When it comes to tackling out of reach jobs around the garden, tripod ladders are becoming ever more popular and rightly so. Most of us need a little help reaching higher jobs in the garden from time to time, whether it's pruning, hedge trimming, fruit picking or cutting back the ivy, and the natural solution is to grab that old pair of steps from the garage. But if you've ever tried this, and I'm sure we all have, you will soon realize that ordinary household stepladders were never designed for garden use. Their legs and feet are much too skinny and tend to sink easily into turf or soil making for an extremely unstable and dangerous base from which to work. Plus the handrail on such steps is usually far too low to be of much use when you are stood on the platform. So for years we have struggled in the garden with unsuitable access equipment which inevitably ends in frustration or worse still … injury.

As our No.1 national obsession, gardening has grown (sic) evermore popular in recent years and now occupies a big chunk of our leisure time at weekends and when we retire. It is not before time then that ladder manufacturers should finally get around to addressing the problem, designing products that help us work safely and comfortably in the garden. As perfectly level and firm ground conditions are almost impossible to find outdoors, it stands to reason that the four fixed-length legs of your household step ladder are never going to work… they're designed for use on level interior floors not undulating or sloping and soft terrain. Enter the three-legged Tripod ladder. This design, by utilizing one central back leg attached to a triangular front step section, serves a double purpose. Not only are three legs much more stable than four, but the top of the ladder forms a very narrow point which can be positioned between branches to get you into the heart of your trees for easy fruit harvesting without damaging them.

Tripod ladders come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some offer basic features and are suitable for occasional use at home, while more sophisticated models, featuring one or more adjustable telescopic legs, are designed for the serious gardener or professional horticulturist and will enable almost any obstacle or challenging terrain to be tackled safely including flower beds, ditches, dwarf walls, serious slopes and uneven ground.

All garden tripod ladders are manufactured from strong yet very lightweight aluminium making them easy to move around amongst the fauna and flora, and they fold flat for convenient storage and transportation. Other garden-friendly features include large swivelling foot pads to prevent sinkage in flower beds and other unstable substrates and a ground spike on the rear central leg so the ladder always stays exactly where it should.

If you're serious about your gardening and more importantly your safety, then tripod ladders will help you solve any awkward access problem you are ever likely to encounter while working in your garden. If there's a basic truth surrounding gardening it's that you will never enjoy your gardening if you feel uncomfortable and unsafe and you will end up doing a rushed and hence bad job. So do yourself a favour and invest in a tripod ladder for your garden.. you will wonder how you ever managed without it.