Your Gardening Supply List

Fertilizers: Keep those container plants healthy, by using a water soluble 20-20-20 fertilizer. Also use fish emulsion, alternating them. There are other fertilizers out there, seaweed is another.  Experiment with them, a variety of foods will not harm your plants.

Gloves: A good pair (or two) of gardening gloves should be used when you are working with soil, using manure and lifting heavy items (moving garden items around the yard)

Mask: Purchase a couple of masks and use them when you have lots of digging to do and also when you're using peat moss.

Soil test kit: A soil test tells you the correct PH level of your soil. Is it acid or alkaline? 7.0 is neutral and good for most plants. Less than 7.00 your soil is acidic. Checking your soil ensures you're placing the right plants in the right place!

Here are 2 links, UM, Soil Test Lab or NCDA&CS, Agronomic Division where you can send your soil for testing. You may have to pay a small fee. Check their websites for information!

Tools: Now that you have become a gardener, you will need a few hand tools if you garden in containers, these are a cultivator (looks that a mini rake)  a trowel, pruning shears and a watering can. Try to purchase good quality tools as inexpensive tools tend to bend and eventually break. Good tools if well kept, will last a long time.

You don't have to purchase all of your supplies at once, then it becomes too expensive and may discourage you from ever beginning a garden. Also, once your friends and family are aware of your new hobby, they will supply you with gardening books and other items, for your birthday or other gift giving occasions.

Keep your tools clean and sharp.  At the end of the season, clean and rub all parts lightly with oil. If your tools have wooden handles, you can paint them with an exterior paint. The moving part of your pruning shears can be given a drop or two of a machine oil such as WD40.

Here are links to online stores where you can make your purchases.

Ace Hardware.com is well stocked with gardening supplies. Check out their garden help links.

Use the Gardener's Supply Company's search box to find the soil test kit and other gardening supplies.