The other day I was talking to a neighbor and he told me that he was putting in some fruit trees in his garden. He always wanted to grow his own fruit and now that he had a house with a large backyard, he was making that dream come true. Naturally, in order to put this garden in, needed a whole bunch of gardening equipment.
I say that dripping with sarcasm. You really don’t need all that much, but most people like this guy, and he’s a nice guy, don’t get me wrong, think they need every possible tool ever made. And salespeople in the store see them coming a mile away.
They show them all the latest and greatest, all the most expensive tools and convince them that they need them all. Then these poor saps walk out of the store several thousand dollars poorer and with a whole car full of tools they will never use. Most of them, they don’t even know what they’re for.
This is one of the biggest pitfalls with any hobby, to be honest. People just by way too much stuff. I’m not saying to go back to the stone ages, but you really only need the basics for any hobby. Beyond that, you are just spending a bunch of money. Do you really enjoy it more with all the expensive equipment you don’t need? I doubt it.
Not only do people not use the equipment, they often store it in a location that is not secure. They have no security cameras guarding it and just have a plain lock on the door. This makes them a great target for a burglar. You really need a security system for your expensive gardening tools.
So when it comes to fruit gardening or any other type of gardening, stop buying so much stuff. I’d say you need a wheelbarrow and a shovel. Perhaps you need something to trim the branches and maybe a nice pair of gloves. Beyond that, what else do you really need?
If you are gardening outdoors, perhaps you need things to protect the young trees from pests or perhaps to protect them from adverse weather. You might need a ladder and maybe a tool to help you pick the fruit, although that is debatable.
If you’re gardening indoors, you might need a few more things. If you are doing hydroponics gardening, then obviously you need all the hydroponics equipment. Whatever type of gardening you’re doing indoors, you’ll need some grow lights. As I’ve mentioned before, if you’ve got a large garden, you’ll need powerful lights and in that case 600 watt lights are the best.
If your garden is smaller, go with a different type of grow light that doesn’t cost as much and is not as powerful. In almost all cases, florescent grow lights will be best here. Beyond the lighting and the optional watering system, what else do you really need indoors? I guess you need some pots and some soil, but that’s about it. You’ve got everything you need for your garden right there.
Some people want to grow in a grow tent, to maximize the lighting or to hide their grow from the outside world, should they be growing something that is less than legal, if you know what I mean. But for most of us, grow tents are not really a necessity. Still, you can get one pretty cheaply, so if you want one, why not get one. I wouldn’t count it is one of those unnecessary purchases people get talked into.
So if you’re starting a gardening hobby like my neighbor, just make sure not to buy too many things you don’t need. There is no need to spend so much money and there’s no need to have a bunch of equipment that you don’t even know how to use. Apart from that, good luck with the garden!
