Calling all gardeners, new and experienced. Choosing and buying garden tools can be overwhelming – sometimes you don’t know what you need until you need it. Here’s a detailed guide to the garden tools you may want to have on hand. We’ll discuss what each tool does and why you’ll want to have them at hand as you begin your gardening journey. Welcome to the wonderful joy of gardening. Let’s see if we can make it easier for you.
You need these practical gardening tools
Choosing the right garden tools may seem like a simple task, but you will need to consider your size, any special challenges, the level of the task, the manufacturer and the materials used. Choosing the right garden tools can save you a lot of effort and money.
Here are some of our favorite basic items to buy, collect, or borrow as you begin your gardening adventure.
1. Gloves
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Of course! Protect your hands from the drying effects of soil, sharp edges of tools and thorns, and even too much sun. Gardening gloves are also great for lifting tools and potted plants and make you look like a seasoned gardener. Buy some thin, smooth ones for precise pruning and some thick ones for larger jobs or those involving thorns.
2. Fly
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Perhaps the best hand tool in your gardening collection is the humble trowel. Simply a smaller hand shovel, the trowel wins first place for most used tool in my garden box. I use it to lift soil for planting new plants, level the soil in my raised beds, create furrows for planting seeds, dig up the occasional weed, and loosen soil around plants. Shoveling, spreading, moving gravel, brush, and small mulch areas are all trowel jobs in my world. I have pointed trowels, serrated trowels, and smooth trowels, and I use them all.
3. Scissors
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Pruning shears are the second most used tool in my garden. There are so many different types of pruning shears that it would be difficult to recommend one, but sharp, sturdy ones are useful for pruning, trimming, deadheading, harvesting, and many other unexpected tasks. Buy the best branded pruning shears because they are worth it.
Plan on sharpening them occasionally. If you’re like me, you’ll want to have at least a couple of different sizes – pruning herbs is very different from pruning azaleas or roses. These are basically extra-long shears, also known as pruning shears or hand pruning shears, that you’ll use for a variety of gardening purposes. Large pruning shears are fine, but unless you’re going to be pruning some large shrubs or trees, you probably won’t need the large shears right away.
4. Weeding
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From the pointy-tipped handheld weeder to the clever “grandfather,” I can’t imagine a well-weeded garden without at least one of these on hand. Gardeners tend to complain about the constant chore of weeding, but pulling out weeds, roots and all, is one of the more satisfying jobs out there.
5. Shovel
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If you’re digging up a patch of grass or a stubborn patch of weeds, you can’t go wrong with a good shovel. Shovels are also great for breaking up clumps of soil and preparing holes for new plantings. Buy a sturdy shovel, but consider the weight of the tool before you buy one.
6. Garden fork
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You probably won’t need it when you’re starting out, but a tall garden fork will come in handy when you’re turning compost, moving hay, and loosening soil. Of course, a hand fork is also useful for smaller jobs. I recommend both, but you may need the smaller fork before the other. It depends on what you’re doing.
7. Wheelbarrow
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A wheelbarrow can’t really be called a luxury, although that’s how I feel when I use one. Even in a small yard, moving plants, soil, fertilizer, pots, watering cans, tools – everything is easier with a wheelbarrow. There are many sizes and weights and this is something you will never regret buying.
8. Scratch
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Clear all dead leaves and debris from under bushes and trees, as well as collecting leaves and cuttings from the lawn to use as compost – a rake is a wonderful invention in its simplicity. Don’t discount the usefulness of a small rake either. Picking up stuff from under steps and decks or small planting areas will be easier with a smaller rake.
9. Hori Hori Knife
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Now, this is a must-have! We sometimes call this the Swiss Army knife for gardening – it digs, cuts, measures and is incredibly handy as it replaces 10 garden tools. We don’t recommend buying any old Hori Hori knife, as you’ll want this tool to last. We’ve picked the best knife we’ve found for our shop. It’s from Vego and it will be your favourite gardening companion through years of heavy use. Dig up weeds, cut stems, use 4 different wrench functions, a powerful nail puller and a comprehensive ruler – all in one tool!
Hori Hori 10 in 1 Knife Set
Get yourself a durable stainless steel hori hori knife at Gardening Know How.
10. Watering can
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Make sure your planting projects are close to a water source to make it easier to keep the plants moist. A watering can is great for this purpose but in a pinch, a good watering can is a must.
A word about quality
I can’t say enough about the quality. I was once gifted a pair of clip-on pruning shears purchased online by a kind friend. I was excited and eager to prune my favorite azalea. However, the handles of the pruning shears were too far for my hands, and the blades wouldn’t extend far enough to cut anything other than a small branch (which usually doesn’t require a clip). What seemed like the perfect tool now sits in the back of a drawer.
Read reviews and ask gardeners for advice. You may pay a little more, but good stuff will last much longer and be designed to be more comfortable to use.
Other must haves
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- A good apron will protect you from mud and dirt, and it’s even better if it has pockets for hand tools and a washcloth.
- Sun hats are essential to protecting your scalp. Whether you have hair or not, the sun can really damage the delicate skin on your scalp.
- Sunscreen is a must.
- Tool belts make it easy to keep track of your tools and save time when you lose them. It happens.
- A good hand soap and moisturizer can save you after a busy day of gardening.
Store and care for your garden tools
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Don’t learn the hard way. Your tools can be contaminated with a variety of fungi, pathogens, viruses, and bacteria that you will transfer to your other plants if you don’t keep them clean. For large tools, dip them in a bucket of 9 parts water to 1 part bleach, rinse, and dry thoroughly. This method also works for smaller tools, but you can also wipe them down with rubbing alcohol.
When storing utensils and pots for the winter, make sure they are clean and dry, or plan to wash them before using them again in the spring.
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