Gardening Gifts - Ergonomic Garden Tools
Gardening is one of those rare hobbies that can be enjoyed through an entire lifetime. Often you start with small, kids tools, and seedlings started in paper cups as part of a school project. if you are lucky, and circumstances allow, you may garden through childhood, helping an adult and using grown-up tools in the process.
If you are like me, there may be a period of time when your gardening is limited to house plants and you may even discover that you have had some house plants longer than any other relationships other than immediate family.
My husband is under orders to rescue one particular house plant in the event of an emergency. He doesn't know that she is a Spathiphyllum but he recognizes her pot.
What can I say, I have had her since college... longer than my marriage and much longer than any of my dogs or cats, sad to say. She is an old and valued friend, and I am happy to say, she is still going strong.
Eventually, you will probably end up with a garden of your own and tools that you have acquired from a variety of sources. In my case, my husband already had a house and yard when we got together, so he had basic gardening tools. I have added a couple to the inventory, but not many.
In general, you'll have the gardening tools that were available for purchase when you needed them. You probably bought locally and had few options.
Gardening is continuing to grow in popularity, the baby boomers are aging, and research is being done into ergonomics. As a result there are more ergonomic garden tools being developed.
While ergonomic garden tools are still very much a specialty niche and may be hard to find locally, online you can pretty much find and purchase any tools that exist.
But don't limit yourself to thinking that ergonomic garden tools are for old folks. The reality is that a well designed, ergonomic tool will make any user's task easier!
If you are thinking about giving ergonomic tools as a gift, here are some suggestions:
Arthritic Gardeners
Ergonomic gardening tools are an excellent choice for gardeners suffering from arthritis. Here are some examples:
- There is a line of tools designed to fit into a special holder which allows the user to use the arm and shoulder rather than the wrist.
- A power wind hose reel eliminates the need to wrestle with a heavy, unwieldy garden hose.
- Long neck grass sheers enable the gardener to clip grass in corners and tight corners with NO bending.
Carpal Tunnel Gardeners
- Look for tools designed to reduce wrist strain. The tools with the extended holder mentioned earlier might be good for more extreme cases, otherwise look for carefully designed handles and good grips.
- If the radical design of the handle seems strange, consider buying just one tool and trying it before investing in an entire line of tools. Contact custom garden tools for more help.
Gardeners with Bad Backs
- Check out the long neck grass sheers. Look for tools that will minimize the amount of bending you need to do. For instance, I saw a bag which attaches to your waist to hold weeding waste.
Gardeners Looking for Easier to Use Tools
- Look at self coiling garden hoses. These hoses maintain their tight coils thanks to special polymers which can expand and contract millions of times without losing their spring.
- Look for a folding seat so that you can work without kneeling. I saw one of those which had an attachable tool pouch so your tools are organized and easy to reach.
- Raised bed gardening is a strategy that will help many folks with limitations.
- Container gardening is another option for making plants easy to reach and work on.
If you are shopping online for ergonomic gardening tool gifts:
- Do your research
- Read product reviews
- Check shipping options and schedules
- See if the product can be shipped directly to the recipient
- Look for gift wrapping services
There are more and more tools, gadgets, and methods available, allowing anyone to garden through every stage of life.
My husband is under orders to rescue one particular house plant in the event of an emergency. He doesn't know that she is a Spathiphyllum but he recognizes her pot.
What can I say, I have had her since college... longer than my marriage and much longer than any of my dogs or cats, sad to say. She is an old and valued friend, and I am happy to say, she is still going strong.
Eventually, you will probably end up with a garden of your own and tools that you have acquired from a variety of sources. In my case, my husband already had a house and yard when we got together, so he had basic gardening tools. I have added a couple to the inventory, but not many.
In general, you'll have the gardening tools that were available for purchase when you needed them. You probably bought locally and had few options.
Gardening is continuing to grow in popularity, the baby boomers are aging, and research is being done into ergonomics. As a result there are more ergonomic garden tools being developed.
While ergonomic garden tools are still very much a specialty niche and may be hard to find locally, online you can pretty much find and purchase any tools that exist.
But don't limit yourself to thinking that ergonomic garden tools are for old folks. The reality is that a well designed, ergonomic tool will make any user's task easier!
If you are thinking about giving ergonomic tools as a gift, here are some suggestions:
Arthritic Gardeners
Ergonomic gardening tools are an excellent choice for gardeners suffering from arthritis. Here are some examples:
- There is a line of tools designed to fit into a special holder which allows the user to use the arm and shoulder rather than the wrist.
- A power wind hose reel eliminates the need to wrestle with a heavy, unwieldy garden hose.
- Long neck grass sheers enable the gardener to clip grass in corners and tight corners with NO bending.
