15 Common Gardening Tools and Their Uses

Shopping around for gardening tools isn’t easy. If you want to make sure you get essentials that you need, then here are some common gardening staples that you’ll want to get. These should help you figure out the basics and determine which tools deserve a spot on your budget.

Hand Trowel

Make it easier to garden in raised beds or containers. But many also use hand trowels for their yard to dig, turn up the earth and get rid of any stubborn leaves. This nursery toolis likely to be one of the first—if not the first tool—that you’ll buy as a budding gardener.

Pruning Shears

A good pair of pruning shears are essential to cutting and trimming jobs around the garden. If you’re harvesting fruits and vegetables along with herbs, this will make your job easier. Pruning shears cut through thick stems with ease and can also handle small branches.

Garden Gloves

The gloves might not seem as important as other tools, but a good pair is indispensable if you want to protect your hands against getting dirty or injured as direct contact with your bare hands can lead to scratches and breaks in the skin. Protect against that as well as against splinters and scrapes with gloves. Choose a pair that can prevent allergic reactions to plants, the chemicals or fertilizers used on the company.

Rake

This is another tool that any gardener can’t live without. Rakes make it easy to clear leaves or spread mulch. If you want to level soil or break up hard garden dirt, a rake makes that much easier to accomplish.

Digging Shovel

Do you have a raised bed? Or are you gardening in your yard? Then you’ll find a digging shovel incredibly useful. Whether you’re digging holes or transporting dirt from your wheelbarrow to your garden, this tool makes those tasks easier to handle. If you’re also looking for gardening tools to stir your compost pile or mix your potting soil before you put those into your containers, then use shovels.

Garden Spade

You can also use a garden spade for the garden bed. It’s ideal for tight spaces, as the square-shaped blade is commonly used for digging holes for bushes and plants. They’re ideal for established gardens, where a bit of a delicate touch is preferred over a big trowel that might not be as easy to control.

Garden Hoe

Prep the garden for planting with a garden hoe. This tool is perfect for weeding. If you want to chop through unwanted growth or clear that out of your garden beds, then use a hoe. It’s also good for spreading compost when you’re working in tight spaces. The type of gardening you do, though, will determine the size and shape of the hoe. For flower beds, get a hoe with a delicate blade. For large areas, a wider hoe is better. Invest in multiple ones, though, if you want to try a variety of gardening projects, from growing vegetables and fruits to flowers.

About This Author

Lara Gill Joined: October 27th, 2018