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Human beings have been gardening for over 23,000 years since our early ancestors began cultivating their own food. However, the history of gardening tools stretches a lot further back. 2.6 million years ago, in fact.During the Earth’s Stone Age, humans developed the first stone implements designed to help with their work. They fashioned hammerstones, stone cores and sharp stone flakes from rocks, which aided activities such as chipping flint and breaking bones. Many hundreds of thousands of years later, they devised axes and cutting tools.
Later into the Stone Age came spears and harpoon points, for hunting mammals, and bone flutes for performing music.
Despite this, it wasn’t until the Bronze Age (2,000BC to 700BC) that humans introduced gardening implements. This started a long process toward the gardening tools we recognise today. Let’s have a look at where the tools we all take for granted came from.
Hoes
Hoes have been a part of life since the fifth millennium B.C, when long rakes (which are assumed to be hoes) were depicted on cave paintings.
From the fifth century hoes were made of stone, bone and animal horn, and from the 14th century humans started to fashion a blade so that the hoe could be better utilised.
The hoe has long had a crucial part to play in crop or garden maintenance. When hoes were first produced, a broken or stolen hoe would significantly affect crop production to the point where people would starve!
Theft of such garden implements were commonplace and as frequent as luxuries such as silk and spices.
Wheelbarrows
The creation of the wheelbarrow was a significant event in the history of agriculture. Given that human beings have limitations on what they can carry, this invention shifted the weight of responsibility onto a single wheel.
Around 230 A.D, a Chinese statesman and military strategist created a cart with wheels, primarily to assist with transporting much-needed food and supplies to soldiers in battle.
At the time wheelbarrows were made from wood. Nowadays, they comprise of metal or plastic, which are a lot less heavy and do not rot.
Rakes
The first rakes, of course, would have been human hands. However, the first implement resembling the rake we recognise today was discovered in China, from believed to be from 1100 BC.
The biggest difference is that modern bow rakes and level rakes have ergonomic adjustments, with handles made of steel, reinforced wood or plastic.
Rakes would have been crucial for a country known as a nation of farmers.
Of basic design, the ancient wooden rake would have saved the Asians from so much time and, needless to say, backache!
Pruning shears
When trimming rose bushes or chopping hedges, we rarely think twice about the origins of the instrument we’re using. But they have an interesting history, dating back to European and East Asian topiary. They were also used for miniature landscape sculpture in Vietnam (Hòn Non-Bộ) and trimming bonsai in China.
In Europe, the presence of gardening scissors only dates back 200 years. A French aristocrat invented secateurs, originally for vignerons to help prune grape vines. Legend has it he was inspired by the guillotine he escaped from!
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