A long handled construction shovel. It's the most versatile tool I have. It's the best for contouring, digging plants, and even edging. Forget the shiny, short handled square shovel I see used on a local TV show. That's an almost useless backbreaker, even for short people. I like to stand up when digging.

A winged weeder is my favorite. I think it cuts weeding time in half for me.
Now if I would only get out there & use it!

A long handled cultivator, the three prongs are narrow and smaller than most of the hand held types, gets in between plants nicely. I inherited this tool from a very dear friend, needless to say, it gets extra attention before put away for the winter.

A......

I love my Felco pruners and my Ultimate gardening gloves but gotta say the tool I've used the most is a nylon bag that pops open like an umbrella that I drag around the yard to put debris in. It has low sides and is easy to toss into when weeding sitting on the ground and has a handle down low on the outside too to pull along.

When I was at the Garden Show recently I purchased a hand cultivator called a "Cobrahead" from a vendor named Cedar Lake Cottage Goods. I have another one similar to this one, but purchased it anyway because they said I could return it if I didn't find it to be better than the one I had. THEY WERE RIGHT! The curve is perfect, it is long, thin and a little pointy and made of lightweight sturdy steal. It is one of the best tools to loosen roots of weeds so they just lift right out, it loosens dirt and gets between crowded plants and narrow areas. I carry this tool with me now whenever I'm weeding or working out in the garden. Check it out at www.cottagegoods.com.

My weed flamers! They take care of a lot of new seedlings in a hurry.

in order- my brain, my hands, a trowel

Aftermidnight, a long handled cultivator sounds great. Do you remember where you got it? Mine has a short handle and is a real backbreaker, especially for a tall person.
- Tom

I wouldn't be without my spading fork! Great for digging and moving plants and getting the max amout of roots and its great for turning over compost and mixing it into the soil! King of Spades is also a great transplanting shovel and I wish I had gotten the longer handle!

Hi Tom, I inherited mine, it is quite an old tool, don't think I have ever seen one like mine for sale anywhere. All I can suggest is to look for a suitable hand cultivator with a wooden handle, replace the handle with a longer one, maybe a rake handle. We've replaced handles on shovels, rakes and forks, so why not a cultivator. When I find a garden tool that really works for me I don't want to part with it, I have several favorite very old tools, the handles have been replaced several times.

A......

Dutch hoe. That is what my parents called it. Like a rake with four long prongs. I'd be lost without it.

:)

Martin

Absolute favorite.......not sure if it's a tool, but I consider it one....my Rocket Sprayer.
After that, I'd be lost without my battery powered recip saw...........I have to do lots of heavy pruning!

Here is a link that might be useful: sprayer

My original HoriHori. 2 bucks at a garage sale--still new!--many moons ago.

Not the new lightweight shiny ones available now.
This is the original, heavy, forged, tempered, steel one.
It is heavy enough to do it's own work.
"Schuunk"--it goes into the soil practically on it's own.
It can be sharpened, but I let it be dull enough to live in my right hand back pocket of my jeans.

ok I'll bite. What's a horihori?

see hori hori image

Here is a link that might be useful: carbon steel hori hori

I'm with buyorsell888 - I also have a pair of collapasable yard debris bags with handles, one BIG one and a smaller one. I love those things! They're great.

I'm not sure what it's called, but it's a Japanese three pronged claw thingy. It looks positively wicked.

If I can't get a shovel through my cobblestone lined clay, the claw makes short work of loosening it up. It rips up weeds like nothing.

I have a Japanese Farmer's knife from Lee Valley Tools which looks identical to a hori hori.

A......

I have a little yellow handled garden trowel that my wife keeps saying she is going to have bronzed. After I hand dug my 6' deep pond, I used this lil fellar to custom cut the hardpan for the rocks that form my waterfalls, streams, and pond edge. It is so warped and tweaked that it is but a figment of it's former self and yet, it is always the one I reach for when I'm digging a small planting hole or the likes. We been through so much together :-)

The No Mercy Tool. My back is not so good and I can get down low with this and wreak havoc on weeds.

My only complaint is dirt gets stuck between the tines and has to be cleaned out every once in a while

jb

Here is a link that might be useful: No Mercy Tool

My dh's favorite is his woodmans pal. He uses it a lot when taking out ivy, blackberries and cutting limbs off fallen trees, etc. The hook is very useful on the big blackberry canes we get.

Here is a link that might be useful: woodmans pal

A few weeks ago I may have said the "Garden Bandit" weeder or the tiny hoe/cultivator with the broken handle that I bought at a garage sale for a quarter, but then I bought a 2.5 lb pick ax. We live on property that used to be forest land. The soil is great, but it's really had to dig holes. There's always rocks or small logs etc. With the pick ax I can loosen the soil and pull out rocks and logs and plant trees with so much less effort.

I gave the smaller bag away and am sorry. I have tried to find a new one but have not had any luck. I found one that is taller sided but smaller around but it is a PITA to reach up into and I don't like it.

Shovels-
*A smaller lighter shovel called a floral shovel as it is easier on the arms and back and slides easily into the dirt.
*A long narrow straight-sided trenching shovel for when I have to dig out a plant and need to get under it to lift it out.

Weeding-
*An Asian trowel that had a deeper bowl with serrated edges coming to a point in front, good for digging holes and getting plants out.
*A type of winged weeder with a small blade only on one side that a friend owns, I haven't seen one in a store. I bought a regular winged weeder and the blade came off the handle the first time I used it.
*A hula hoe- great for scuffing small weeds coming up in sheets, not so good for larger weeds with deep roots
*A serrated knife for slicing off weeds and cutting blackberry vines into 3' lengths for the chipper
*A double-headed hammer-like weeder with a blade on one side and teeth on the other side for grabbing onto the roots of plants. That side tends to jam up and get rocks in the teeth.
*A mattock for serious plant removal, heavy and hard work but does a good job

*A good chipper to turn blackberry vines and cedar branches into free mulch. Mine is a Craftsman.

Most regretted purchase- a lightweight rototiller, I don't remember the brand but it is red and can be carried around. It can tear up the ground well but gets clogged with roots.

Well im not sur if this is for power tools also but craftsman 27cc 2 cycle weedwacker or yt3000 tractro also hat,deer skin leather garden gloves,saftey gogles