Essential Gardening Tools
Whether you are new to gardening or you are an experienced garden you will need to have the right tools.
Below I have compiled a list of tools I use most often throughout the gardening year.
You dont need to buy them all to start with - I bought mine a few at a time until I had built up a full set.
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Why do I need gardening gloves?
The main reason is that they help prevent injury from thorns, splinters and sharp edges. Apart from being uncomfortable the cuts can lead to infections and diseases. A secondary benefit is the protection and comfort they give from gardening tasks that can leave your hands sore, blistered and irritated.
2. Garden Spade
A spade is essential for digging soil to loosen it and break up large lumps. Together with a fork they are the garden workhorses. Its sharp, straight blade also ideal to give a perfect edge to flower beds and lawns. It is also used for transplanting, dividing shrubs and digging trenches.
A garden fork is used for many purposes:
- breaking up compacted soil. Its sharp, strong tines can penetrate tough soil much easier than a spade.
- mixing, turning, loosening and lifting loose materials such as soil, compost or mulch
- create holes to aerate lawns
- create holes for seeds
- remove stones and weeds
4. Garden Hoe
A garden hoe (also called a Dutch Hoe or Draw Hoe) is an essential tool for removing weeds. It is also used for making shallow trenches in the soil that are ideal for planting seeds just below the surface.
5. Weeder
This is a small hand tool with a forked end that’s ideal for digging individual weeds and removing them by the root. It is much better than polluting your garden with harmful weedkilling chemicals.
6. Garden Rake
A garden rake is used to remove stones and rocks from the soil before planting. It is also used for levelling the soil surface, or for gathering debris such as leaves, twigs and weeds.
A Leaf Rake is less rigid and has a fan like blade that is a lot wider than a Garden Rake. It is designed especially to rake up leaves but is not suitable for raking soil.
7. Hand Trowel
A hand trowel is a small tool that is extensively used for planting, transplanting and potting. The trowel is also used for digging out small beds for plants and flowers. It is also ideal for digging out weeds.
8. Watering Can
This is essential for keeping your plants fed and watered. Depending on the type of your plants, and also your carrying strength you my want a large or a small can. Also a watering can with a long spout is useful for reaching high spots - hanging baskets for example.
Not strictly an essential item but it will save you from a lot of joint pain especially on your knees. The seat can be turned over and used as a kneeler taking the strain off your knees and back.
10. Knee Pads
A pair of knee pads will protect your kneecaps which can become painful over time.
11. Garden Scissors
Scissors can be used for many simple garden tasks. They can be used for opening seed packets, pruning small flowers, cutting thin stems, cutting twine, netting etc etc.
12. Secateurs
These are also known as a pruning shears, pruners or clippers. They are used for trimming and shaping plants and shrubs and for removing dead growth. If they are kept sharp they can also be used to cut small tree branches.
13. Garden Shovel
A shovel is is used for digging and the removal or addition of compost, fertiliser, mulch, soil, etc.
14. Lawn Mower
If you have a grass lawn then a good mower is essential. There are many types to choose from - petrol, electric and also manual push mowers. The type you choose is often down to the size of your garden. Petrol Mowers are best suited to large gardens whereas an Electric Mower is best suited to a small garden. Push mowers can be k on the flat but hard work on a hill.
15. Wheelbarrow
A wheelbarrow eases the effort of moving soil, weeds, stones, rocks and debris around your garden. You can even put your tools in it and carry them round the garden to where you are working.
16. Bow Saw
Shrubs and trees will need shaping and pruning from time to time, not to mention those woody weeds like briars that will need to be tackled too. A bow saw will see you through most of the heavier cutting tasks in the garden; when a secateurs just won’t cut it!
17. Pruning Saw
Pruning shears are ideal for cutting for plants and small tree branches on trees but larger branches need a pruning saw. It cuts on the pull stroke, which gives you greater control when sawing branches.
In the summer your garden may require a lot of watering. During these days a watering can is too much effort and it will be very time consuming going back and forth to refill it. That’s where a hose is ideal or for a lawn you may consider a sprinkler system.
You can remove leaves from your garden or yard using a rake but this can be time consuming. A leaf blower takes all the effort away. The flick of a switch sucks them all up and shreds them into the bag, ready for emptying on the compost heap. You can also switch it to blower mode to blow away grass cuttings off paths etc.