When my husband and I moved into our new home, our garden was in relatively good shape. We were relieved that this was the case, as we did not have any gardening equipment. And with all the other expenses of a new home taking priority, it would be months before we could afford to take care of our own garden.
By the time we had a lawnmower and weed whacker, our grass was over our ankles and there were weeds between all the stones and bricks. We gleefully went to work without a care in the world and a couple of hours later, we were done.
Of course, since we hadn’t bargained on just how dangerous the job would be, we had cuts on our hands and legs and were lucky not to have lost any eyes! Stones had been flying at us all day but we’d been so eager to get the work done, we put our bodies on the line.
Since then, I have learned how irresponsible we were. The fact that we did not do any permanent damage to ourselves was down to luck rather than anything we did right.
If you’re moving into a new home and are going to start gardening for the first time, here are some safety tips you need to know.
Protective gear comes first
Your instinct will be to buy gardening equipment first, but without protective gear, your gardening equipment should remain untouched. At the very least, you need gardening gloves, tough shoes, and goggles.
If you wear glasses or are bothered by the glare of the sun, you should get safety sunglasses. These will protect your eyes, rather than creating another hazard.
It might seem like overkill, but tiny pebbles can shoot up and cause real damage to your eyes. And if you let your weed whacker get too close to your toes, you might be in trouble.
Read all the manuals
Many new homeowners will want to skip straight to the job. We all know how to use basic gardening equipment, don’t we?
Well, not quite. The manuals provide any information about the specific model that you need to know in order to do the job right. They also provide safety guidelines and instructions for what to do in case of an accident.
At the very least, reading the manuals first can save you a lot of time and frustration, as you learn how to use your equipment in the most efficient way.
Never rush
Gardening should be done when you have a fair amount of time. Many gardening accidents happen for no reason other than that the person was in a rush. While it may be tempting to get the drudge work done as quickly as possible, it takes time to do it safely.
In other words, if you have somewhere to be in an hour, don’t start gardening. Schedule a time for yourself that you can put aside. Let your grass grow a little longer in the meantime if you have to.
