It’s easy to go overboard when it comes to buying landscaping tools used for gardening. They can take up a lot of space and cost a lot of money, but focusing on the basics can keep your shed or storage area from becoming overcrowded.
There are always bigger and better, but buying the best quality tools that your budget will allow, and maintaining them, can go a long way in getting the most out of your investment.
Here are 12 essential garden tools to get you going on any garden project.
1. Watering cans
Watering cans come in 2 basic types, plastic or metal. There are hundreds of styles, colors, sizes, and nozzles to choose from.
Plastic cans can be lighter than metal cans, but will not last as long.
Metal cans should be galvanized to prevent rusting.
Consider the size of the can relative to your strength, a gallon of water weighs just over 8 pounds.
The handles should be positioned so that you can carry a full can and also dump it easily.
A double handle design allows for better stability for children or older gardeners.
You may need two: a larger one with a sprinkler head for outdoor use and a smaller, long-necked version for indoor plants.
2. Gloves
While gardening can be a wonderful hobby, without the right gloves, it can quickly turn into a thorny and debris-filled mess.
Gloves should be durable, but not too bulky, especially when handling seeds or transplanting young plants.
Fit is important, as ill-fitting gloves can cause blisters or accidents due to slippage.
Waterproof but breathable fabrics help keep hands cool and comfortable.
Longer cuffs protect wrists and forearms from scratches and keep the mud out.
Store gloves out of the sun and away from water and insects.
3. Shovels
These short-handled square shovels are the workhorses of the garden. They make it easy to dig holes for plants, edge them, carry sod, and move small mounds of soil from one area to another. This tool can be expensive, but a good shovel will keep your gardening life going.
The tread on top of the blade provides a sturdier and more comfortable footing when extra pushing is needed.
The ash hardwood handle is durable and absorbs shock and vibration.
They are generally available in long and short handles. Longer handles provide more leverage but are heavier.
Stainless steel heads are strong and will not rust.
4. Hand trowel
An essential hand tool, a trowel is the best tool for transplanting bedding plants and herbs, planting containers, and removing weeds.
Choose a wide blade to move more soil, or a long, narrow blade to dig up weeds or rocky soil.
The handle should fit comfortably in your hand.
Use a trowel forged of stainless steel, or at least with a stainless steel head for more durability and longer life.
5. Hoes
The type of garden you have will determine what type of hoe is best for you. A vegetable garden may require a sturdy, wide hoe. If you have a perennial garden, you may need a finer touch and a thinner hoe. Hoes are useful in preparing gardens and flower beds as well as removing weeds.
Look for a comfortable handle with a longer reach.
A sharp blade works better and is easier to use.
Weeding hoes, also called hula hoes or stirrup hoes, have an open square head that is pushed back and forth across the soil surface to cut top growth.
The flat hoe is suitable for turning the soil in rows in the vegetable garden.
6. Pruning shears
Manual pruners, also known as loppers, help control runaway plants and take over. Anvil pruners use a sharp blade to meet a flat surface, similar to a knife aboard. Bypass pruners cut with sharp blades passing through a flat surface with sharp edges, more like scissors.
Anvil trimmers are best suited for dead wood and can cause crushing injuries to fresh, green stems and branches.
Bypass pruners are better suited for live plants and greenwood.
Pruners should fit easily into the palm of your hand.
Ratchet trimmers increase cutting strength and are ideal for people with reduced hand strength or arthritis.
To make cleaner cuts and reduce damage to plants, the pruners should be sharpened regularly. (For more, see Care and Maintenance of Garden Tools)
7. Pruners
Another cutting tool, the pruner is basically a long-handled pruner used for pruning hard-to-reach areas and cutting thicker branches. The long handle provides the leverage it needs to cut branches up to an inch or more in diameter. There are anvil and bypass models, just like the pruners. Handles typically range from 16 to 36 inches.
Bypass pruners are more precise in their cutting position than anvil pruners.
Pruners with longer handles can be heavy. Know what you are cutting and the distance you need to reach and get the right length.
Lightweight aluminum or carbon fiber composite handles can be lighter.
As with pruners, keep your pruner blades in good condition and sharpen them regularly.
8. Rake
When leaves and debris fall, your sturdy rake will carry them away. Rakes come in a variety of styles and sizes, but a standard leaf rake is a good place to start.
Adjustable rakes can do the work of multiple tools, reach into tight areas or collect large piles of leaves.
Steel tines are stronger than plastic tines and may be rougher on delicate lawns.
9. Garden forks
Garden forks are an effective tool for turning soil and digging into dense soil better than a shovel.
Forks have slightly curved tines and can be used to remove mulch or turn compost, much like a pitchfork.
Forks with straight tines are better suited for digging and work well for compacted, rocky, or clayey soils.
Square tines are stronger than flat tines, which can bend when they hit rocks or tree roots.
10. Garden hoses with adjustable nozzles
Water is the foundation of garden life and it is very important that your garden hose can reach and spray every area. There are three basic hose diameters: ½ inch (averaging 9 gallons per minute), 5/8 inch (averaging 15 gallons per minute), and ¾ inch (up to 25 gallons per minute). Adjustable nozzles allow you to control water pressure and spray radius.
Before purchasing a hose, estimate the length of hose you will need.
Hose length affects water pressure – the longer the hose, the lower the pressure produced.
The vinyl hose is lighter in weight and less expensive, but tends to kink and doesn’t last as long as rubber construction.
Store hoses coiled up and out of direct sunlight. Kinking while storing can cause weak spots.
11. Watering Sticks
Give your plants a gentle rain shower with a water break wand. The elongated reach also helps to reach out-of-the-way containers, hanging plants, or the back edge of borders. Watering wands are available in a variety of lengths, ranging from 10 to 48 inches.
Choose the right length for your needs – longer ones for tall hanging baskets, shorter ones for tight spaces.
A built-in shut-off valve in the handle saves water and allows you to adjust the flow rate.
12. Wheelbarrows
If you have extra soil to move in your backyard, compost or mulch to add to your garden beds, or any other heavy lifting and moving project, a wheelbarrow can help you haul hundreds of pounds! Traditional two-handle, single-wheeled styles can be more difficult to balance heavy or unevenly distributed loads.
Traditional two-handle, single-wheel styles can be harder to balance heavy or unevenly distributed loads.
The single handle, two-wheel style is easier to balance and is more suitable for those with limited strength or when pulling over uneven terrain.
Single-handle trolleys can be pushed or pulled with one hand.
Store it clean and dry to prevent rusting.
Keep the wheels properly inflated for easy wheel travel.
By investing in these basic gardening tools, your shed will hold everything it needs to keep your garden beautiful and growing.
