Bakersfield Life

Home & Garden: Take groans out of gardening

By: Home & Garden: Take groans out of gardening

     Many gardeners don’t take the time to use the right tool to make the job at hand easier, leading to aches and pains at the end of the day. But with so many great tools and methods out there, gardening can be accessible and easy for just about anyone. No matter what your age or physical condition, we could all benefit from making some smart choices when it comes to gardening.Gloves     Above all, gloves offer protection that no gardener should be without. Yet, who wants to wear an uncomfortable or clunky pair? All too often, we make the choice to do without for the sake of comfort but at the cost of painful blisters or worse. Today there is a style of glove for every job, from the highly tactile, super comfortable and lightweight Atlas gloves, to the fashionable yet rugged and comfortable West County Gardener gloves that even offer a line made from recycled water bottles. And yes, they come in “green.”Outerwear     Now that your hands are covered, what about those knees? A popular option while getting down and dirty in the garden are Green Jeans. These “garden chaps” are very much like what you’d see on a cowboy. But these aren’t heavy leather. They’re made of a washable, wind-resistant, water-repellant rip-stop nylon that’s lightweight and comfortable to wear. And not only do these chaps protect your pants from dirt and grime; they have kneepads sewn right into them. No more dealing with uncomfortable pads held in place with tight elastic that collects sweat and dirt and then slide down your leg. The Green Jeans’ pads stay in place because they’re part of the chap that’s supported from your waist. And they’re a snap to get on and off ... literally!Tools     Having the right tool for the job makes all the difference in the world. Here are some options from Fiskars. PowerGear Pruners: To start, these babies have three times the cutting power compared to standard pruning tools. They look good and feel great, too. The patented design provides maximum leverage near the middle of the cut, right when you need it the most! As an added feature, the pruner has a rotating handle. As you make a cut, the handle rolls with your fingers, reducing fatigue and stress. These pruners, along with the other power gear tools in the Fiskars lineup are the only tools in their class to receive the “Ease-of-Use” Commendation by the Arthritis Foundation. Now that’s saying a lot!     Telescoping Power-Lever Bypass Lopper: Speaking of pruning, it’s a pain to drag out the ladder for those low-lying branches that you just can’t reach. A great solution are these telescoping loppers, which can reach over 37 inches with a simple extension of the handles. In addition, they have the added benefit of Power-Lever mechanism that increases leverage to make cutting easier.UpRoot Weed & Root Remover: Another drawback to gardening is the time spent bending over, often while tasked with the dreaded but necessary task of weeding. Yet once again, Fiskars has come to the rescue with their UpRoot and Extended Reach Weeders. Both are designed to grab, hold and easily extract even the toughest tap-rooted weeds like dandelions, all while standing in an upright position.