Snips – the only garden tool you need over summer?
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It’s my favourite time of the year when we move from growing, to harvesting and enjoying. As well as the veg plot and greenhouse becoming abundant, there are flowers that need cutting, and in this weather, it’s a full time job to just keep on top of the sweet peas.
What should you use snips for?
Well, let’s give them their full name – they are harvesting and trimming snips. So they do exactly what they say on the tin. They can be used for harvesting vegetables, fruits and flowers, as well as trimming back (light pruning of plants with thin stems).
Snips are needed when you need a precision approach to avoid crushing stems, for getting into tight spaces when cutting flowers and vegetables, and of course for deadheading. They are also useful for avoiding any overzealous errors. Perhaps it’s just me that can be a bit heavy handed occasionally – pulling a bit hard to snap something off resulting a broken vine or stem. Especially in dry weather when a ‘yank’ has ended up in an uplifted plant. So I’m trying to be a bit less hands-on with pulling things, and a bit more considered and keeping snips in my hand instead.
So in summary – you should use snips for:
- Deadheading, especially for difficult to reach flowers
- Harvesting everything in the greenhouse like peppers, chillis, and cucumbers
- Cutting tomatoes off the vine (avoid the urge to just pull!)
- Collecting up your beans (again avoid the pull, stop breaking vines!)
- Cut and come again crops (e.g. lettuce or spinach)
- Snipping herbs such as basil, parsley etc
Secateurs v’s Snips?
Simple. Secateurs are for stems and more. Think snips when the stems are smaller, for delicate vines and flower heads.
And which gardening snips are the best?
We stock snips from Felco and Niwaki. Both are brilliant, but very different gardening brands. Whilst both brands have a range of snips to choose from, we’ve selected the best from each that we reckon are the top snips for your gardening tool box.
We’d recommend the best gardening snips are:
But which of these snips should you buy? Read our guide here.