By Adrienne Jones
Spring has sprung. It always seems to happen overnight. One day trees, grass, and plants are dormant, the next day they come alive with new buds and greenery. In a few more moments, it will be time to start our gardens. If you are anything like me, you have multiple garden areas. Some garden beds in the backyard, some in the front, and in my case a raised bed at FCG. This makes lugging tools around a bit of a chore, so my favorite garden tool is my garden bucket.
I purchased a 5-gallon bucket at a big box store as well as a “bucket pocket” to go on top of the bucket to create various storage compartments.
My bucket contains the following tools:
- Gloves
- Pruning shears (medium size for tomatoes, small for herbs and flowers)
- Spade, rake, weeding tool, or hori hori (the last garden tool you’ll ever need)
- Tomato clips or ties (including reusable velcro!)
- Scissors
- Liquid fertilizer (this, this, or this)
- Plant markers and pen
- Sunscreen
- Hat and hair ties
- Cooling towel for hot days
While I’ve included links to specific products I’ve used (I’m not getting paid!), they are NOT a requirement. Tomato ties? Ripped up old sheets or pantyhose. Plant markers? Good ol’ popsicle stick. Have a friend with a chicken coop? Free fertilizer (in moderation, please).
With these supplies being in one spot and mobile, I’m able to deal with any last-minute garden maintenance while I’m checking up on my plant babies. This setup also stops me from having to go back and forth between garden beds and my garden supply trunk, letting me actually garden.