Beloved gardening presenter Alan Titchmarsh has delivered a firm and friendly caution to fellow gardening enthusiasts, emphasising a critical safety rule he learned the hard way. In a recent tool-focused episode of his newly launched YouTube series, 'Gardening With Alan Titchmarsh', the horticultural expert combined practical advice with a personal story from his student days.
A Vital Safety Reminder
While demonstrating common garden tools, Titchmarsh highlighted the essential spade and its versatile uses for planting trees, shrubs, border perennials, and earthing up potatoes. He then turned his attention to the humble rake, offering guidance that could prevent serious injury.
"Never, ever, ever put a rake like that because you'll tread on it and it'll come up and whack you in the eye," Titchmarsh warned emphatically. He demonstrated the incorrect method by placing the rake with its teeth facing downward on the ground, before flipping it to show the safe position with teeth pointing upwards.
College Days Correction
The safety advice was accompanied by a revealing anecdote from Titchmarsh's time at horticultural college, where he received a stern lesson from a lecturer. "I remember being told off by a lecturer at horticultural college, and I was overraking the soil," he recalled. "He said, 'Stop it. Stop it'. I said, 'What? What?' He said, 'The rake is not for breaking down soil. That's what a fork is for. The rake is for levelling and you only need a few strokes across the ground to make it level with a rake'."
Choosing the Right Rake
Titchmarsh elaborated on the different types of rakes and their specific purposes:
- Springbok Rake: Featuring wire tines, this rake has "one use and one use only: for raking dead grass, thatch and moss out of a lawn." He humorously noted it's the nearest thing to a musical instrument in the garden.
- Plastic or Rubber-Toothed Rake: Ideal for gathering leaves on gravel or lawns, these rakes are "much more giving" and won't snag in grass. Titchmarsh described them as "really efficient and effective" and suggested if he could only have one rake, this would be his choice, as it can also handle light soil levelling.
In related gardening insights, Titchmarsh recently expressed his personal dislike for the weeping birch tree on his channel, though he acknowledged its appeal for small gardens. He recommended Young's weeping birch for tiny spaces and jacquemontii for larger areas.
Fans can next see Alan Titchmarsh on his ITV programme, 'Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh', airing on Sunday, February 15, from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM.
