Sprinklers


Because of climate change, global temperatures are rising and there is a shortage of moisture, even in regions of the country where droughts used to be rare. But water is a necessary condition for the plant's growth. Sprinklers provide the perfect solution for watering your beds. Buy at least one and you won't have to spend any more time in the sun, watering trees, bushes and beds with a spray gun.

There are many types of sprinklers, but for watering the beds, in our opinion, oscillating sprinklers are best suited. They are inexpensive (even the coolest models rarely cost more than $50, and the budget ones are under $25) and very simple in design. The advantage of this type of sprinklers is their principle of operation. Water is sprayed as naturally as possible and falls to the ground from a height of several metres. The size of the drops and the speed of their fall are almost identical to normal light rain. Some models can form a fog as a suspension of tiny water particles (perfect for greenhouse).

Oscillating sprinklers (unlike impulse and rotary ones) are suitable for irrigating rectangular areas ranging from 1 to 4 acres. To connect your sprinkler to a pump or garden tap, you will need the same hoses and connectors that you use for your spray gun.

The best sprinklers for lawns and vegetable gardens are produced by Gardena, Karcher and Fiskars. If you take simpler brands, then good and inexpensive models can be found in the catalogs of Claber, Verto, Rehau, Hozelock, Cellfast, Aquapulse sprinklers and some other brands.

Sprayers


Every gardener knows that only weeds grow by themselves. And cultivated plants require proper care. An important part of this process is the treatment of beds and bushes with all sorts of pesticides and herbicides, as well as the introduction of fertilizer into the soil, which has useful micro- and macroelements. You will need a sprayer to work with water-soluble chemicals and fertilizers. If proceeding from the fact that we go to the summer house to rest, and not to work hard, it is better to stop on a small hand-held model with a volume of 1 – 2 L. Excellent small sprayers with lever or pump drive can be found in the catalogs of Marole, Gloria and Gardena. With the help of small volume sprayers, it is especially convenient to carefully treat flowers in flowerbeds and in pots or the ovary on bushes and trees. But if you plan to spray 1 – 2 acres at a time, then it is better to immediately take a pump-action device with a volume of 5 – 10 L, which is carried not in the hand, but on the shoulder.

Besides plant care, there is always other work for the sprayer in the summer house. It can be used to spray soapy water with foam when washing windows or cleaning a bicycle after riding on field and forest dirt roads. That is, a cheap sprayer can partially replace a rather expensive pressure washer.

Garden tools


In the arsenal of every garden enthusiast, there must be tools that are convenient for work: a scoop with a shovel, a rake with a pitchfork, and hoe. If you know how not only to spud potatoes, but also to take care of bushes and trees, then you will definitely need secateurs, scissors and a garden knife. It also does not hurt to have a root remover and planting forks.

In terms of small hand garden tools, the Finnish company Fiskars is unique. Its secateurs and garden knives are considered reference. In this segment, Swedish Bahco, Japanese Samurai, Finland, and a couple of other premium manufacturers compete with it. But not everyone can afford to buy a knife for $100 or a secateurs for $200. Therefore, it is better to look for a good garden tool in the catalogs of the company Gardena, as its products are considered a kind of golden mean in terms of quality and price. If you need a budget option, you should buy a garden tool produced by Yato, Intertool, Centroinstrument or Berger.

To store all of the above, it's a good idea to have a bag. Something like a drawer-chair that you can sit on near a flowerbed or bed is better suited.

Electric cultivators


Digging six acres with just a shovel may seem trivial for the young and healthy, but the desire to engage in agriculture can strike at an age where such physical exertion could lead to health issues. Therefore, opting for an electric cultivator, a compact tool suitable for personal plots, is advisable. Unlike large, noisy, and polluting gasoline or dieseltwo-wheek tractors, household electric cultivators are mains-powered, typically ranging from 1.5 to 2 kW, similar to an electric kettle. This ensures stability in power supply even in areas with limited electrical infrastructure, eliminating the need for generators or UPS systems.

Electric cultivators are great for loosening soil, breaking up clods and cutting weed roots. They are compact and manoeuvrable, can work in flowerbeds and greenhouses. The lightest of them weigh less than 4 kg. Therefore, even delicate women and elderly people can handle these devices perfectly.

Wheelbarrows


A gardener or vegetable gardener can't do without a wheelbarrow. After all, it is much more convenient to move soil, peat, manure and compost with it than in the hands. Many summer residents prefer good old metal ones with wheel guards and galvanized bodies. They have a body volume of 50 liters and a load capacity of at least 100 – 200 kg. Do you go to the summer house to strain from weights? In our opinion, for a modern well-maintained summer house with a neat lawn, flowerbeds and small beds are better suited to wheelbarrows like those produced by Keter and Prosperplast. They are made of plastic and therefore weigh much less than metal counterparts of the same volume. High-quality ABS plastic is used — an impact-resistant and hygienic material that is not afraid of frost and resistant to ultraviolet radiation. Plastic is easy to clean with the hose and, of course, does not suffer from corrosion.

Wheelbarrows, which are shaped like a large bucket on wheels, are easier to store in the pantry than conventional wheelbarrows because they take up less space. And they fit perfectly into narrow garden paths. The light and maneuverable plastic wheelbarrow can be used not only as a transport for manure or potatoes. At the summer house, it is also useful in order to collect fallen leaves, mowed lawn grass and rotten apples into it, as well as transport coal and firewood from the car boot closer to the barbecue or grill.

Compost bins


Many people grow their own vegetables in beds and greenhouses to make sure that the produce that ends up on the table is free of chemicals and GMOs. That's why it makes sense to fertilize your cucumbers and tomatoes with compost — the best organic fertilizer. And it’s even better to make compost yourself (the Internet is full of recipes and recommendations) — then you will know for sure that there are no parasites, no chemical additives, no heavy metals in it.

A hole dug in the ground or a wooden box can be used as a compost bin for grass, leaves, branches, bark, hay, straw and other things. But it's better to buy a good compost bin, than to make it yourself from improvised materials or use the first container that comes across. The best manufacturers (Keter, Prosperplast, Graf Skates and other companies) make compost bins from special plastic that does not rot, is not afraid of frost, tolerates heat well, and is resistant to chemicals and microorganisms.

Modern compost bins are open or closed tanks and boxes. These are aesthetic designs that do not spoil the appearance of a summer house or a personal plot. They have a well-thought-out air circulation system (it is necessary for aerobic processes of organic decomposition) and a practical design that makes it easy to pour new portions of components into the top of the box, mix them and remove the finished compost from the lower layers. Therefore, good purchased compost bins are more convenient to use than home-made ones.

We hope you found this review informative and useful. But if you plan not to work at the summer house, but only to relax, then check out the article “Rest at home: 6 useful products for the backyard”.