by Bev Johnson, Otter Tail County Master Gardener
Ladies, did you ever wonder why it is so much work gardening with long handled tools?
MEN, that's right, men. Long handled tools are designed for men's shape, even the ones with the pretty pink handles. Women use long handled tools differently from men. The reason? A wider pelvis means a woman's center of gravity is closer to her hips. A man's broader shoulders puts his center of gravity higher.
Proportionally, women have greater lower body strength than men but less upper body strength. This means women rely on the power of their legs not their arms for strenuous jobs like digging. Most gardening tools are designed for men, and by men. They are too large for most women. Using too large a tool leads to strain, fatigue and injury. They may not realize just how unnecessarily hard they are struggling because there have been no other options.
These problems led Ann Adams, a 67 year old former nurse and Liz Brenisinger, 53, who worked in public health administration to design a shovel/spade for women. The two had been market gardeners for 13 years so they knew the kinds of stresses gardening puts on the female body. The tool they designed is ergonomically engineered to maximize the power of a woman's body and make digging less strenuous. This didn't mean just taking a big tool and making it smaller. They studied what actual changes were needed so that it compensated for the woman rather than the other way around. It acknowledged a woman's lower center of gravity and, lower body strength, crucial when bending and lifting. They also had to take into account a woman's narrower shoulders, smaller hands and weaker grip.
Regular long handled tools were too heavy, too long and awkward for women to use comfortably. They worked with agricultural engineers and a specialist in ergonomics from the Pennsylvania State University. They designed and tested all sorts of shapes and handle lengths and came up with the HERS shovel/spade. It has an angled blade because women don't use a shovel the way men do. Men power straight down. Women can't do that so they put the shovel into the soil at an angle and take small shovels full. They tested it by fitting women with oxygen sensors and had them use the new tool, then a regular one to dig. They proved that the HERS tool required less effort.
The shovel/spade weighs less than four and one-half pounds and comes in three handle lengths. The foot tread is larger than standard. The hollow D shaped handle is tilted for leverage and textured to prevent slippage. All parts are sourced and made in the U.S.
Now they are looking at the rototiller. In a survey they did of female farmers, the women said the rototiller was the most frustrating tool they used.
The name of Liz and Ann's company is Green Heron Tools. Their goal is to bring more women back to the land, and to let women garden without pain or risk of injury. Let's hope our local stores will soon be carrying Green Heron tools. Husbands would love to hear less complaining about backaches and being too pooped to cook after a long day in the garden.