Gardening is all about getting your hands dirty and quite literally seeing your efforts come to life, but it can’t happen unless you have the right tools to work with. To get the new gardener started on his/her toilsome but extremely rewarding journey, here is a list of ten essential tools which every gardener should have.
Weeders
There are various types of weeders available, but the dandelion digger is one of the most useful ones. Dandelions, crabgrass, wood sorrel, bluegrass, spurge, etc. can easily be uprooted by the tool which looks like a screwdriver and a fork at the same time.
Secateurs
A fancy name for pruning shears, they need to be sharp above all else. A perfect tool for trimming branches and doing other maintenance jobs, secateurs can be of various sizes and the size you choose should depend on the type and width of tree branches in your garden.
Sprayers
If you have a lush garden, it will inevitably attract pests that will eventually destroy your garden, if left unchecked. This is why you will need to rely on pesticides from time to time. The backpack sprayers are perfect for efficient pest control and they help to keep a good bit of distance between the chemicals and the sprayer.
Shovels
Shovels also come in various sizes and you will need at least two. The big one will be necessary when you decide to spread the mulch, put out topdressing or scoop out the debris, but sometimes when you hit rocks or hard clay, having a big shovel handy helps a lot as well. You will work mainly with smaller shovels though as they will enable you to do the finer soil work necessary for everyday gardening.
Rakes
Buy a fan rake and a shrub rake to begin with and for the most part, those two will suffice. The shrub rake will let you get into tight spaces where the fan rake can’t reach. Apart from collecting leaves and debris, you can also turn the rake over and use it for smoothening out the soil and compost.
Edging Spades
An all-purpose tool for gardeners around the world, the edging spade is great for slicing the turf, cutting roots, scraping off soil and mulch and of course, edging.
Gardening Gloves
A lot of young gardeners are tempted to work without gardening gloves in the beginning, but they soon learn that it wasn’t the most clever approach! You need to wear quality gardening gloves to avoid nail damage, cuts, infections and microbes that enter the skin from soil.
A Long and Compact Gardening Hose
Unless you are okay with carrying buckets of water to and from your garden, you will need a gardening hose that’s long enough to reach anywhere you need it to. Preferably, it should also be compact and lightweight.
If you are into gardening, then you probably own most items on this list already. However, if you are planning to start with it sometime soon, this list of essential gardening tools should guide you towards making the right investments.