31 yard tool hacks that’ll make your life easier

Picking up unwanted fallen fruit under a tree can be a chore, but this tool will make the job much easier on your back. Attach a frog spear head to the end of a broom handle or extension pole. Slightly mashing smaller apples with your foot first makes spearing them a bit easier.

Have you ever needed to create a hole in dry soil that’s as hard as concrete? Well, why not treat it as if it really were concrete and drill holes into it with a masonry bit? This bit measures 1cm x 30cm and can be found at a hardware store.

Instead of throwing away empty laundry detergent containers, rinse them out thoroughly and then recycle them for watering plants. Drill 3mm holes in the top of the cap, and a 1cm hole just above the handle to relieve pressure so the water flows freely.

You’d be amazed how easy it is to move heavy, awkward objects with three pieces of PVC pipe. Move playhouses, yard sheds, empty hot tubs and rocks weighing well over a ton with this trick. Use 10cm-diameter PVC, which is available from hardware shops. Here’s how to do it:

Lift the front edge of the stone with a pry bar and slip two pipes underneath. Place one near the front and one about midway so the stone rests on the pipes.

Position the third pipe a foot or two in front of the stone.

Roll the stone forward onto the third pipe until the rear pipe comes free. Then move the rear pipe to the front and repeat.

This technique works best on relatively flat ground. On mild slopes, you’ll need a helper to shift pipes while you stabilise the load. Don’t use this method on steeper slopes.

Keep cold water within reach when mowing the lawn on hot days. Simply attach an empty (and clean) tin can to the handle of your walk-behind mower using zip ties. Be sure to select a can that is large enough to fit your water bottle!

Take one of your shop vacuum attachments to the hardware store and find a PVC tee that fits. Drill a hole in the tee large enough to accept a screwdriver, place a small plywood spacer behind it and screw it to the wall.

This gutter cleaner is inexpensive, takes about 10 minutes to make and will help you avoid ladder climbing. Buy 2cm PVC pipe, two elbows, a garden hose coupling and a cap at a local hardware shop. Drill 15mm holes in the cap as shown. Make the handle long enough to comfortably reach your gutters, and cement the parts together with PVC glue. Here’s another easy way to clean gutters.

Reuse your grated cheese (or herb) container to shake grass seed on bare spots in your lawn. The holes in the container are the perfect size for dispensing just the right amount without overdoing it.

No need to rent a cement mixer, you can whip up a large batch of concrete with a heavy-duty tarp and a helper. Just pour the concrete mix in the centre of the tarp, make a well and add the recommended amount of water. Then you and a friend each lift two corners of the tarp, churning the ingredients until the concrete is the perfect consistency. Pour it directly from the tarp into the form. Find out how to make a concrete BBQ bench.

Flat-edged shovels usually don’t need much sharpening, but shovels with a curved edge depend on the sharpness of the edge to easily penetrate tough soil, roots and other materials. Keep this edge crisp by periodically cleaning and sharpening the blade. A large file can help add a new edge, but if the shovel has some serious dings and nicks, you will need a grinder to really buff out the edge. Follow this essential guide to grinders, files and rasps.