re the sort of person who needs to be reminded to bring your gardening tools indoors and clean them up after use. Another feature you may appreciate is a ruler stamped or etched into the blade — built-in rulers are helpful when you’re planting various sorts of bulbs or other flowers that require varying planting depths.

A well-designed shovel frog

Cant refers to the angle between the head of the spade or shovel and the ground. A lower angle is best for digging and holding soil; a steeper angle is better suited to lifting and tossing soil and other materials. To check the cant, place the tool on the ground and see how flat it lies. The frog is the open-backed tube or socket, meant to fit the head of the tool to the shaft. It’s vulnerable to collecting dirt along its length, so unless you assiduously clean your shovel after every use, the dirt eventually starts to rot the wooden handle. Some shovels have metal welded over this area to prevent that, which helps, although the front side is still a point of weakness.

The correct shovel handle

You need good leverage; the right grip, well-designed and durably constructed, delivers just that. Seek a comfortable fit for your hand and peer closely at the rivets that attach the handle to be sure they’re neatly installed and flush. You’ll likely see the classic D-handle most often, usually made of durable but lightweight plastic (which can and does crack or break down over the years due to use and exposure to sunlight, though you can certainly get many good years out of it). A good handle is easy and comfortable to hang onto, especially during twisting and lifting motions. A variation on the D-handle is the so-called YD handle, which is longer and potentially sturdier. The two sides of the handle converge in a Y, and a crosspiece of wood (usually metal-reinforced) joins them. This design has the advantage of dissipating twisting forces.
Last but not least is the T-handle, which is excellent for two-handed pushing work, such as in the shallow-angled spades that gardeners use to edge planting beds or peel off turf or topsoil. The drawback is that the impact of your digging travels straight into your wrist, so look for a coated handle or wear gloves to alleviate the shock, at least somewhat.

The importance of good shaft in gardening tool

The reason the shaft is straight is simple: Bends or curves create weak or stress points. Do check that the tool you’re thinking of buying has a nice, straight handle. Material is equally important. A “solid hardwood handle,” although desirable, is also rather vague. You want a strong, solid, splinterresistant wood; ash is considered the best, with hickory in second place. Maple is okay, too, though it’s heavier and can break in unpredictable ways.

Painted shafts? No doubt they’re attractive in their jaunty color and smooth texture, but beware: A coat of paint may be hiding weaknesses or flaws, such as knots or grafted pieces of wood. Better to go with a plain, unadorned model so you can see what you’re getting (and paint it yourself at home if you’d like).
Metal (including steel) and fiberglass handles are also available. Though they can be quite strong and weather-tough, their drawback is that when they bend or break, the tool is finished. And either of these materials may transport uncomfortable or numbing vibrations into your hands and arms. Also, metal tools can be darn cold during the winter (and they conduct electricity if you happen to electrical live wires — yikes!).

Getting down with shovels and spades

Shovels and spades are digging tools, and you may be astounded at the array available. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” as the adage goes, and never is this truer than in the great variety of shovels in the world. Each one was invented by someone with a specific kind of digging in mind. However, generally speaking, digging tools fall into two main types: shovels and spades. Choosing one within a type requires matching it to your needs —the sort of soil it’ll be digging, plus your own height and body strength. What’s the difference between a shovel and a spade? Well, generally, it comes down to the shape of the digging edges:

• Shovels have rounded edges. The rounded tip is meant to allow easy, sword-like penetration of a variety of soils and materials. You also want a dish that’s stiff and strong and able to hold dirt.
• Spades have square edges. The main purpose of this digging tool is to lift, move, and throw with ease. It’s supposed to be easier on your back — just slightly flex your knees and thrust it in and out of the pile of leaves, compost, or topsoil you’re working on. (It’s also good for mixing concrete and delivering it neatly to its appointed spot.)

When you go shovel (or spade) shopping, you may observe various grades and prices. You get what you pay for, folks. A so-called “homeowner” or “economy” shovel looks good enough, but it may not stand up to tougher jobs or rocks in the ground. Contractor shovels, on the other hand, have a thicker blade and strong attachments for forging where the blade meets the handle. Be sure to pay close attention to the labels to know what kind of shovel you’re looking at. You can usually find a range of quality at a single store.

Forged shovels and spades are the best because they’re made of a single piece of metal. Stamped ones are okay for lighter jobs, but because the metal is cut from a single thickness, they’re not as strong or tailored to a job. To determine whether a shovel is well-made, examine where parts come together (assuming the shovel you’re contemplating is not all one piece). Rivets and welding points are weak spots, though often necessary. Avoid anything with sloppy workmanship. The following sections outline other things to look for.

Gathering Your Gardening Gear

You can find deep and abiding pleasure in a good tool, in finding and using the right equipment for the job at hand. This statement is as true for gardening as it is for, say, cooking or woodworking. In this chapter, I survey the tools you probably need (and want) to aid you with your gardening, and I advise you on their selection and care. Here’s where you get to roll up your sleeves at last and get into the really satisfying work that’s the heart and soul of successful gardening. Quality, well-chosen tools allow you to put your plans into action! This chapter covers the most common and general tools you likely need for successful gardening, and it includes pointers on how to pick the best ones. (I also list some suppliers in the Appendix, in case you need a starting point.) The difference between the right tool and the wrong tool is the difference between back-breaking labor and joyful efficiency.

Container gardening is fun way to grow plants

By Larry A. Sagers
If you haven't yet tried container gardening, get on board. Rather than fighting your horrible soil, try some of the new and exciting ways to grow plants in pots.

For some advice, I visited Brad Coleman, who has been the Red Butte Garden greenhouse coordinator for the past four years.

Coleman has been working for several months to create the beautiful containers that will adorn Red Butte during the summer as well as the planters that will be featured in Red Butte's upcoming plant sale.

The process is relatively simple. Coleman describes his planting plan for placing plants as follows: "Put an upright plant in the middle, put the bunching plants around it, and put the cascading ones around the outside edge."

Design the containers for their growing environment. First, check whether the container is to spend its time in sun or shade. While some plants tolerate either, most have a definite preference for one or the other.

For upright plants, Coleman recommends something to make a statement.

"I like to put in a grass of some sort. I like the pennisetum, either the green or the rubrum, or I also like cannas. They have big, broad leaves that are very showy," he said.

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The fillers can be many different kinds of plants. You don't want them to overpower your upright plants, but you want them to cover the soil and add color throughout the season. Petunias, zinnias, marigolds and many others fit the bill.

Coleman recommends looking at some of the different types of coleus. Many are now much more tolerant of sunny locations, and they are colorful from the day you put them in the soil, meaning you don't have have to wait for them to start blooming.

His recommendations for cascading plants also include colorful specimens. "I always like to throw in bacopa, some of the trailing verbenas, and I like the trailing or wave petunias. Also, don't forget the sweet potato vine for some showy color," he said.

Because he wants what he refers to as "instant gratification," he puts many plants in each pot. "I like to put eight to 12 4-inch plants in each 16-inch pot. I want the instant bang for the buck. I want people to enjoy their plants when they first get them.

"In addition to the plants, we give them 'wows' on textures and colors. People don't want a pot of all the same colors and textures, but they want plants that accentuate each other," he said.

While plants are important, Coleman has learned through his experience that it also takes good maintenance. He starts with his soil recipe.

"I like to mix about one-fourth coconut fiber or coir with three—fourth Premier Promix soil (a commercial growing mix) with mychorizae added. I then add into that one tablespoon of the water-holding polymer crystals per 16-inch container.

"I then add Osmocote, a slow-release fertilizer. I put two tablespoons of 14-14-14 per container and mix it in. Every two months I then add more Osmocote to keep the plants growing well," he said.

Water is another important part of growing plants in containers and keeping them looking good. "We water every day. As the season goes on, the pots get so root-bound, and that sucks the water heavily from the soil."

Deadheading is also an important part of container maintenance. Deadheading — or taking off the old flowers — is critical. If plants are not deadheaded, they stop blooming. Plants bloom to produce seeds, and once they set seeds, they stop flowering. Removing the old flowers keeps them blooming because they keep trying to produce seeds.

If you would like to learn more about Coleman's plant choices and methods, attend Red Butte's plant sale and let the staff help you create one of your own. They will have a potting station with a huge selection of great flowering plants.

Coleman points out that the sale will be in a different location this year. It will be held at Cottam's Grove.

"Not a lot of people go there, and it is a spectacular, incredible place," Coleman said.

"Our plant sale helps support the gardens and their mission. It is a great time to get great perennials, or water-wise plants. There is a huge selection this year of heirloom tomatoes and many other vegetables. There will be something for everyone," he said.

Plants need air too, not just soil

A sometimes overlooked necessity for plant life is air (and not just carbon dioxide). Without air, plants struggle and perish. Yes, the free oxygen in the air is part of the photosynthesis recipe, produced by the plants themselves, but another practicality is even more visible here. Air movement around your plants prevents disease, especially fungal diseases that gain a foothold when the air is too “close” and humid and when wet leaves can’t dry or don’t dry quickly.
Underground, oxygen between the particles of soil is important. Plant roots, or more accurately, their little root hairs, are busy. They take in that oxygen, absorb water, and then release carbon dioxide. If this process is thwarted, as in waterlogged soil, the roots can’t function properly, they begin to rot, and the plant surely suffers.
I’m not suggesting you set up a fan out there in your garden, but here’s what you can do to make sure your plants are getting plenty of air:

• Don’t let soil get compacted. If it’s quite wet, don’t walk on it or dig in it. Loose soil is airy soil.
• The addition of organic matter, especially in dense clay soil — something I keep harping on, I know, but it’s so important — helps keep it aerated.
• Never kill an earthworm. Earthworms help break up and aerate your soil. Rejoice in their presence! Welcome them!
• Make sure your garden is well-drained (see the preceding section on drainage).
• Don’t crowd your plants together in the garden bed if they’re susceptible to mildew or black spot. Give everyone a little elbow room!

How to deal with garden drainage problems?

You know you have a drainage problem in your garden when heavy or even moderate rain leaves puddles that take forever to drain. Or you may find out, to your dismay, that under a few inches of okay soil in your yard is a stubborn layer of hardpan (most people discover this water-resistant barrier —often packed clay — when they dig a deeper-than-usual hole, say, for planting a big shrub or a tree).
Really damp areas (especially in humid periods or in shady spots) are slow to evaporate water, whether from rain or from your sprinkler. Then plant diseases can get begin, particularly on foliage. The answer here is to try to improve the air circulation: Prune overhanging growth and give individual plants more elbow room. And when you’re in charge of watering, supply it to the roots instead of allowing it to splash the entire plant. Obviously, bad drainage isn’t good for any garden plant, not just trees and shrubs. If you’re smart or lucky, you can deal with the problem before you plant or redo an area. Here are some options, from the simple to the high-tech:

• Try improving the soil. Dig in lots of organic matter. Soil with a high organic-matter content allows excess moisture to drain through while absorbing needed water. Sounds paradoxical, but it’s true. (For info on improving soil with compost, check out the earlier section titled “Compost: More than Just a Fertilizer.”)
• Build and garden in raised beds. You control the soil within, and thus it drains well and your plants are happy. Problem averted.
• Create a rain garden or a bog garden, and plant only water-loving plants. Water-loving trees and plants include maples, willows, astilbe, ferns, filipendula, beebalm, mint, various sorts of irises, and canna.
• Route water flow away from the garden area. Just get out there with a trowel or shovel and create some diversion channels. Of course, you don’t want to send the problem to another important part of the yard or foist unwanted, excess water on your neighbor. Send it down the driveway and on into the street, or into the gutter. This water needs to head for the storm drains. (If this plan isn’t practical, dig a hole nearby, fill it with gravel, and route the channel there.) Fertilizer runoff can harm rivers and streams, so if you use this technique, be especially careful that you don’t use excessive fertilizer and that you apply it at recommended times so the plants use the nutrients rapidly. See the earlier section “Facing the Fertilizer Facts” for info on proper application.
• Make a gravel channel. Follow the advice about rerouting water flow, but dig the channel somewhat deeper and fill it with crushed gravel or pebbles. You can hide it from view for some or all of its length by scooping a little soil over it. It’ll still do its job of slowly but surely taking the water away.
• Use perforated plastic pipes, lightly or deeply buried, to divert the water to where you want it to go. Home supply stores sell pipes specifically for this purpose. These pipes usually come in various forms and sizes of plastic; clay tiling is also available, but it’s too heavy and expensive for most homeowners.
• If the problem is severe and you can’t seem to solve it, drainage tiles, a French drain, or a curtain drain are options. Installing one of these systems can be a very expensive and involved process. Hire someone experienced to advise you, explain the options, and install.