Gardening Tools

While it may be difficult to decide where to start when building a library of garden tools, knowing where to stop is even more so. If you are just starting your outdoor gardening party or are simply looking to expand your arsenal of outdoor gardening supplies, there are undoubtedly a few essential gardening tools you'll need. Consider the following pieces to ensure you have the right tool for every job the garden throws your way.

Hand Tools

These are key to maintaining the original order of your designs and vegetation. Keep these tools protected in a shed or potting bench and be sure to periodically clean, sharpen, or oil them to prolong their life.

Pruners: Pruners are handy to carry around throughout the yard for quickly trimming and snipping twigs and small branches.

Spades and Shovels: Different sized spades and shovels are suitable for different garden tasks. Make sure that your shovel has solid construction since shovels help with the more challenging and physically demanding tasks of digging holes for larger plants or pulling out dead vegetation.

Trowels: Keep a trowel handy for digging smaller holes to plant bulbs or other smaller plants.

Rakes: Rakes can be used to loosen and level soil as well as to collect and gather vegetative debris dropped from trees or other plants in the garden.

Cultivators: Cultivators can be gas-powered or run by hand depending on the soil that needs to be tilled.

Hoes: Use a hoe for tilling soil, weeding, and for digging narrow trenches in the soil.

Shears: Shears are efficient at smoothly shearing hedges or evergreens, as well as for deadheading.

Knives: A knife is generally convenient and useful to have in any sort of working environment. In the garden, if you need to trim string or open packages, an outdoor knife is your best bet.

Forks: Forks are great for loosening soil or for hauling leaves or compost.

Wheelbarrows: In a large property or if you need to haul a wide variety of tools around with you, a wheelbarrow not only moves a large amount of soil or mulch at once, but can also carry tools and pots around as you work and change tasks.

Gardening Accessories

Also make sure that you consider the following accessories when outfitting your gardening tools. These pieces will expedite and enhance your overall gardening experience.

Gloves: Make sure to buy yourself a good pair of gloves. Available in materials ranging from leather to rubber and cloth, think about the environment that you will be working in and make your glove decision accordingly. Is it typically wet in your garden? Make sure the pair that you buy is waterproof. If you plan on dealing with plants with thorns and scratchy long branches, consider a durable material with a longer cut.

Gardening Baskets or Carts: Gardening baskets or carts are essential if you plan to grow edibles in your garden. When harvesting, bring one along with you so that you don’t need to constantly go back and forth between the house with your crops.

Potters Bench: Prepare your potted plants and keep your gardening tools beautifully organized with a potters bench. Rustic to modern designs are available for use outside or in a mud room. A potters bench is not only functional, but it’s also extremely charming and attractive to add as an accent to any garden.

Kneeling Pads or Seats: For extended hours spent weeding or planting, a kneeling pad or seat is essential for your knees or back.

Labels: Buying plant labels that can withstand the elements of being outdoors and can add a personal touch to your garden and are fun and informative decorative accents. Consider even buying labels that can be interchanged depending on season and what’s currently being grown.