Gardening with Gael - Tools of the trade

The most exciting part of gardening at the moment is watching the magnolias coming into bloom. The rest is less than exciting but the time for preparing for the spring is now. Some days I would swear that spring is already upon us. The mild weather and ample rain has hastened the growth of both plants and weeds. I can observe that some plants are as confused as I am.

Spring bulbs are all up, perennials are producing new growth and the weeds are abundant. It is obviously not too early to begin the tidy up and mulching ready for the growth we expect in spring.

There are three tools which I think are a gardener’s best friend when weeding.

First is a sharp long-handled niwashi. Niwashis are a Japanese tool with a pointed blade at right angles to the handle. I have a short handled one and a long handled one. The joy of the long handled niwashi is that weeding can be done standing up.

Ideally get those weeds early. I keep my niwashi really sharp and even use it on small weeds coming up in the driveway. The blade slides under the gravel easily and the weeds are chopped off. In the garden they make quick work of young weeds, just be careful not to lop off any small seedlings as they grow. Because most people plant vegetables in rows a niwashi deals to the weeds most efficiently.

For raised beds the short handled niwashi is probably easier to use. I have a standard niwashi with the angled blade. My sister gave it to me years ago and I can recommend it as an excellent present. I have one with a straight curved blade with a serrated edge as well for difficult weeds such as buttercup.

My second tool is a double end hoe/grubber. Given to me by my grandfather, the wide and narrow ends enable a controlled hack at difficult weeds. This is also a tool to keep sharp. Before the niwashi I used this tool constantly. It is a little harder to be as accurate but it deals to larger weeds such as thistles and flat weeds most efficiently.

The last tool for weeding is a knee sponge mat. Just wide enough to kneel on, light and easy to move, a good knee mat makes ground level weeding more comfortable. I bought myself some knee pads last year for exactly the same reason. I think they may work better on skinny knees and legs. If they fit well and are comfortable these are ideal. For me, they just don’t work. I spent some time trying them on in Mitre 10. Kneeling on the floor, getting up and trying another until every shop assistant kept at least two aisles away. In the garden I spend more time adjusting them and moving them around (my humour deteriorating by the minute) than I spend just moving my trusty knee cushion.

Once those weeds have been dealt to, begin the pre-spring feed. The worms in my hungry bin have gone crazy. Multiplying like mad they are providing me with litres of

worm wee. There isn’t a plant that doesn’t appreciate that. There are masses of leaves to put around the garden even from evergreens. Pohutukawa leaves, which I have raked into piles, make great mulch.

Once this is all done, sit back and watch the magnolias flower. The stellatas are out and my Vulcan is just beginning. This year I beat the rats.

Toolshed favourites: My standard niwashi weeder (left) and long-serving hoe/grubber.