What About Tools?

"What about TOOLS?"...people exclaim, when I explain I'm a bicycle-gardener.







In short, my gardens are residential and my clients land somewhere in the spectrum of hobby-gardeners/do-it-yourselfers/we-need-helpers. So...they have an active interest in their gardens and they have...tools. Of course they do. They have shovels and rakes and a wheelbarrow, possibly even a ladder, pole-pruner, garden fork etc. Or they are so bold as to borrow one from a neighbour when I come. They take care of their lawns themselves or hire a lawn-care company. They have a broom, or secretly bring out the leaf blower when I leave. So I take my good-quality pruning equipment and a collection of tricks that seem to cover most surprises that come up.

Here's a couple pictures of what I take with me: before packing, and tucked into a drop-in side pannier (Jando). Here's the Mary Poppins list:

Bicycle-Gardening Essentials

Felco secateurs (there is nothing but Felco)
Good quality garden shears (Bahco Pradines)
"" folding handsaw (Silky)
Trowel (frequently lost, replaced, and found again)
Hand cultivator
Hand rake (voted best new little tool ever, by me)
Paper yard waste bags (when no greenwaste onsite)
Jute twine/velcro fastener for plant ties and sisal twine for bundling hardprunings
Scissors
Whisk-broom
Garden gloves
Bike lock and tire pump (double-duty as wheel-barrow pump)
Helly Hanson rubber rain jacket in camouflage green
Lightweight waterproof bike/gardening pants (MEC)
Gumboots (for cycling and gardening on rainy rainy days)
OR velcro-on boot covers (MEC) on misty days
Gardening hat
Back-pack for lunch and..
Admin kit: daytimer/schedule, celphone, digi camera, invoice book

Note the essential coffee cup fits into a standard water-bottle holder attached to bike frame and the beat-up gardening boots (ok, I'm advertising, but... **Blundstones forever**--what else can you garden and cycle in?) fit on feet.

So all this, or variations on the theme, hooks onto the back rack of my bicycle and also remains portable when I cheat and take the bus (bike on bus bike-rack and tool-pannier hooked over my shoulder with a handy adidas-bag clip-on shoulder strap). People have asked if the one-sided super-loaded pannier throws me off-balance and I say no. I guess it's not that heavy.

Also note that I do not use a bike trailer for a couple of reasons:
1. There are a lot of hills around here, and I don't want to haul a lot of weight
2. I like to hop on and off of buses.
3. I repeat: people have tools, or they are willing to get them.