Five Tools Every Gardener Needs
Everyone’s backyard is different, so the tools you need may vary from garden to garden. Perhaps you have a lot of concrete and you might go crazy with a weed burner , or you’re crazy about bulbs and could use an auger . However, for most people, the basic tools will more than meet all your needs. I have several of these tools because I use so many of them that I tend to leave them in the yard. Any of these tools would make a delightful gift for a gardener, as he could always use another, well-made version.
High quality spade shovel
Shovels come in a variety of shapes, such as flat-edged shovels that are ideal for scraping soil, as well as shovels for moving mulch or compost. But a regular triangular shaped shovel is designed to dig any kind of soil, no matter how soft or hard it is. A good shovel will allow you to put all your weight on it and even give you the ability to stand on it. Personally, I don’t like wooden handles: I find them prone to cracking and hard on my skin. I really liked the Radius line of short paddle tools with an ergonomic handle. They remove much of the weight of a traditional shovel and make it easier to move around the garden. If you like a traditional long-handled shovel, choose a durable steel one .
Hand spatula
The handheld version of the hand trowel described above is designed to get close to the soil and dig out as much as you need to begin planting. They are also useful for moving small amounts of potting soil or fertilizer. A hand shovel can not only dig, but also hold about a cup or two of soil. A good pen is important here. Rubber can degrade in the sun, and many hand shovels have weak metal and break in half. This is where it’s worth spending some money. I probably have 20 shovels that I scatter around the garden so often that I stand in the center of my garden and spin around, desperately trying to find one. Of the ones I have, none work as well as the Burpee Wooden Hand Shovel, which I would never have chosen for myself, but it has proven to be my one-and-done.
Burn-burn
Hori-hori is a folding garden knife. A straight, long hand tool with a serrated edge, the hori-hori does not hold soil, but can cut through almost anything. Use it on top to dig up soil that can’t be broken up with a shovel; Use a serrated edge to cut through the tubers or roots of the iris. I use it in the fall to quickly bury the bulbs in the ground, since it can remove soil in such a small circle that it does not interfere with the plants nearby.
Pair of secateurs
Before I walk out the door and into the garden each day, the last thing I take with me is a pair of pruning shears. Like all my essential tools, I have a few scattered around the garden. Using pruning shears, you can cut flowers, cuttings, trim berry branches, trim twine, or prune tomatoes. The best garden pruning shears are made by Felco, which has many models; Ideally you should go to a garden supply store and test them out. I like the pair with a twist handle, which reduces hand strain. Whatever your model, these Cadillac garden tools are worth the money. If you’re looking for simplicity, I always have a few pairs of Fiskars on hand.
Several buckets
I’m very leery of a garden that doesn’t have several buckets, especially the five-gallon plastic buckets you can buy at box stores. They have endless uses: I carry them around the garden to pull weeds, and for this purpose I hide them in corners so that I always have somewhere to plant weeds. You can move a bucket of soil by hand, fill it with water to smother a plant, make a batch of fertilizer, or use it to wash something. You can pick berries or move stones. They’re not the most durable, so you’ll have to replace them over time, but I love that whenever I just need a vessel for the odd garden job, a bucket is usually the answer.