June 8, 2011 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 23 Garden tools no ‘green thumb’ should go without lowing tools are among the many no gardener should ever be without. Shovels: Gardening might be relaxing, but it’s no walk in the park, either. Gardeners can expect to do lots of digging, and a good shovel is essential. A round-nosed shovel is ideal for digging holes for plants, while gardeners can use the flat blade of a square-nosed shovel to edge neatly. Spading fork: A spading fork helps gardeners break up soil that’s too rocky for a shovel to handle. Spading forks can loosen the soil, turn it over and even be used as a spreader. Wheelbarrow: A wheelbarrow helps ease some of the physical demand associated with gardening. Rather than carrying tools one-by-one or manually lifting heavy bags of peat moss or soil, simply toss these items in the wheelbarrow to make it easier to garden throughout the yard. Plastic wheelbarrows are durable and often much lighter than their metal counterparts. Garden hoe: Remove weeds and work on the soil with a standard garden hoe. A Dutch hoe is ideal for larger garden areas as it’s better for breaking up the soil before planting, while a draw hoe is better for working between plants, such as when weeds need to be removed. Rakes: A rake is not just effective in late fall when it’s time to clear the yard of all those fallen leaves. A leaf rake can be used to remove debris, such as grass clippings, from a garden, while a garden rake can be used to spread mulch and smooth out the soil within the garden. Gardening is a rewarding hobby and one that gardeners know is forever evolving. Organic gardening is one relatively new trend that is growing in popularity, but even trendsetters need their gardening tools, and the fol-