Tools
12 Must-Have Garden Tools
Gardening will be easier, more productive and, well, just a lot more fun when you have the right tools at hand. Here are a dozen garden tools that every gardener should have.
Clearing Garden Tools
Digging Shovel
Image courtesy of Fiskars.
Edging Spade
Loppers
Image courtesy of Fiskars.
Pruners
Image courtesy of Corona Tools.
Pruning Saw
Hori Hori Digging Tool
This multipurpose gardening tool is more than a trowel. It’s also a knife, saw and even a measuring device for planting bulbs. Use it for planting, weeding, cutting sod, severing roots and dividing perennials. It even comes with its own holster to protect the stainless steel blade. Available from Wildflower Seed & Tool Company.
Image courtesy of Luke Miller
Garden Rake
A garden rake usually gets its workout in the spring when you’re cultivating and prepping the soil in your vegetable garden. But it excels at other tasks, too, such as leveling mulch, scratching hard-packed soil to make it more porous or leveling soil before seeding a lawn. You can even use it to remove thatch or moss from your lawn. Available from TruTemper and local retailers.
Image courtesy of True Temper
Leaf Rake
Image courtesy of True Temper
Hose and Sprayer
Image courtesy of Luke Miller
Digging Fork
A digging fork, sometimes called garden or spade fork, is handy for loosening compacted soil, aerating small areas, incorporating compost into garden beds and dividing perennials. The D handle makes the digging fork easier to use in tight spaces, while the tapered tines penetrate the soil more easily. Available from Corona Tools and local retailers.
Image courtesy of Corona Tools
Wheelbarrow
There’s nothing like a wheelbarrow for making things easier for the gardener. You can carry soil, compost, firewood and more. Or use it to transport your tools around the yard or soak plant roots before planting. If you’re working with heavy loads, get a steel bin rather than poly. Two-wheel models are the most stable for heavy loads. A standard wheelbarrow is appropriate for most uses, but do yourself a favor and get a never-flat tire. Available from True Temper and local retailers.
Image courtesy of True Temper