Garden Tools for Beginners

Which Tools are Absolutely Necessary for Starting a New Garden

Sep 18, 2009

Gardening can be hard physical work but also enjoyable and addicting, if you have the right tools.

The right tool will let you enjoy gardening instead of forcing you to quit early.The right tool will help you be more efficient in your garden tasks and yard maintenance. Once purchased, these tools, with a little care, can last for many years, so always choose quality over quantity. You can purchase them over time. If your space and budget is limited, start with gloves, a hand trowel, a shovel or spade, and a pair of pruners.

Essential Tools

You can buy a long- or short-handled shovel, depending on what you feel most comfortable with.

You’ll be using this for moving material; scooping up compost and mulch or spreading manure and natural fertilizers.

Generally, a spade has a sharper or more pointed blade than a shovel does. Good for digging planting holes, slicing under sod, and digging in packed soil.

A trowel is indispensable. You’ll use it to plant bulbs, seedlings, and other plants in a garden bed. Try holding a few in the store and see which feels best in your hand. More and more lightweight and ergonomic styles are now becoming available, some with a rounded handle for more gripping area and less wrist strain while providing more digging power. If your budget allows, have a few of these around.

Whether you’re preparing a bed for planting, turning compost, dividing perennials, or aerating a lawn you will come to love your spading fork. A fork loosens and aerates the soil more than your shovel or spade. It is a must if you’re going to have a compost pile. You’ll need to turn the organic matter in your compost pile frequently, and a pitchfork will make this workout easier on your back.

A steel rake is good for dressing and smoothing out prepared soil in a planting bed. Having one wide plastic rake for leaves and a small steel rake for soil would be ideal.

A hand pruner’s sharp blades allow you to cut thin branches and stems. You will be using your hand pruner constantly, so keep it in a safe, dry place, and go for the best. Felco and Corona are two of the most popular brands amongst many Master Gardeners.

It has a horizontal blade on the end of a long wooden handle for cutting weeds just below the surface and it will make hand weeding less tedious. (Two other handy weeding tools are the three pronged cultivator and the CobraHead precision weeder. Both of these are shaped like a claw and are superb for loosening soil and attacking weeds.)

Wear safety glasses while pruning, chopping, or tilling your little jungle or when spraying your plants. Some models are designed to fit over prescription eyeglasses.

Have two to three pairs and keep them in three different dry, accessible locations. Choose leather or thick cloth, especially if you will be working around thorns. You may need to replace them annually as they do tear from overworking. Womenswork (www.womenswork.com) has some durable and fashionable options.

You will use your garden cart constantly for hauling materials around the garden or as a container in which to mix soil amendments. Some two-wheeled carts made with pneumatic tires can support up to 500 pounds, though the cart itself is lightweight. Gardener’s Supply Company (www.gardeners.com) and Lee Valley Tools (www.Leevalley.com) have a good variety.

Running a leaf blower for a half hour generates as much pollution as driving a car 110 miles. 80 smart U.S. cities have banned them. Instead, pick up a rake. Rake your leaves around your garden as free, organic, slow-release fertilizer and mulch.

Wear those gloves, goggles, and a painter’s paper air mask if you’re going to be spraying products in your yard. Though many are organic, there are still substances in them that could cause harm or, at the very least, dehydrate you. Wash up well after use.

The copyright of the article Garden Tools for Beginners in Landscaping is owned by Annie Spiegelman. Permission to republish Garden Tools for Beginners in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.