Whether it's stocking up on supplies like compost and seed trays, investing in plant supports and other structures, or getting carried away adding plants to your trolley at the local garden centre, every gardener knows how quickly costs can add up. So, it's always good to know about the inexpensive and even free items the professionals swear by.
One of the most prized bits of kit saves gardeners a lot of trouble in the garden, and it's an item you may already have lying about: a wooden board or plank. Rather than throwing away wood offcuts left over from DIY jobs or building work, it's always worth keeping one or two of varying sizes in the shed.
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Why do professional gardeners love them?
Professional gardeners are out working in the soil every day, and many have revealed they couldn't be without a wooden board. This low-tech item works as a multi-functional garden tool, and it's imperative in winter and early spring, particularly in clay soil gardens, creating a dry platform to sit or stand on while working in garden borders. When the ground is wet, it stops your clothes getting muddy, and helps to stop the soil becoming compacted.
Boards with a straight side are also handy for sowing seeds or planting plugs in a line.
Plus, they are easy to move around the garden for different jobs, and store in the shed or even tuck into the garage at the end of the day.
The pro gardeners who love boards
Fergus Garrett, head gardener at Great Dixter House and Gardens in East Sussex, says he reaches for boards time and time again.
"We are on heavy clay at Great Dixter, and even though the ground has been gardened for more than 100 years, border work can turn into a slimy mess at the turn of a cloud. But total protection comes from boards. These spread your weight and allow access into the borders without putting too much pressure on the ground.
"They also cover up areas that have been opened up prior to planting, deflecting the rain, and allowing you immediate access to the soil without waiting for the ground to dry."
"We have wide [boards], thin ones, long ones and short ones, all raided (with permission) from skips and left over from building works. Some hang around for years and become recognisable by their ragged edges and become favourites. I can’t imagine gardening without them."
Fergus also uses other tricks to manage wet ground. "Crushed horticultural grit comes to the rescue, making soil easier to handle, as does dollops of compost, which increases the friability of the soil, allowing it to take more abuse from feet, knees and tools in wet weather."
Finishing surfaces
A slightly smaller board is also useful for landscaping work such as laying paving and smoothing sand, gravel or freshly tilled soil. Horticulturist Midori Shintani, former head gardener for one of the world’s most influential gardens, the Tokachi Millennium Forest, uses a small, trapezoidal-shaped board for levelling.
"My favourite tool is a piece of board - just a piece of board," she says. "A 25cm length and maybe about 9cm wide and the thickness might be 1cm, but I use that board almost every day. For levelling before planting or finishing up gravel, sometimes mulching as well."
"It's very useful," she adds, "I recommend every gardener has one."
Growing
Monty Don is also well-known for keeping wooden planks nearby when he is working in the garden. Rather than using them to stand on, the horticulturist and TV presenter places them on freshly tilled soil, using the straight side to sow seeds uniformly in his raised beds.
Picking a good one
When it comes to finding the perfect gardening board, most offcuts will work - but there are a few factors to consider. Make sure the board is the right size for the job you're doing, or keep a collection in different sizes. Large boards are ideal for covering wet soil and spreading weight across a large area to avoid compacting the ground. However, the wider the board, the less likely you'll be able to squeeze it into small gaps in the border as you work.
On the other hand, a small plank or board will be better suited to levelling soil and gravel by hand. The longer the plank, the more ground you can cover in one go, but the heavier it will be to handle.
Ideally, make sure the board is smooth with no splinters in order to avoid injury as you work.
More free gardening tools
Wooden boards aren't the only inexpensive tools gardeners swear by. There are lots of everyday items you can use for gardening - while doing your bit for the environment.
Many gardeners reuse household items in the garden, growing seedlings in empty margarine tubs and egg boxes rather than new plastic seed trays, and making use of old loo roll tubes as root trainers.
If you don't have a dibber handy to make holes in compost for seeds, you can use a pen or pencil, and garden and kitchen knives can double as weeders to uproot unwanted plants.
Discover more gardening tools loved by the professionals in our guide to the ultimate, GOAT gardening kit.
