Whether you’re growing your own food, gardening for pleasure or you just want to keep your garden space tidy, you’ll want to buy some basic tools that are used for gardening to make it as easy, efficient and enjoyable as possible.
If you don’t have an outdoor garden, you won’t need tools such as rake and hose and nozzle, but every gardener will find most of these tools indispensable for their gardening projects. The seven tools for gardening that we’ve evaluated below are easily available online and in most garden stores.
1. Rake
There are two kinds of rake and the outdoor gardener may want both.
A traditional leaf rake is used to keep your garden and the surrounding areas free of leaves while not damaging any plants. A good choice would be the highly-recommended Gardenite Adjustable Garden Leaf Rake; it is lightweight, 63″ long with a head that expands from 7” to 22”. When expanded, the 22” wider head collects huge amounts of debris in one sweep while the narrower 7” head allows you to collect debris between tighter spaces without doing any damage to surrounding plants. This rake comes with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.
On the other hand, a “regular” garden rake is used for prepping the soil before planting. For this job, the Bully Tools 12-Gauge 16-Inch Bow Rake with a high-strength fiberglass handle is a perfect choice. Made in the USA, the Bully Tools bow rake features extra thick 10 gauge steel while the triple wall fiberglass handle resists breakage and is lightweight and easy to use. This rake comes with a lifetime warranty.
2. Kneeling Pad
If you’ve ever knelt for any length of time, you’ll understand why a kneeling pad is so important! Touted as the best ever, the Navy Penguin Kneeling Pad has two EVA foam layers each with a different density: the black side has foam of 38-40 degrees density and the green side has foam of 15-20 degrees density. The 16.8″ x 12.9″ x 1″ dimensions will comfortably support anyone of any size. An added benefit is that it can be used for praying, baby bathing, cleaning, floor scrubbing and other household jobs! This kneeling pad is eco-friendly, non-toxic, water resistant and easy to wash — and has a lifetime 100% warranty!
3. Gardening Gloves
Gardening gloves are essential to protect your hands and prevent them from getting cuts and scrapes when you’re dealing with larger plants, and they also prevent dirt getting stuck in your nails. Some things to look for are water-resistance, strong yet flexible, comfortable to wear and the right size for you. Some are padded in certain areas for extra durability.
We love the Garden Genie Waterproof Garden Gloves! They are waterproof and puncture-resistant with nylon knitting to keep hands cool and with removable claws for raking up leaves and digging into the soil to remove weeds. They are made with materials that allow them to be worn by both men and women. The price varies with the color chosen.
4. Pruning and Cutting Tools
The cutting tool you need will depend on the type and thickness of your plants. There are lightweight shears for cutting fine plants and heavier ones for thicker, twiggy branches. So, make sure the shears you buy are suitable for the task.
For an excellent pair of shears, look no further than the Gonicc 8″ Professional Pruning Shears. The SK5 carbon steel blades are ultra strong and stay sharper than most. With non-slip handles, the shears are designed to be lightweight and comfortable in the hand. A nice feature is the pulley design which decreases the force you need the more you squeeze the handles. The safety lock can be undone with one hand. There’s a lifetime warranty and 100% money back guarantee.
5. Small Trowel
You’ll need a trowel for digging, planting seeds, to smooth out a layer of soil and to transfer seedlings. Some features to look for in a good trowel are comfortable grip, rust proof, lightweight and good ergonomic shape.
Homes Garden Carbon Steel Bend Proof Trowel has all these features. lt is lightweight, rust-resistant, bend-proof and durable. The soft PVC handle with a non-slip grip is gentle on your hands. With a 10-year warranty this trowel is an excellent, inexpensive choice.
6. Hose And Nozzle
For watering your outside plants you’ll need a lightweight, flexible hose that’s easy to maneuver around trees, bushes or other obstacles.
The Flexzilla Heavy Duty Garden Hose is 100 feet long and, in spite of it’s name, is lighter than traditional hoses. A wonderful feature is that it has “no memory” which means it won’t fight you when coiling, and the sprinkler will stay put without twisting. Additionally, it won’t kink under pressure and is lead-free so the water is safe to drink. The superior O-ring ensures a long-term, leak-free connection at the spigot.
For a nozzle, we suggest the Melnor RelaxGrip 8-Pattern Watering Wand. This wand features eight different watering patterns to meet a range of watering needs, from watering flowers with a gentle shower to a more powerful jet for hard-to-reach cleaning jobs. The RelaxGrip handle provides a natural grip to reduce stress on the wrist and hands, and includes a thumb control to allow control of the water flow without needing to press hard or keep your hand tightly clenched.
7. Digging Knife
A cross between a trowel and knife, a digging knife is a multipurpose tool for digging, planting and weeding. This tool, commonly called a hori-hori knife, is a traditional Japanese design: one edge is straight and the other is serrated. This tool is indispensable for digging into hard soil and sawing through tough roots.
One highly-rated knife is the Nisaku Hori-Hori Weeding and Digging Knife. Made with the finest Japanese stainless steel, the blade is rust- and scratch-resistant, washes easily and stays razor sharp. The thicker steel ensures durability and has a lot of leverage power. The concave blade is designed for digging, the beveled sharp edge is for slicing and the serrated opposite edge is for cutting. Inch markers engraved on the blade ensure you can plant at precisely the correct depth. It comes with a leather sheath which you can attach to your belt.
Final Thoughts
In summary, not having the right tools for gardening will be more work and probably result in frustration. Do yourself a favor, equip yourself with some good-quality basic tools to give yourself the best chance of success. Even though this list is by no means exhaustive, just owning a few basic tools for your gardening will save you a lot of work and get you on the right path to a successful garden.
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