To get the best out of your garden in 2010 I will be publishing my best tips and ideas to save you time and money. I have spent a large part of the last 10 years researching garden tools and techniques to make gardening easier and more fun.

I can help you find rare and specialist equipment - and you can help me and my readers by providing feedback on the products you use. (This site had over 70,000 visitors in the last 12 months including representatives of manufacturers and retailers). I won't sell you rubbish tools to make money- I wouldn't be happy and you wouldn't come back.

I hope you enjoy rummaging in my shed, if you cant find what you are looking for or want to make a comment I would love to hear from you.

e-mail fred@fredshed.com

Burning Garden Waste?

If you have diseased plant material the best thing you can do is burn it.

However, there are laws about bonfires in gardens and you shouldn't light them until after 7pm.

To make the job easier and friendlier to your neighbours use a traditional galvanised incinerator to contain the fire and reduce ash and smoke.

It is well and truly time tested and I have used one for over 30 years.

Once the bin has got hot  you will be able to burn almost anything in it and the special holes in the side and lid with chimney makes sure the fire burns hot and clean and reduces the flying ash that you would get with an open bonfire.

Top Tips This Month

Clear away dead material- allow bulbs to grow

Best Gloves for Gardening ?

You would have thought that leather were the best gloves for gardening but I find them too restrictive and they also have a tendency to go hard if they get wet.

My favourite gloves for gardening (and DIY) are made from a rubbery plastic material developed for the medical profession.

These superb gloves are machine washable, flexible but super strong. I also use them to push my wheelchair so they have had plenty of testing over the last 6 years.

The gloves come in different thicknesses depending on your needs. The thin plantmaster type are so good you hardly notice that you have them on, but they protect your skin from dirt and chemicals ,inc natural plant substances.

For heavier duty work and dealing with thorns the thicker green gloves are better but still allow you a good degree of dexterity.

heavy duty               small -------medium ---- large

use the link below if you prefer another retailer. Please use my links when purchasing gloves if you want to help my work testing and reviewing the best gardening products. - (long term since Feb 2000!)

buy the best Garden and DIY gloves

Fantastic Lightweight Leaf Rake

I have tried dozens of rakes over the last 15 years that I have been researching and testing gardening products.

This 65cm wide plastic rake is one of the best as it is so light and effective and is widely used by professional gardeners. It is made in the UK and has extra prongs to hold the leaves and debris in place.

The best feature of this rake is that it is self cleaning and you can lift and deposit debris into a wheelbarrow by just turning it sideways.

Price approx £23

Best Dustpan for Garden Use

This huge plastic dustpan is one of the most useful garden aids you can buy and is incredibly cheap too. It has a metal strip along the front and a large handle for easy lifting. This product is well made and will save you loads of time and effort.

£6.95 plus delivery

Price Under a Tenner!

 click here to buy the superb Jumbo Tidy Pan

Chelwood Rake -  Price approx £23

Click to buy from a Fredshed recommended supplier

Growing plants in raised planters have many advantages and has been growing in popularity in recent years.

Easy access,  not walking on the soil and good drainage all help to make raised bed gardening an enjoyable and productive experience.

I have tried many systems over the years including these wooden slot together systems and some of the more modern plastic ones.

Click the link below to see the latest range of allotment grade raised beds from one of my retailing partners

click here to see a wide range of raised bed systems

 Wooden Raised Bedding System

This is an old raised bed system I used at the Nuffield Orthopaedic centre when I worked as a Horticultural Therapist. It was much loved by wheelchair users, elderly gardeners and those with back problems - not to mention the plants that seemed to thrive in it's unique little micro-climate.

Reduces bending

Improves Drainage

No soil impaction from walking

Can help combat pest infestations

The most important tool for pruning  is the Secateur, crucial for stems up to 25mm, anything bigger than that requires the loppers. After 45mm even loppers are no use and a garden saw is required. For fast effective work you may need all 3 tools and a good quality set can be had for around £30 if you chose carefully. Unless you have very small and infrequent pruning to do I don't recommend buying the cheapest tools as they will not last and over time will give a poor cut that could harm your plants.

A good quality bowsaw like the Bahco one shown left costs under £20 and its massive teeth will cut through most branches with ease. Before you buy a chainsaw I recommend trying a quality bowsaw, its cheaper, more reliable and environmentally friendly.

The most common boswaw sizes are 24  and 30inches. A 30 inch version which will rapidly cut large branches that many people would buy a chainsaw for. A key feature of Bahco Bow saws is the easy availability of replacement blades. Also Bahco make special "raker" blades" that are better on live green wood. Most saws come with a general purpose blade for live and dead wood.

Another handy tool to have around is a folding garden saw like the one shown from Draper. This inexpensive saw will take up so little space in your shed but is worth it's weight in gold. A top quality Bahco version is also available and is widely used by professionals.

Heavy Duty Pole Pruner  - Fiskars Long Reach Universal Cutter.

I have used this tool for about 8 years now and still marvel at its incredible cutting power and ease of use.

It is easier to use than traditional tree pruners as the cord is on the inside and does not get tangled up in the branches.

Also the multi-angle head contains a brilliant  mechanism with a belt and chain that enables the tool to effortlessly slice through branches up to 32mm.

There are 3 ways of activating the cut, pull the sliding handle, pull the side cord or for extra reach pull the ball at the bottom of the handle. Superb design!

The Fiskars Geared Universal Cutter won a 2002 Golden Shed Award and has recently won other prestigious design awards. In 2008 it was re-engineered using newly available materials and is now lighter and cuts with an anvil blade which is less likely to jam on a hard stem..

The standard version is 1.6m long and weighs only 1.1kg. This is ok for large shrubs or small trees but if you want to be more ambitious the telescopic version that extends to over 5m is the one to buy.

This is an unconventional tool, but trust me, if you have branches to prune in hard to reach places, you will love this one. The advantage over a conventional cord operated tree pruner is that there is no cord to get tangled in the branches. The downside is the extra cost so I have put a link below (right)  to a good quality  standard pole pruner for those who want to stick to the old ways of doing things.

compare price at another Fredshed partner

Felco Professional Quality Secateurs

These Swiss made Secateurs are the ultimate in quality and are used by most professionals and TV gardening celebs, eg. Alan Titchmarsh, Charlie Dimmock and Rachel de Thame.

The most advanced model is this one that has a rotating lower handle to reduce finger fatigue. All Felco spare parts are replaceable and the company offer a refurbishment service so these tools can EASILY last your lifetime - guide price £30 - £45

The only small criticism I have of Felco secateurs is that I find the safety catches to be a bit fiddly, but they are metal and they don't fall off which is better than most

buy Felco secatuers online from another discount supplier

This rotating handle model 7 can reduce RSI if you prune continually for work. It is also available in a smaller version (model 12) and a left handed version (model 10)

Some useful accessories

Fred's Favourite Telescopic Loppers

In my experience many telescopic loppers either snap or the twisting mechanism gets jammed after extensive use.

These  Wolf Garten  telescopic loppers are the ones that I  recommend for serious work based on 8 years of hard work with them. They genuinely cut a  40mm branch with ease and have an easy adjustment method.

The difference between these and other telescopic loppers is that the handles are oval in section and are stronger than round section handles. Also these handles lock in position with a sliding catch with a locating pin. Inferior telescopic handles twist to lock - most of the time!

Wolf RS650T Anvil telescopic Lopper,  RRP £55  (often discounted to around £40 inc postage)

Use my links opposite for discounted prices from my recommended suppliers. If you want a cheaper option that includes a ratchet mechanism then the Bulldog made loppers endorsed by Alan Titchmarsh are great value and good quality too.

My assistant Vern uses the Wolf Telescopic Loppers whilst wearing his Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Click to see prices of Wolf Loppers from Fredshed's recommended supplier

A good tool to compliment these loppers is a big bowsaw- with these 2 tools you can tackle most small -medium sized trees.

The best Lawn Edging Shears

Lawn edging shears are simple tools that have been around for hundreds of years with few changes. I have tested dozens of pairs and gave one of my coveted Golden Shed Awards to the lightweight Aluminium handled CK legend lawn edging shears.

I think these shears arte the best because they are light, have longer handles and a better cut than any others I have used. They are made in Germany so are a bit pricey but will last a lifetime if kept oiled and adjusted regularly. If you don't want to spend that much but want a simple good quality , European made grass shears then my recommendation is the Bahco P75 tool below

Extra Long Aluminium handles helped win these shears a coveted Golden Shed Award

 click for latest price on CK Legend Lawn Edging Shears

(£50 approx.)

Long Handled Cut and Hold Pruner

This long handled cut and hold pruner is one of my favorite tools and one that I have used for over 10 years. That's why it won the first ever Golden Shed Award.

It comes in different sizes from the 650mm version shown here right up to the  telescopic one that extends to 3m!

This tool is ideal for light pruning up to16mm thick, and for deadheading roses etc. Whilst working as an NHS horticultural therapist I recommended this tool to hundreds of patients with back pain. I received many letters of thanks and never had a tool returned faulty.

 650 mm version shown left-  but the best version is longer at 1m and is superb for reaching climbing roses or into the back of deep prickly borders.

The "snapper" can be used one or two handed and has a lot of handle adjustment. It is also very well made and I am still using one that I have had for over 10 years.

click here for prices on both versions

The Makita UH4850 is in a different league to most hedge trimmers found in large chain stores, it is built to perform - and last! The usual price for this model is about £125 online.

Makita machines are the most reliable and are well supported for spares and repair - watch this space to see how they compare over time against the cheaper machines.

Use the link opposite to get this "no frills" totally quality tool and also support my work finding such products.

Best Buy Hedge-trimmers -

This excellent no-nonsense German made hedge-trimmer has the power to cut your hedge and the quality to give many years of service.

See my new page on

Cordless Hedge trimmers

Makita UH4850

Best pro-quality electric hedge trimmer

Don't stand on wobbly ladders

If you have a high hedge get a long handled hedgetrimmer.

click for more details

Safety tip from Zena the Gardening Princess

ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION WHEN TRIMMING YOUR BUSH!

And ...

Use an RCB in case you cut the cable

Use links below to support my work and preserve your health.

Buying charcoal or briquettes is expensive and  involves a lot of transport and manufacturing that is not good for the environment. Taking car loads of prunings to the tip is also expensive and a waste of time.

Even a small garden can product a large quantity of logs that can be used to cook food on - if you have the right equipment.

The brazier on the right is superb for burning old twigs and logs and can also be used as a BBQ when the flames die down. Just drop in the grill rack and close the mesh lid down to contain sparks and splashes of fat.

  Click here to see more , Firepits, Braziers and Chimneas online 

Best Axe - Handy Bush Hook

A great tool for controlling or checking unruly bushes is this plastic handled bush hook made by Fiskars.

It uses space age "fibrecomp" plastic and has a grey coating of Teflon on the blade to give strength and durability. It is also made of a special German steel engineered specially for axes.

This superbly balanced and sharp. I use one of these to chop back tree suckers and also to chop firewood!

I was really surprised how good this tool is and am a bit annoyed I didn't get one before when they first came out- and I don't say that about many tools!

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Vern says - "do sweep up before you go to the pub"