Every gardener needs a few tools to get the job done. Here are 7 recommendations for tools that every gardener should have.
Some gardeners love to get their hands, and even feet, dirty. They love the feel of the soil and feel connected to it through their hands and feet. Others prefer gardening gloves. Some gardeners like to till by hand while others use machinery. While we all garden in different ways, there are some tools gardeners really need. What are some of your favorite tools? Here’s a list of my top 7 gardening must haves.
Gardening Gloves
Ok, gardening gloves really are a personal choice. I’m one of those vegetable gardeners that always wears gloves. I go through about four pairs a year in fact. Finding good quality gardening gloves is a must for gardeners such as myself. I keep a pair down in the garden and the rest in the garage. I’ve tried a multitude of gardening gloves in different styles, but my favorite are waterproof gloves that have a velcro strip at the wrist to secure it. Regular cotton gloves are just fine for planting, but thicker gloves are better when pulling and clearing well established plants. Longer gloves protect your forearms when pruning blackberry bushes or rose bushes. We have both of those and I greatly appreciate the added protection from sharp thorns.
Trowel
A strong trowel with a good handle is imperative. Vegetable gardeners spend a lot of time digging holes. If you’re new to gardening and start with inexpensive trowels, you’ll soon learn that that’s not something to skimp on. I’ve purchased trowels at the dollar store for the children to use and they’ve all broken. Either the plastic handle cracks or the blade bends. It just isn’t worth it to be cheap on trowels.
Pruning Shears
Pruning shears are another tool that you don’t want to be cheap with. I’ve tried many different brands and at the moment my favorite is the gonicc 8″ Professional Premium Titanium Bypass Pruning Shears. They have a very comfortable grip and are not difficult to squeeze as some are. A big problem I’ve had with shears is that the blades end up sticking together mid project. I clean my shears at the end of the day, and recommend that every gardener does. No matter how great the quality of your shears is, they need to be cleaned often. You don’t want to transmit any diseases between plants while pruning.
Shovel
A trowel is great for small jobs, but you’ll also want a full size shovel. Shovels are great when digging larger holes for bigger plants. Just imagine how long it would take to dig a hole for an apple tree with a trowel. They’re also very useful when you have hard clay-like soil. It can be very difficult to break up clay, especially if it’s an area that is being planted for the first time. You can find good quality shovels at your local hardware store.
Hoe
Hoes are great for many things, but they are mostly used in vegetable gardening to remove weeds, move soil and create shallow trenches. It is so much quicker to use a hoe to weed larger areas than to pull them by hand. The most commonly used hoe is known as a draw hoe. I not only use it to quickly pull up weeds, but I also use it for making trenches when planting potatoes. This is another tool that you can find at your local hardware store.
Tool carrying bag or cart
Depending on how far your garden is from the place you store your tools, you might want a gardening bag or a cart. I have a Gorilla Cart that I love. Our main garden is quite a way down a hill so walking up and down from the garage to the garden to bring plants and tools down is a bit of a pain. The Gorilla Cart makes it easy to load them all up at once. If your garden is closer though, you might want a gardening bag to carry your smaller tools in and simply carry the shovel or hoe by hand when needed. The WORKPRO Garden Tool Bag is a great quality tool bag that I like.
Storage solution for your tools
This is a tool for your tools that is a must. Where do you store your tools? My larger tools, such as the hoe and shovel, are in the garage and some of the smaller tools, such as the trowel and gloves, are down at the garden. Would you believe that I keep them in a mailbox? I bought a mailbox specifically to hold them. It looks very nice and keeps the hand tools dry and close by. I also keep twine, yellow sticky cards, scissors and a marker and tags in the mailbox. Many people choose to purchase or build a small tool shed or simply have a storage container near their garden.
There are many other gardening tools available such as hand rakes and bow rakes, weed pullers, and bulb planters. These are just 7 of my must have and often used gardening tools.
What are your favorite gardening tools?
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