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Perennials Accessible Gardening Tool Shed

What are your favorite ergonomic gardening tools?

3 years ago

My wrists and hands have never been the same after that gigantic new bed planting frenzy two years ago, now made worse since I fell backwards into the firepit last summer and hyper-extended my right wrist (at least there was no fire in the firepit so I didn't burn my *ss too LOL!). So the time has come for me to bite the bullet and drop the bucks on new tools, I'm afraid my work will be limited if I don't, my wrists and hand get too stiff and sore too quickly now, and it now takes days too recover. What are some good ergonomic brands to consider, and since this is all new to me, what should I look for when choosing what to buy?

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Comments (6)

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
What tasks do you want to do? What sort of garden do you have?
mxk3 z5b_MI
Original Author
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I have large perennials beds and vegetable garden. I do lots of hole-digging -- planting/transplanting of things, including shrubs, so definitely need an ergonomic shovel, and also use a trowel a lot for planting seedlings and smaller plants. Pruners, of course. I don't do too much raking, and I tend to hand-pull weeds unless they're deeply rooted and need a good shovel-loosening first (e.g. dandelions, wild carrots, etc). I hate short-handled shovels BTW -- if that makes a difference.
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What I have noticed is that most pruners are too big, clunky, and tiring to use even for a woman like me with big hands and only a touch of arthritis (so far). If a smaller and lighter tool will help you, Bahco pruners ("secateurs") are available in a small size and are the best totally functional ones I can recommend. The Bahco "Ergo" series offers pruners in 3 sizes: small, medium, large. The small size fits my hand perfectly, is very light and compact, and can be used all day long with no strain -- every other part of my body may ache, but not my hand or wrist. I've been using them for more than 6 years now and currently have 3 (so I can always find at least one to use!) of the "PX-S2" model (the "S" stands for the size, "small" -- the medium-sized model would be PX-M2). The other model of pruner in Bahco's "Ergo" series is one with rotating handles (PXR-S2), which I haven't tried (but agree with Diane that Fiskar's with rotating handles are really bad -- a pair my mother gave me some years ago made my hand and wrist hurt almost immediately, were incredibly heavy and awkward to use). Bahcos are not the cheapest, but are very high-quality (made in France) and all parts are replaceable. Seems to be a number of online sources, including, of course, Amazon -- but make sure the product offered is the size wanted. (original link below didn't work, so I've put in another one -- not quite so specific, but if you click on the "Brochure" button there, you get a PDF with every detail possible) Here is a link that might be useful: Bahco This post was edited by catspa on Sat, Jul 27, 13 at 12:06
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i, too, prefer my hands for almost every task. since i garden in thick mulch, i more push than dig. if i get out a shovel (for transplanting a tree, say), it's almost always my trench digger -- a "half-wide" very sharp digging shovel that's angled more sharply than a regular shovel. i just find that it's more accurate, lighter, and slices through the 'dirt' more efficiently... aside from that, i use the leaf rake a couple times a year. that's it! (well, a mower and a kickin' weed whacker...) but i like the looks of those tools, and i bet they're easier to use.
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A five gallon plastic pail. I can mix in it, haul plants in it, flip it upside down and sit on it, protect a plant nearby while digging, again flipping it upside down, I can carry tools in it, I can carry water in it, I can mix fertilizer in it, I can haul picked flowers in it, I can bring home plants from the neighbors in it. Want me to go on? ;) Second best is my soil scoop...., maybe....
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@Sunny Mississippi 8a A heavy-duty hand truck! I bought one at a hardware store and it's fantastic. Not collapsible, but I've left it out in the rain for a year now and it hasn't really rusted much. I was using it to move big rocks so I think it'd be great for potted roses. You could strap the roses to it so they wouldn't fall off... and the big wheels are great for rough terrain. https://www.lowes.com/pd/Milwaukee-800-lb-2-Wheel-Red-Steel-Heavy-Duty-Hand-Truck/50042444 The best part is that you don't have to pick the rock/pot up, you just tip one end up, wiggle the hand truck underneath, and tilt it back. I'm a huge fan.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
3 years ago
I have significant arthritis in my hands and have had for many years. Other than making sure that my hand tools have soft grips, the only specifically ergonomic tools I rely on are my Felco pruners with the rotating handle (#7).

Otherwise I use the same gardening tools I have had for years.
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
How about a proper, light weight, stainless steel, border spade for digging rather than a shovel? And a border fork for loosening. You get a D or T handle rather than having to grip a plain pole, stainless steel cuts through the soil more easily and you can get a good purchase with your foot. Your legs do most of the work rather than your arms and your hands just guide rather than gripping. And by using a fork you are literally just loosening and not lifting any weight of soil. To be honest, I've never understood how anyone gardens using a shovel. 😉 For pruning anything thicker than your finger try loppers. Two handed and long levers.
nandina
3 years ago
I tossed using a trowel many years ago, instead substituting a linoleum knife as a seedling transplanting tool, down on-the-knees-weeding tool and general all purpose useful gardening friend. Eliminates the shoulder pressure that a trowel requires. Just a waning that a newly purchased one is very, very sharp and should be handled with care until dulled by dragging through soil. Especially a very useful, precise gardening tool for box gardeners.
gdinieontarioz5
3 years ago
For digging up big plants or shrubs, or dividing perennials including large clumps of grasses, nothing beats the Root Slayer shovel IMO. I dug out an enormous clump of Miscanthus and a 6' ninebark all by my lonesome self. With a regular spade I could not even get it into the ground near the grass.

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