Ergonomic Gardening Tools

Spring is just around the corner, and soon you'll be back in the garden, picking your own flowers and freshly grown vegetables.

But when you think of gardening, do you think of impossible deep knee bends and back-breaking stooping? It doesn't have to be that way, reports Gardening Contributor Georgia Raimondi for The Saturday Early Show. With the appropriate tools, you can enjoy gardening without pain.

These items are great for gardeners with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, or diminished hand or arm strength.

From Florian Tools, 1-800-275-3618:

• Gardener's Wrist Support, $8.95: An ergonomically designed wrap to relieve overworked wrists. It restrains excess movement and protects against repetitive impact and vibration, and it is designed to help minimize pain and soreness from stress that can occur in the carpal area from routine gardening chores.
• Ergonomic Tool Set, $74.95: Ergonomic grips. Includes trowel, cultivator, transplanter, dibble (forms hole for planting seedlings and small bulbs), and a hand pruner which can cut branches up to half an inch, and flowers, including roses.
• Three Prong Pro Bulb Planter, $42.95: Makes three evenly spaced holes and, because the handle is three feet long, you don't have to bend over to press the prongs into the soil.
• Mini Lopper, $74.95: It is very light, yet it will prune branches up to an inch and a quarter diameter. The ratchet-cut mechanism works like the jack on your car, multiplying your strength up to 700 percent.

• Weed Puller, $17.95: Reduces bending and stooping, and pulls roots.
• Dandelion Digger, $12.95: Design makes it possible to lever weeds out rather than cut into the turf.
• Telescoping Lawn Rake, $16.95: Both head and handle are adjustable. The head can be adjusted to spread from seven inches (for narrow spots between plants) to 22 inches for raking a lawn. The handle telescopes from 35 inches to 69 inches (and locks in place) for hard-to-reach areas.
• Telescoping Tool Set, $17.50: Garden without soiling your hands or clothes and with no stooping Twist-off attachments (crack weeder; trowel; soil rake; fan rake) fit into the same telescoping (25" to 41") handle, adjustable from 25 inches to 41 inches.
• Children’s Tool Kit, $8.50: Nylon fabric tool bag with seven external pockets for seeds, etc. with a rubberized bottom to keep moisture out, Includes two trowels, a cultivator, and a spray bottle.
• Folding Wheelbarrow, $39.95: For gardeners with limited storage space. Weighs only 8 pounds, but has a carrying capacity of 45 pounds and folds flat for easy storage.
• Pop-Up Garden Bag, $10.95: Handy bag for clean-up chores in the garden. Hands-free design is self-supporting (eliminates the use of collapsing plastic garbage bags). tores flat.

© MMI Viacom Internet Services Inc. All Rights Reserved