buying tools Archives - Home Garden Companion

Lost and Never Found

Cape Cod Weeder

I’m not blaming anybody. The Lord knows how many times I have misplaced my tools, and how often I have left something thinking I will be back, but couldn’t manage to return. How often I’ve found a trowel, my pruners, etc, et al, left to weather until I happen back to that spot. So no, I’m not blaming anyone, but I lost my favorite weeding tools for long enough that I said “I don’t care- hang the cost! I’m buying some new tools.”

And so I did.

The weather has been ideal for weeding and all sorts of gardening in the first part of the month. I am no longer enamored by the “nothing so rare as a day in June“; no, for me it is this rare day in August, when it feels like June. That is truly rare. I have taken perhaps not full advantage, but certainly advantage of these fine days and accomplished loads of garden chores.

But without my favorite tools. That is certainly a liability to both ease and efficiency. Becoming extraordinarily determined, I had been searching the nooks, crannies, and hidden places of my property for lost or misplaced tools. Some were found- rusted beyond words or recovery, others were not badly harmed by their term in the rough, but some such as my Dutch hoe weeder simply have vanished.

Galvanized by the thorough and time consuming searches, I went to the garden store. Several, in fact. I discovered that my preferred weeding tools are becoming a rare find.

Years ago I had purchased the little Dutch hoe from a selection of Martha Stewart garden tools at K-Mart. It wasn’t terribly expensive, but decent quality. Painted her lovely signature green, comfortable in the hand, and quite efficient at removing weeds… it became a favored weeder. Fast forward many years to the future and there are no K-Marts that I can think of, and I don’t think Martha Stewart is still providing design and quality for them anymore, at least in the garden department (but I really don’t know).

However, the specialized weeders that I’ve come to rely on and enjoy working with are not to be had locally. At least, without looking diligently. They are readily available on Amazon, which is a good thing for gardeners, but I was in one of those moods where I wanted my tools, yesterday. Waiting for even a quick order seemed too much- time was “a-wastin” when rare June days appeared in the middle of an August midsummer.

I found what I wanted at Oakland Nursery. Pricey, yes, but they are excellent Holland made tools. And I promise I will take good care of them this year, perhaps in the coming years, too, if I can remember how much I paid, and how nice and sharp they are when well cared for. I think I’ve learned my lesson.

Here is exactly the tool that I bought:

In the past couple weeks I bought a new pair of loppers, new pruning shears with an ergonomic action handle, a Dutch hoe and Cape Cod Weeder. Yes, I’m a Happy Gardener.