For:
By: Daniel E. Mullins
Extension Horticulture Agent
Gifts That You Can Really
Use
It’s difficult to write a serious gardening column at this time of year, so humor me. This season changes our perspective on a lot of things. Since gift giving is traditionally done at this time, it is easy to please the gardener with a new plant, tool or some other gadget or piece of equipment that makes outdoor jobs easier and more enjoyable.
If you are reading this column you are most likely a gardener or at least have an interest in the subject. So, if you received gifts, I hope that you can now add something to your collection of plants, supplies or equipment.
Most of us who garden always feel that we could do our work better with just one more piece of equipment, whether we can justify it or not. My latest longing is for a new tractor. With limited land, it’s a hard sell to my family as well as myself.
I cut my teeth while driving a tractor, even grew up making money by preparing lawns and gardens for residents in the community. Now I find myself pushing a wheelbarrow and preparing landscape areas and the vegetable garden using a small tiller and rake. Family, are you reading this?
The troubling fact is, I know how much faster, better and easier that these jobs would be with a compact utility tractor. Oh, and I would also need a front end loader on that tractor, as well as a landscaping blade. Since we have lost so many trees to the storm our lawn will be larger. I will also need a heavy duty rotary cutter for clearing undergrowth and a good finishing mower for use next spring. We must keep our lawn looking good.
I have done my research and also find that with a Type One Hitch there are many other handy attachments that are available. Think how fast the garden can be prepared with a bigger tiller. A wood splitter also just plugs right into the power takeoff. All of those big logs left over from Ivan can be reduced to fireplace size in no time.
Need post holes dug, no problem! The lawn will need establishment so the blade and tiller will be helpful, but I will also need a fertilizer spreader, possibly a seeder, and one of those small culti-packers will help regardless of the method of establishment.
I have just noticed that at least one company offers a core aerator to help with thatch control. This piece of equipment has been difficult to find and now thankfully, there is one available that hooks right up to this powerful little tractor.
At one of my visits to the tractor dealership I also learned of an electrical generator that plugs right into the power takeoff too. What a find! No need to worry about power outages in the future – just hook up and start the engine. Think how much we can save without the need to purchase a separate generator. There is a snow blower attachment. Maybe we won’t need one of those. We can save that much and reduce the total cost.
There is talk of having more land in the future. Well, we are one step ahead by making this purchase now. It’s true that we will need more equipment to handle the increased acreage but we will already have the tractor - as they say in the trade, the “power unit.”
See where this is going? It doesn’t hurt to daydream. After all, this is something for work that needs to be done. It’s not like I am asking for something for pleasure, is it?