Debbie McDonald
High Prairie has a lot of great gardeners, and we all have a hundred different ideas about what makes a great garden, the best plant varieties, and how to control pests and disease. Just like most things in life, there are many ways to achieve the same goals. I’m kind of a do-with-what-you-have gardener – not necessarily pretty but very functional. In fact, my new favorite garden tool is not new at all. It is recycled from my kitchen.
I have been wanting to replace this kitchen Chinese strainer for ages as the wires tend to snag food and the holes are a bit big. I bit the bullet and purchased the stainless steel strainer that I really wanted, but I couldn’t just throw away a perfectly functional tool. I took the spider to the garden and found it was great for so many hand-tool tasks in my raised beds. It fluffs up and mixes soil, it can create a row for planting and lightly cover the row with soil, it’s tough enough to dig around weeds for pulling (don’t you hate Canada thistle?), it can dig a hole big enough to plant a potato seed, and it may be left behind in the elements without fear of damage if lain down and forgotten in the moment. Perfect for my way of gardening.
