How many times do you find yourself marching out to the garden like a pack horse, with your arms laden with hand tools? More often than not, you still have to return to the shed for more supplies. With a little ingenuity and a few items you probably have around the house, you can create your own garden tote to store all your garden “must have’s”. Round up a canvas carpenter’s belt (the kind with a large pocket) and gather together all the hand tools you regularly use. Measure the width of each and add on 1 more inch.

Use a pen to mark the sections on your belt pocket. Double stitch along the pen marks, creating several pockets for the various tools. Get a small bucket or old cat litter pail, perfect for holding weeds, gloves or other items and tie the belt around the bucket. Next time you work in the garden, just grab your tote and go. For a variation on this idea, use bungee cords to attach the bucket to a golf cart or luggage dolly, and place shovels or other large items in the bucket and wheel them around easily. Knee Pad Be kind to your tender knees by using a knee pad when you head out to the garden. Grab an old Styrofoam camping mattress and cut it to size, or go to your local carpet dealer and ask him for some old samples. Plant Supports Get your sprawling plants in check by providing a support system that’s built right into your planter. Begin with a medium sized container. Drive five 1 by 1 inch stakes or bamboo stems into the soil until they protrude about 4 feet. Plant your tomato or other climbing plant in the center of the pot. Get nylon twine and wind it around the stakes in a star shape in 6 inch rows. As your plant grows and develops fruit, it will have plenty of support for all those unruly stems. Planter’s Pal This is a handy little device to make planting seedlings a breeze. In fact, once you’ve used it a couple times, you’ll wonder how you ever gardened without it.

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