The Hack That Will Turn One Of Your Gardening Tools Into A Measuring Stick

While you likely envision your yard as a natural, organic space, the simple fact is that you actually may need a measuring stick more often than you think while doing chores outdoors — perhaps you want your plants to be spaced evenly throughout your garden bed or yard, or maybe you need to measure how much vertical space there is for a particular plant to grow along a fence or trellis. 

Beyond aesthetics, proper measuring is also often necessary to ensure your plants can thrive. Some plants may need to be situated slightly further apart to ensure there's enough space for their roots to spread, and most plants have a specific depth at which they should be planted for the best outcome.

Even if you're not much of a gardener, there are many situations outdoors where a measuring tool would be useful. For example, perhaps you want to hang hooks an equal distance apart so your patio lights will look professionally installed. Regardless of what you have planned for your yard, you don't want to be constantly running into your house in search of a measuring tape, especially if you're in the midst of messy tasks such as gardening. With this gardening tool hack, you'll always have a measuring tool close at hand.

The simple yet effective hack comes from Paul James, host of HGTV's "Gardening by the Yard" — and while you will initially need a tape measure of some sort, you'll soon be able to reach for a gardening tool to help with any measuring needs.

As James recommends, all you need to do is lay the tape measure alongside some type of gardening tool with a long handle, such as a shovel or rake, and use a permanent marker or even paint to create marking lines at particular distances. While it may be challenging to get closer markings such as half or quarter inches, you should easily be able to include inches and feet up to the length of the tool handle. You may still need to break out the tape measure for larger jobs, such as if you're building a fence, but this DIY measuring tool should be able to handle most of your outdoor measuring needs.

As an added bonus, your tool will be weighted down on one end, so you won't have to enlist help to hold the measuring stick steady — the weight of the shovel, rake, or whatever implement you've used should do the trick.

Most garden tools have wood or plastic handles, both of which should be sufficient canvases for permanent marker or paint. However, if the idea of permanently marking up one of your garden tools doesn't appeal to you, there are a few variations you might consider. One such option is to stretch masking tape along the handle of your tool and make your markings on the tape instead. Then, when you no longer need to make any measurements, the tape can be peeled off with no permanent damage to the tool itself.

Or, if you'd prefer to work with a streamlined tool that doesn't have any bulky weight on one end, you could buy an inexpensive wood dowel or narrow strip of wood from your local hardware store. Conversely, if you regularly leave your tools out in the yard and you worry about the markings getting worn away, there's a simple solution for that as well — simply add a coat of varnish in order to create a protective barrier that will keep your markings looking crisp and clear.