Best Farm Gates

The trees will attempt to come back for a few more times, but if you keep your eyes open and mow them down as soon as they start to sprout, they will eventually run out of energy and go away for good, keeping your field edges under control and as beautiful...

The grass can be cut and added to compost or dried and spread across the garden to be eaten by the soil microbes on their own time. Most of these nutrient-rich plants can be grown at home on a small scale to provide a little extra kick to your garden,...

Another situation that needs periodic maintenance and attention relates to fields. This approach isn't perfect—I need to smooth out the ground a little more, remove some stray rocks and make it easier to mow as close to the edges of the fields as possible—but...

I keep a running journal on my computer and update it at the same time every day with the date, what I did that day, and any amendments or products I used. But perhaps you find the process daunting, you just aren't ready to throw down the money (currently...

Avoid making these mistakes, or be prepared to learn the hard way. No Surge Protector or Automatic Voltage Regulator With modern appliances, you need to ensure that a generator produces clean electricity, measured as total harmonic distortion.

Toss aside the gloves and feel the fine hairs on herbs as your skin absorbs their aroma. Harvesting pinons in the high desert necessitates more sun protection than foraging for mushrooms in a dense woodland.

The logs will eventually break down. Above them are chives and four apple trees. Create flexible, short-, mid- and long-term goals and plans that fit your needs for recreation and personal pleasure, as well as sustainable vegetative productivity.

It consists of a rectangle blade mounted on a long handle and is used much like a hoe to push or pull materials. However, when you consider the benefits they offer your health—allowing you to stretch and twist and build up muscle—they offer more than...

It Operates Without A Power Source One of this tool's biggest advantages? What could be easier than placing the staple gun into position and pulling the lever? I've already explained my fondness for electric drills and pruning loppers (both critical,...

Then I'll outline the tools stored behind a panel on its exposed side to make it easy for my wife (and me) to find needed tools without dropping every panel. Those are all adventures for another day as I move a little bit closer to a ship-shape shop.

While many anvils are European made, some like JHM Manufacturing in Peaster, Texas, are still made in the U.S. While most anvils share many common features, they often have unique design variations that fit one purpose more than another.

Make sure replacement parts, especially seals and gaskets, are available, and follow directions when storing extras to maintain their flexibility. The rechargeable, battery-powered Dramm BP-4 produces 140 psi, while the 433 Motorized Backpack Sprayer...

I'll start my list rolling with my pruning loppers , which receive an incredible amount of use each year. With Thanksgiving Day just around the corner, the season of turkeys and parades and giving thanks is upon us, and there's no better time of year...

I personally prefer a handsaw for most of my pruning needs because I frequently stop to change tools and move cut branches out of the way, but for very large branches or entire trees that would take too long to saw by hand, a chainsaw can save you a lot...

Of course with the Bad Axe waiting list, I better get my order placed sooner rather than later. Next week, I will tackle reader Brent's comments on guarantees. That said, I have a building permit for a small cabin this spring.

Just the same, I didn't trust it not to slip off and fall on top of me while I was working. No, I'm not out harvesting what few apples remain on the dormant trees. Thanks to a heavy snowfall a few days prior, a lot of snow inhabited the roof above the...

So why is my measuring wheel so large? Or at least it seems that way, as I'm sure many hobby farmers can attest. I think it's a rule that old farms come fully equipped with their own puzzling agricultural artifacts—tools and machines whose purpose is...

They can be heavy (to the point of being tiresome to use for long periods of time), but they make up for it by being powerful and easy to use. My collection of such tools is extensive, and most of the tools are in constant use throughout the year.

It reminds me why I am most comfortable with simple tools that fit my needs. I was totally inhibited by this tool. I am a rough-cut tool guy, not a fine-cabinet maker or post-and-beam builder! I nail and screw and glue things together .

It didn't! I cut completely through to the wedge. I always do my best to prepare the way for safe felling . The other day, I was reminded that the best of preparations can go for naught.

Here's your main consideration: There are two types of aerators—spike aerators and plug aerators—and they are suitable for different types of lawns. Aerating an area 12 feet wide would require just three passes with a four-foot aerator as opposed...

In 1940, Leubben sold his rights to Allis-Chalmers, who redeveloped his early concept and in 1947, released their own Roto-Baler. His small round baler (patented in 1910) revolutionized haying, making it a lower cost, far less labor-intensive operation.

I once saw where someone had clamped locking pliers on to the stub of a broken-off doorknob, turning the pliers into the new handle. It was a bit cumbersome, but it worked, though I don't necessarily recommend it as a practical long-term solution! So...

I decided the paddle switch was important for a newbie at angle grinding. I was also unable to find any angle grinders made in the U.S.—most are now made in China. I quickly discovered that no matter how important I thought torque should be, nobody...

Thinking of the coldest season might bring to mind thoughts on snow, crackling fireplaces, hot chocolate, the holidays … and ice, particularly removing ice from inconvenient places around the farm.

But while this helps in one respect, it can occasionally cause a problem if the snow is wet and later freezes to the underside of the sled. Regardless, I've had plenty of reasons to use my large sled this winter for transporting hay bales and supplies...

Digging bars are usually 5 to 6 feet long and quite heavy as a result, but with that weight comes strength and power. If one tool can do the job of two or three, it makes it easier to have the right tool for every task when you're out working on a complicated...