Best Gardening Tools (for when you’re just starting out!)
ESSENTIAL GARDENING TOOLS FOR BEGINNERS
So you’ve decided to plant a garden. Yay for you! There’s lots to learn- like the best way to start seeds indoors or how to start a garden when you don’t have a clue!
So, what else do you need to know before or as you start your new garden? You will need some tools and supplies!
What Are The Basic Types Of Garden Tools?
- Watering equipment
- Trowel
- Pruning shears
- Gardening gloves
- Garden hoe (bigger gardens)
- Shovel/spade (bigger gardens)
- Wheelbarrow (bigger gardens)
Let’s dive into the specifics of each tool below! We’ve split the post up into 2 sections:
Tools needed to any garden, no matter the size.
Tools needed for bigger gardens.
Essential Gardening Tools
These are the things you must have no matter what type of garden you have planned:
Watering Equipment
You need some tools and equipment to make sure you can get water to your plants.
The basic minimum would be a hose (this hose is kink free) that reaches to your garden plants properly (very important, it really sucks if your hose isn’t long enough!!) and a water wand.
For a pot/container garden this is all you would need.
For a larger garden in the ground you would need also some type of sprinkler.
It needs to be large enough to either cover your garden in one go or large enough to move it around a few times to cover all of the plants. This is a good option for larger gardens.
For example, I have a very large garden. I pump water from a dugout to a holding tank. Then I use a pump to move that water to large sprinklers that spread water onto my garden in a 50 foot radius.
I have two of these sprinklers going at one time. This covers my main garden in one day. The next day I move one sprinkler to do one more large area of my garden.
This way the plants get a deep watering very efficiently in one day.
In general, a garden needs at least 1/2 inch of moisture every week during the growing season, more during hot dry spells.
A good deep watering is much more effective too than just sprinkling on some water every day.
A deep watering will encourage the plants roots to grow down deeply so it can weather the dry spells much more effectively.
Very important!
RELATED: How To Start Basil From Seed (in 5 easy steps)
Trowel
A hand trowel. This is a very essential piece of equipment, no matter what size of garden you have.
You can use it for digging in organic matter, fertilizer, to transplant new bedding plants and to weed.
This one is made of stainless steel from top to bottom and won’t break.
There are many types out there, some with dual purposes too.
There are ergonomic trowels that are easier for arthritic or carpal tunnel hands.
Some have very sharp edges that you can use to also cut perennials into pieces or dig out weeds in a more aggressive manner.
For myself, I use a plain trowel with a deep bowl. I find that it cuts into the soil just fine.
I use it for loosening up the soil, transplanting my bedding plants and for weeding primarily.
Pruning Shears
Small hand held pruning shears are an indispensable tool for any type of garden.
For container gardeners, this is used to prune off spent flowers, unruly growth and diseased pieces.
In larger gardens this is used for all of those things plus pruning of larger items like shrubs and larger perennials.
I use a plain small pair and carry it with me almost every day during the gardening season.
Gardening Gloves
Although they aren’t completely necessary, you may want a pair of gloves to throw on before working in the mud and soil. Yes, you can wash your hands but dirt seems to get ingrained and hard to wash off if you are working in the dirt a lot!
These gloves have worked the best for me- fabric but coated with a waterproof layer.
Gardening Tools For Bigger Gardens
Garden Hoe
Garden hoes are used to dig seeding trenches and for weeding in larger spaces.
There are many types of hoes. I have 2 types that I’ve settled on.
One is the traditional solid hoe and the other is a loop hoe.
I use the traditional hoe to make garden trenches for seeding.
I use the loop hoe for weeding as the edge of the hoe passes through the soil easily and cuts off the weeds that are growing. I can push and pull it through the soil much more easily than hacking with a traditional style hoe.
RELATED: How To Start Seeds Indoors (tips for success)
Shovel/Spade
A shovel is used to dig holes, dig out larger weeds, to divide larger perennials and to add soil amendments like compost or manure to the soil.
A spade has more of a flat edge so you can do edging or deeper trenches with it.
A shovel is more pointed and has more of a scoop shape. A shovel like this kind is the more crucial tool at this point, the one that you would use more regularly.
Make sure you get one with a nice sharp edge too so it can cut through the soil nicely- like this one.
Wheelbarrow
Again, there are many different types of wheelbarrows.
You will need some type for moving things around in your garden. From moving plants out to the garden for transplanting to carrying organic matter, soil or mulches.
Choose one that suits for your own realities. Some wheelbarrows are also more ergonomic that others so choose that if it would meet your own requirements.
I have 3 traditional style wheelbarrows, another one that is a wheelbarrow cart and I have a dump cart that attaches to my ride on lawnmover for bigger projects.
When you are just starting out, then get yourself a traditional style wheelbarrow. That is all you will need in the beginning!
I got this wheelbarrow cart for hauling bales of peat moss to the garden, moving my plants out to transplant, hauling mulch to the garden and even giving the grandchildren a ride ?
If you have any questions about what gardening tools you need or gardening information in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us! You can reach out in the comments below or email us at info@dadgoesvegan.com.
More Gardening Tips:
TYPES OF GARDEN TOOLS
