Paula, Mill Pond flower farm
Habits of working
Why do we use a particular tool?
Is it just what we normally use? Is it what other people use?
Is it just what was nearest?
Is it because it’s the best one for the job we need to do?
Finding the tool that actually does the job you need it to do quickly, easily and efficiently is a revelation. It saves time, frustration and effort and is usually such a simple fix.
We often use specific tools purely out of habit or without thinking. A lot of flower farmers move over to larger scale production from gardening and continue to use garden tools without questioning whether they are the best ones for the job.
Now’s the time to question!
Finding the best tool for the job you need to do
When you approach a job, think about what you’re actually doing.
When you plant a bulb, what you’re doing is placing an object underground. There are a few different ways of placing objects underground but basically all we’re doing is lifting the ground off, placing the object, replacing the ground on top. If it was an engineer looking to solve this problem, they would probably design a tunnelling machine that could deliver bulbs at the prescribed distance without disturbing the soil, but we’re not at that stage currently! Depending on your access to resources, the bulbs can be planted using a trowel, purpose made bulb planter, turf lifter or mini-digger.
A few years ago, I planted 50kg of narcissus bulbs under trees with the intention of naturalising them. I considered all options for planting. They were being planted in grass and weeds, under trees along what had previously been a rough track. A bulb planter or trowel was useless and exceptionally hard work, with too many roots, stones and obstacles. There was no actual turf to lift. We didn’t have the resource (money) for a mini-digger. So an alternative was needed. I used a metal crowbar – 1 metre long with a pointed end. I dropped the point into the earth to the required depth, spun around to create a hole. Dropped the bulb in and pressed the earth back into the hole with my boot. It wasn’t the recommended tool, but it was highly effective, quick and efficient. It’s become my default bulb planting method.
The farming solution to efficiency using tools is usually to get a bigger machine, but this often brings with it inefficiencies and waste. Large specialised machinery for harvesting can only be used in fields that are the right size, they can’t get into the corners and they end up in storage for the majority of the year. Our aim has to be to use the tools that allow us to use our resources most effectively, while also helping us to be quicker and waste less.
The table below gives some options for tools for specific jobs
Choosing tools is all about choosing how we work and what our businesses do. Not many people would now choose to deliver their flowers on foot, but it was very common in the post-war years for growers to walk with their flowers to the local florist. Using a motor vehicle is an option for most growers but some don’t drive or have a car and delivery isn’t an option. Increasingly, we’re looking for low carbon ways of working to reduce our impact on the environment. Kirsty Reid of the Teeny Weeny Farm in Forres, Scottish Highlands, has invested in an electric cargo bike (named Bluebell) to deliver her flowers 16 miles along the road. The tools we choose to use, or not use, can shape our business and also send a message to our customers about our priorities.
Tools for you – getting the right size, weight, length
When you use a tool that is well designed and fits you properly, it feels like it’s an extension of your body. But how can we make sure that is the situation with all our tools?
Tool Audit
Follow these instructions carefully, no shirking now!
Get out all your tools and look at them.
Put aside any that are broken and disregard any you haven’t used in the past season
Throw these away
Yes, throw them away, or give them away if you must, but under no circumstances keep them. They are useless for your business, they’re taking up space and space used by useless things is wasted.From the ones left (if there are any left!) choose the tools that feel just right. Identify what it is about these tools that makes them work for you and only buy tools in the future that have those features.
For me, tools need to be light with long handles and good quality metals. I prefer wooden handles. The best tools are the ones that everyone wants to use!
When you’re looking for new tools, check the following
Weight Every time you use a tool you’re lifting a weight and every gram/ounce counts. Every movement is wear on your body. Light tools make a huge difference, they’re worth the investment.
Length/height We’re all different, to be comfortable while working we may need slightly different dimensions. There is no magic formula for getting the right size for you. Try a lot of different tools, handle them, mimic using them, ask friends and other growers if you can have a go of their tools. When you find something that feels good, you’ll know you’ve found the right tool for you.
Easy to maintain Quick and easy to clean, sharpen and oil any moving parts. You need to have your tools working at their best, at all times. If they’re hard to maintain you won’t do it and they’ll get progressively harder to use.
If you’re cutting flowers on a busy day you can make up to 400 snips an hour, you need light, spring loaded, sharp snips. If your snips are heavy, not spring loaded and blunt they create drag on your work. It’s harder to cut, the job is slower, poorer quality and your wrists will ache at the end of each day.
If you’re a woman, be aware that most tools are made by and for men. That’s not to say they can’t be any good for women, but it is something to be aware of.
If you’re a tool manufacturer, take note that there are a lot of women growers and take into account their needs when developing new tools.
Tools in the right place
In vehicle manufacturing factories, each worker has a tool station with everything they need for doing their job. They don’t need to leave the job to look for them, it’s all to hand. Before you set off to do a job make sure you have everything you need with you in an easy to transport carrier, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a basket, trolley, bucket or bag, so long as it means you’re fully equipped for the job.
You MUST
Wear your snips and secateurs in a holster, then you’ll always have them with you and won’t put them down where they’re at risk of getting lost. If you’ve ever mowed a pair of scissors, you’ll never do it again, flying blades aren’t good. They’re sharp and dangerous in pockets, and will put holes in them.
Multiples
If you need a tool in more than one place, have more than one set of tools. It’s not an indulgence, it’s an efficiency. Keep your tools where you need them to save time and maintain the flow of your work.
I bought 4 extra sets of flower snips for use in our workshops. Ray and I already had a pair each. The extra sets have saved me so much time as there are always a couple of pairs in the workshop, I never have to hunt about or go back to the porch where I keep my holster.
Team tools
Claire had complaints from some of her team that they didn’t always have the tools they needed. She bought them all their own set, labelled them and now they can set off and get to work knowing the tools they need, and they look after them.
Essential tools for efficient flower farming
The tool table from the previous activity identifies some tool options for different tasks. Changing tools can increase your efficiency, but there is rarely a change that can be made without a cost. Often it’s when existing tools need replacing that we investigate different options and then we wonder why we didn’t do it so much earlier.
Basic gardening tools
Spade, fork, hoe, trowel, hand fork, weeders, rake, gloves
Movement tools
Wheelbarrow, trolley, garden tractor or quad bike. Car, van or cargo bike
Cutting tools
Flower snips, secateurs, loppers, pruning saw
Communication tools
Smartphone, Computer
Although you may not have all of these and may feel they are expensive or out of reach currently, they are what we feel you will need as a minimum if you are aiming for an efficient flower farm.
“Question: Think about which tasks take a lot of time and effort. Would a new tool increase your efficiency?”
Our favourite tools
We love our tools and treasure them. These are our favourites:
Paula
Hand weeder/cultivator - This is the tool that everyone who works here wants to use. It’s great for getting out docks, planting out module grown seedlings, weeding and all manner of tasks.
Special hoe
Hoe - I’m a real fan of hoeing and this is my favourite hoe. It has blades that work with both the push and pull action. Weeds don’t stand a chance.
Quad bike - An upgrade to a 40 year old rusty garden tractor. When it wasn’t even getting through a week without mechanical attention we looked at the available alternatives and decided a quad would be the best long term option. We were right. It’s quick, manouvreable, starts first time, uses very little fuel. We’ve had to sell a LOT of flowers to pay for it!
Carol
Narrow trowel - an old planting trowel, excellent for bulb planting and especially for planting modules into holes in weed membrane.
Snips for flower cutting - Niwake make these thin snips and the springs are just right for me (and my slightly arthritic hands) making hundreds of cuts every day.
Japanese hand hoe - for very quick hoeing of seedling weeds, especially between plants or rows. I’m using this much less now, but I still really like using it as I find it more flexible than a long handled hoe.
Hedgecutter - For cutting back those perennials quickly. Yes it uses petrol, but its very quick and we don’t need to run it for long at all to get things cut down evenly.
Claire
Tub trugs - We have 3 different sizes, the small ones are used for potting up in our group tunnel, that is a size the we can carry full of compost, or full of waste from potting up. The medium sized on is used for weeding, we can tip a full tub into a barrow, or onto the compost heap. The large one is used for floristry wastage, they have lighter stems, so a bigger tub can be used.
Long handled hand fork - As we are no dig, we need to loosen the weeds before pulling them out, rather than turning the soil, these weeding forks with a 40cm handle are excellent for making sure you don't have to bend as much.
Felco l/h no 16 secateurs - At last, this year, a revelation...... After years of being asked (by me at every show in the country) Felco have made a smaller ladies version of their Left handed secateurs. No more straining my hand as the handles open too far, I now have a tool that is fit for purpose.