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Dave Kindred and “Angie,” his yellow-cheeked Amazon parrot, spend plenty of time in and around his Liberty Lake garden.

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Profiles: Kindred’s tool all he needs to feed gardening passion
4/29/2015 10:03:39 AM

By Treva Lind
Splash Contributor

In the River District, Dave Kindred surveys his backyard filled with multiple fruit-bearing trees, raised garden beds and a popular golden raspberry patch. The garden thrives along the area's outer boundaries, leaving room for a lawn.

The design makes it clear Kindred knows how to apply efficiencies to a hobby he and his wife, Cheryl, enjoy together. A tinkerer, Kindred in 2010 developed his first prototype of an all-in-one garden tool. Today, he has sold more than 3,000 of his patent-pending Basic Garden Tool, a multipurpose instrument for digging, weeding, hoeing, edging and trenching. 

"For people who like their yard work, and even those who hate yard work, they'll love this tool because it makes the work so much faster and easier," said Kindred, 66. "You don't go get all these different tools; you just need this one."

A regular vendor at garden and home shows, he also sells the $59.90 tool online on Amazon and at www.basicgardentool.com. Northwest Seed & Pet and Peters Hardware carry the product as well, he said.

The BGT has a triangular-shaped beveled head and then saw-tooth front and back edges to cut through plant material for weeding. To show another use, Kindred placed his foot on a side of the head near the handle to use it as a shovel.   

"The tool has a lifetime warranty," he said. "I don't use anything else because this does the work of many tools."

Area manufacturing companies make the tool's parts, including Inland Northwest Metallurgical Services, L&M Precision Fabrication and Inland Millworks. The head is made with tempered high carbon U.S. steel and goes through a long heat-treated process for strength, followed by powder-coating. Kindred does finishing work and assembles the product.

When he first had a prototype, Kindred reached out to Pat Munts, a Spokesman-Review garden columnist who also works at WSU Spokane County Extension as a small farms and acreage coordinator.

"I've known Dave since he first hatched the idea," Munts said. "He wanted someone's opinion - did it have some practicality in agriculture? I took a look and said, ‘Hey, it does have some potential,' so he started working on some revisions."

Kindred said Munts purchased his first finished product off the line. 

Munts credited Kindred for having ingenuity and using local manufacturers, while also employing disabled veterans to help with marketing.

"Dave is very enthusiastic, and he really works with his clients," she said. "He has a great sense of humor. Watching him work with members of the public is a hoot."

That humor showed as Kindred introduced his parrot, Angie. He quipped that she's chairman of the board for the business, keeping a watchful eye as he works and she rides on his shoulder.

His fondness for parrots stems from childhood, when his aunt gave him the book, "Treasure Island." At the time, his father had just died.

"It was around Christmas time, and everyone around me was sad," he said. "I was 10 and just wanted Christmas to be fun. My aunt gave me the book, ‘Treasure Island.' She said, ‘Go get lost in this story.' Ever since then, it's been my favorite novel, and I love birds. I wanted a parrot like Long John Silver."  

Raised near Salt Lake City, Kindred also by age 10 did yardwork to earn extra money from a neighbor, who became a mentor. Mr. Hunter taught him how to streamline outdoor chores and attend to details.

"He taught me the difference between a $5 job and a $20 job," Kindred said. He earned $20. 

Before developing his business, Kindred worked as a design consultant for outdoor ski wear and then as a consultant for designing backyards and home remodeling projects. 

Moving to Liberty Lake in March 2008, the couple was mostly drawn to the opportunity to ride bicycles on the nearby Centennial Trail. They have three adult children, 14 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Cheryl works at Triumph Composite Systems, where she's been for 25 years.

"We bike quite often," Kindred said. 

Of course, they also spend time in their garden. Using large boulders, he built a retaining wall where plants fit neatly along the perimeter. Vegetation includes two blackberry plants, Rainier and Bing cherry trees, vines producing four kinds of grapes, pear and apricot trees, a Honey Crisp apple tree and two peach trees. 

Two specialty apple trees are grown in Espalier style, an Italian design for training them flat against the fence. These trees are grafted, so each grows four varieties: Red Delicious, Fuji, Golden Delicious and Jonathan. The Kindreds also grow golden raspberries, chives and red raspberries. Six raised beds will hold vegetables.

"My wife always wanted a secret garden," Kindred said. "From the front of our house, you can't see just how much there is." 

Even from the back, he added, "It doesn't look like it would produce as much as it does."

The couple makes applesauce and plenty of grape juice. They also enjoy canning the harvest. 

To prepare this season, Kindred likely will wear his work apron that he also has on at garden shows. He said putting his apron on is like buckling on the construction worker's tool belt with all its compartment bags.

"When I want to get a lot of work done, I put my apron on," he said. "It's a mental thing. You've got your bags on."

• • •

Profiles: Dave Kindred

Age 
66

Occupation  
Founder and inventor of Basic Garden Tool

Most successful garden plant  
Our golden raspberries. They're not tart; they're sweet. People know us for our golden raspberries.  

Pet 
Angie, a yellow-cheeked Amazon parrot.  

Favorite hobbies 
Besides gardening, it's cars. I have a 25-year-old Porsche turbo. 

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