A thread worth bumping. I've been through a few different garden scoop / trowels. Some are heavy, some are flimsy and most handle very little soil, at least for me. My fav is an old, I guess antique or at least vintage, flour/sugar/feed store scoop. So comfortable. Moves a lot of soil. This one is made of sheet metal formed and welded so the handle is hollow. Very light, very strong. Never seems to rust, don't know why. It is galvanized but at least some spots the zinc must be gone. The metal is thin enough that it's easier to plow thru soil than thicker trowels. But this is strong, no flex at all. Due to the shape I think, every surface is curved. I scoop soil, rocks, you name it. The inside of the scoop is smooth, no bolt heads or even weld marks so no place for soil to stick and accumulate. The shape of the scoop keeps the soil from spilling out until you want to dump it. And to boot these are surprisingly cheap imo. I think I paid $5-10 for this a few years ago at Zinnias at Melrose. But I see them on Ebay a lot in the $5-20 range. So about the same price as a crappy trowel.

The worst problems for me are clearing the garden in the spring. It takes a lot of energy, twisting, turning, pulling, hauling, stuffing bags, to clean up the garden for spring. Like someone said, I just do it slower. Where it once took a day, it now takes 2, 3, and sometimes 4 days to accomplish. But, I love being outside so much, gardening, watching the birds, butterflies, and bees, that it is well worth it. For digging and planting I use my garden bench - the seat with two vertical handles, to kneel down on, and to support me when I get up. I also use it upside down to prune plants, harvest seeds, and anything above ground. I would love to have one of the rolling tractor things, but I have so little room I don't think I could maneuver it around very well. I have severe spinal and cervical stenosis, DDD, OA, etc., and have had one back surgery already, which helped significantly. However, I find I am getting close to needing another. I just won't until it gets really bad. I only take IB when necessary. If I remember, I will rub on some BenGay Arthritis formula to my neck and knees before I go out, which helps to loosen up the muscles a bit. I sit on the steps to do my potting up of seedlings and larger plants, and a garden wand is a wonderful thing for reaching plant roots that I can no longer reach on my own, and when I don't want to bend down to water. Right now, my worst problem is losing my glasses that I hang on my shirt. I tried those things you wear around your neck, but they catch on everything. I need 2 pairs of glasses - one for close up vision and one for regular. I know - I need bifocals - but I can't bring myself to spend $500 for a pair when I can get 2 pairs for $2 at the Dollar Store. And, I usually find the pairs I lose in the spring when I'm doing clean up! Susan

I use a 5-gallon bucket with a tool pocket/organizer on it. The tool pocket/organizer I have on the bucket now is oilcloth with maybe 20 or more pockets of different sizes and I really like it because it doesn't show dirt, dust, red clay stains, grass stains and everything else like my previous canvas tool organizer showed. The tool organizer has pockets inside and out and then there's still the whole inside of the bucket open to put things in. Often I fill up the bucket part with tomatoes or beans or okra or peppers while I'm working my way along the beds weeding or doing other chores. I tried a belt in the past and a gardening apron with pockets and both bothered me---they either got in my way because the tools want to lean out of their pocket or loop and flop around amd the apron, in particular, was hot and scratchy. Also, the cell phone often slipped out of the apron pocket when I leaned over to do something. I found it annoying. And, even though it doesn't really matter, my bucket organizer is pretty. If I have to look at it all day while working in the garden, it doesn't hurt that it is pretty. It is really bright too so I can't misplace it easily, or at least I can spot it when I do. And, since it is pretty and flowery, my DH isn't going to borrow it either. I'll link a photo of the kind of organizer I have, but they're sold out. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Bucket Organizer

A few more ideas: I've used aluminium blind slats, cut up into plant labels (along with the ubiquitous yoghurt etc. pots for the same purpose). I converted the chilled-water container from an old fridge into an interim reservoir in my greenhouse, for supplying water to capillary matting feed pipes/gutters. Cocktail stirrers (like old biros, but better because slimmer) make good sticks for prodding holes for cuttings, etc. Old nylon stockings/tights make very good tree/shrub ties - you can spread the presssure very widely, and they have a good combination of strength and stretchability; and they last for years outside. They can look unsightly, though - black ones seem best. Perforated plastic bags some places sell bread in - these can be good propagators for cuttings (over pots) which requitre some 'closeness' of atmosphere, but with a little air flow. I welded/brazed the two halves of a broken pair of old shears together, with some bends, to make a big draw-knife. This is for shaving the bark and shaping poles for making pergolas. Matchboxes make good receptacles for interim storage of seed pods, while you wait for the seeds to be shed. Works only with small pods, of course (like violets and pansies). They allow a great enough passage of air so that the drying and seed-shedding is not stopped. An old pair of jeans, with the legs cut off entirely (just leaving the waist and pockets) can make a handy tool belt. Broad rubber bands, if sufficiently long, can make good grafting 'tape' (cut so as to break the loop, of course). I've used these on roses and maples with success. You can always paint the graft with rubber cement as well, if you want to improve the air seal (more likely on rough-barked plants). The rubber won't last much more than 12 months outside, though.