Garden tools you can’t live without
While trying to work myself to death getting everything planted last weekend, I realized that there are some garden tools that you just can’t live without.
I always wear gloves when working in the garden, but sometimes, when taking a break, I lay them down only to forget where I put them.
One of my most important tools is my glove guard. The double-hooking system allows me to hook my gloves to one end and the other to either my garden cart or my belt loop.
My trusty soil knife goes with me everywhere in the garden.
This knife has a blade about 1.5 inches thick with one serrated edge to help with cutting roots. I primarily use my soil knife to plant and weed. I keep it in a leather holder to protect the edges.
The garden hose, of course, is another critical piece in my arsenal. Good hoses with no leaks are crucial to my well-being.
There is nothing worse than watering hanging baskets and having the water drip down your arm.
Therefore, I make sure my hoses are in good working order before the season begins.
All of my faucets have water splitter shutoff valves that split a single faucet into two.
This allows me to hook up two separate hoses in order to meet my watering needs.
In addition, all of the ends of my hoses are fitted with a shutoff valve. I can’t live without this.
Dragging a hose to the garden is bad enough. Worse than that is getting to the garden and then having to go back to the faucet to turn the water on.
The shutoff connectors save me time. You can find these in any home and garden store.
I usually purchase brass splitters and shutoff valves; they are more expensive but they tend to last longer.
I also use a water wand with a breaker to water my baskets and containers.
The wands come in various lengths and make it easier to reach baskets and containers. The breaker softens the flow of water so that the plants aren’t smashed or crushed.
I have never been really good at rolling up the hose when finished.
Just ask my husband. I haven’t quite yet found the hose reel system that I like and that is sturdy enough to last more than one season. I am on the hunt for this, however.
I found something new last weekend that both my husband I really liked.
I tried the pre-emergent herbicide Preen and its new electric applicator. If you have ever used pre-emergent herbicides, you know you have to keep shaking the bottle to distribute the product.
The battery-powered applicator was pretty slick. All you had to do was turn it on, hold the container and move around. The applicator did the work for you.
In all aspects of work, the right tools really make the job easier.
Most dogs aren’t all that picky when it comes to snagging a snack.
No question about it. If it smells foul enough, a dog will do one of two things: Eat it or roll in it.
A plucky little pug from Maryland named Mickey became accustomed to snacking in his owners’ garden. The toxic mushrooms he found will probably be the most expensive snack he will ever eat. After almost $3,000 in medical treatments, Mickey walked away with no lasting side effects. And fortunately for Mickey’s owners, they had pet medical insurance that covered Mickey’s medical bills.
According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans spent $13.4 billion on veterinary care for their pets in 2011. Pet supplies and over-the-counter medications accounted for an additional $11.77 billion.
Providers of pet insurance have grown tenfold in the last decade, but only about 1 percent of Americans purchase it for pet emergencies said Dr. Jules Benson of Philadelphia, vice president of Petplan Pet Insurance.
“We believe as an insurance company that you should be insured for those unanticipated risks,” he said.
Benson is originally from the United Kingdom where this growing industry has gained momentum faster than it has in the United States.
“In the United Kingdom, 28 percent of pet owners insure their pets,” he said.
The APPA estimates the average pet owner spent $650 on vet bills in 2011. But it takes only one major illness or accident to spend double or triple that amount to keep an animal healthy.
Benson explained how quickly things can go wrong with an animal.
“In Kalamazoo, Mich., a dog that was walking through the woods with his owner had left the trail for just a few minutes when the owner heard him moaning in pain. He had stuck himself on a stick that penetrated the dog’s chest cavity and punctured a lung,” said Benson.
That is precisely the unanticipated medical emergency that can quickly eat up thousands of dollars, he said.
Benson suggested that owners who are considering insuring their pets compare plans. Average pet insurance premiums run about $400 a year. You can expect premiums to be higher for animals that traditionally are more prone to some diseases. While many companies won’t insure diseases that are common in some breeds, it should still be available if the animal has not been diagnosed with certain ailments.
Pet poisons in the garden
Just as gardening season is getting under way, Benson offered