Tools of the Trade Arming yourself for a battle against weeds and pets
kevin McCLINTOCK GateHouse Plus

You can plan a garden to your heart's extent, but you can't do much without tools. Sure, the hands work well, but a garden fork or hoe can work so much better.

There are many gardening tools available on the market today. The basic tools a person needs when starting out should include a shovel, trowel, steel rake and water hose or can. The shovel is used to till the soil, mix potting soil, move soil around, and cut the weeds if they grow big. Some gardeners also use a fork instead of a shovel to till the soil. The choice is yours.

"For different kinds of gardens, you will need different kinds of tools," Gardener Allison Thompson said.

The hand tools still used by gardeners originated with the earliest agricultural implements used by man: the spade, the garden hoe, the pitchfork, the garden fork, the garden rake and the plough. The earliest tools were made of wood, flint and bone.

Essential items you should have in your gardening tool kit are a fork, shovel, rake, chipping hoe and a pruning saw.
• Fork - $30-$100
• Spade - $30
• Rake - $25
• Chipping Hoe - $20-$30
• Pruning saw - $27-$55

No Diggy Doggy

OK, most of us are dog lovers. But the only time we seriously contemplate taking a rolled-up newspaper after their hindquarters is when they joyfolly frolic through our carefully-planted flowers or veggies.

"It's a very enjoyable behavior for them," said Dr. Deborah Forthman, adding that "digging is something that dogs have been doing from the beginning of time."

What better place to bury that half-digested doggy bone than the soft soil between the tomatoes and potatoes? To prevent future pain and aching backs with the hoe, here are a half-dozen ways to keep man's best friend from digging up man's best hobby.

• Take him or her to dog obedience and train them to stop digging on command, with a word such as "leave."

• Try not to do exessive gardening and digging when dogs are nearby. They want to obey us - by seeing us dig, they'll think it's OK to dig, too.

• Dogs need to expend energy. With more exercise, they'll be less prone to be bored and start sniffing around the garden. So extend those daily walks around the neighborhood to tire the pooch out.

• Don't resort to violence when a dog does what he's supposed to do. Use more understanding and less scolding.

• If your dog is the kind of breed that digs (a Beagle, perhaps?) don't stop him from what he or she loves doing. Instead, train them to dig to their heart's content in a certain spot, far far away from the young tomatoe vines.

• Having your dog neutered or spade is one sure way to reduce their desire to dig.

Gardening Tips and Tricks:

• When starting your garden seedlings indoors, plant the seeds in eggshell halves. Simply crack the shells around the roots of your plants and transplant them outdoors - the shell is a natural fertilizer.

• Take four or five empty eggshells and put in 4 cups of water. Let stand for 24 hours. Water the plants with this mixture. It will help revive sick houseplants.

• To help control caterpillars, aphids and destructive worms, take one handful of tobacco and place in a gallon of water.

Mix together and let it stand for 24 hours - then spray. Just be sure not to spray on members of the Solanaceous family, like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. Nicotine will kill them.

• Need to transplant a tree or bush to your garden for shade? It's OK to transplant a tree or shrub in any month with the letter "R" in it. You know, September, October, November, December, January, February, March and April. But never in May, June, July or August.

• When your hands are badly stained from gardening, add a teaspoon of sugar to the soapy lather you wash them in.

• Plant a few sprigs of dill near your tomato plants to prevent tomato worms on your plants. • Marigold plants help prevent rodents.

• Homeowners can reduce mosquito breeding areas by checking their property and eliminating areas which could lead to standing water or places where small puddles or pools of water tend to collect - swimming pools, tarps or other covers.

Kooky Gardening Facts:

• One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of oxygen. This is enough to meet the annual needs of 18 people, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

• There are about 60- to 200-million spaces along city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million additional tons of CO2 every year, thus saving $4 billion in energy costs, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

• Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30 percent, according to the USDA Forest Service. This can save between 20-to-50 percent in energy costs.

• The biggest garden center in the entire world isn't found in America, but across the Big Pond in England.

The Bridgemere Garden World in Cheshire covers 25 acres, attracts 1.8 million visitors each year, and sells more than 3 million plants each year.

• The fastest growing plant is bamboo. One particular species grows about one meter every day.

At that speed, the increase in height can be seen with the naked eye, about ever two minutes.

• The largest weed in the world is the giant hogweed. Left on its own, it can grow to more than 11 feet tall.

• Wheat is the most commonly grown plant in the world. It has been grown for more than 7,000 years in all places except Antarctica.

• A large tree can remove 20 pounds of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere annually, equaling 11,000 miles of car emissions.

Landscape plants, including shrubs and turf, remove smoke, dust, and other pollutants from the air.

One study showed that a single acre of trees has the ability to remove 13 tons of particles and gases annually.

• Worms may be gross to eat, but a typical backyard garden with only five worms per cubic foot will be provided with 35 pounds of top-grade fertilizer each year.