7 Must Have Tools Used For Gardening In 2024
We all love our gardens but keeping them in the best condition can be difficult work so in this article we’re going to look at 7 must have tools used for gardening that are going to make things a little easier for us.
You’ll find plenty of advice out there that will list ‘essential’ tools used for gardening and whilst they will probably all contain some useful information and helpful ideas, many of them are unnecessarily padded out to 15 or 20 items with some of them costing a fortune.
It’s very easy to fall into the trap of spending a small fortune on shiny new tools that you don’t really need so the items we’re going to look at are all very simple, fairly cheap items that will help you out but without filling your storage whilst emptying your bank account. After-all, do you really need a chainsaw for your potted herb garden?!?!
So, this is our list but in no particular order;
1. Spade
The good old garden spade is probably the most recognised and obvious of tools used for gardening and the chances are that you already own one or more.
They’re a pretty useful all-round tool that can be used for digging very defined holes used for planting, they are great for digging out deep rooted weeds, they can be used for jobs such as edging around your beds and they will easily double up as a shovel for moving earth around or shovelling manure.
Something like the Fiskars Steel Garden Spade is an affordable and quality piece of kit that will serve you well.
2. Fork
The garden fork or ‘digging fork’ is exactly what the name suggests in that it’s basically a giant table fork that will generally have four really strong tines or prongs. These are used for turning over your garden beds, loosening and breaking up any large clumps of earth and generally conditioning your soil. They are also very useful for mixing manure and other fertilizers into your soil and spreading it out evenly.
These can be found in either full size or handheld versions so pick which one best suits your needs based on the size of your garden and what you need to do with it.
The Fiskars Garden Fork is a quality item that is well worth a look.
3. Rake
There are two main types of rake for use in your garden with the leaf rake or the bow/garden rake. The garden rake is the item we want as it has it’s own uses and can also double up as a leaf rake if you need it.
The garden rake is quite versatile as it can be used for levelling and spreading soil, spreading mulch or compost out on your beds, breaking up clumps of soil and…… raking up leaves.
There are some really affordable options out there like this offering on Amazon.
4. Hand Trowel
These are incredibly useful little tools even when you’re working in a massive area of vegetable beds but really come into their own when working in planters or ornamental pots.
These are great for planting bulbs, transplanting seedlings and working in packed beds without causing unwanted damage to other plants.
A definite must have and something like this Edward Tools Garden Trowel won’t break the bank.
5. Secateurs / Pruners
A good pair of pruning shears or secateurs are worth their weight in gold for both flower/ornamental gardening and vegetable/fruit gardening.
They’re ideal for keeping control of unwanted growth, cutting and trimming back plants at the end of their season and harvesting fruit and vegetables.
These Fiskars Steel Pruning Shears keep their design simple but quality high.
6. Gloves
These are often overlooked and are certainly an item you can completely forget about until you’ve got a hand full of thorns!!!
Whether you’re clearing undergrowth, cutting back old growth, pruning or harvesting fruit bushes there is an abundance of sharp branches and thorns that are just desperate to stick into your hands and fingers. Gloves are going to help you prevent this as well as keep your hands clean whilst you work and stop you having to touch any unpleasant stuff. Add in the protection against poison ivy and stinging nettles and these become a no brainer.
Something like these bamboo Gloves are ideal as they offer protection whilst maintaining flexibility.
7. Watering Can Or Hose Pipe
Water is the lifeblood of your garden and in the hotter months you need to give it a helping hand and make sure it gets all it needs to. Your choice is to use a watering can, hosepipe or to run back and forth with a glass all day. Personally, I’ll go with the watering can or hose.
If you have an outdoor tap that you can leave the hose hooked up to then it’s a no-brainer to go with the hose but if you can’t access a tap easily, or at all, then consider the watering can as it’s easier just to fill this than drag out and hook up a hose pipe whenever you need it. If you do go with a hose then just make sure you buy one that’s long enough otherwise you end up only being able to water half of your lawn with it!
Something such as the Giraffe Retractable Hose-Reel is ideal as it keeps the hose ready to use but nice and tidy and out of the way.
Or if you’re going with the watering can then you could do worse than going retro with this Behrens Steel Watering Can.
In Summary
There are absolutely loads of tools used for gardening and most of them are going to help you do something or make a task easier but they’re certainly not what I would describe as ‘must-haves’ or ‘essential.’
You can ultimately buy as few or as many tools as you want but those listed above are certainly what I would be buying first if I was just starting out. They are all extremely useful and will make your life a lot easier.
