Basic Gardening Tools for your Garden

If you always loved the pots on your windowsill but are ready to move on to something bigger, you will need some basic gardening tools for your garden. Spades, forks, pruning shears, rakes and hoes are all used at different stages but are all essential. Let’s see what each tool is used for.

Hoes

There are many types of hoes but for a beginner one is just enough. Hoes are mostly used to cultivate the top layer of your garden’s soil. With a bit more strength, you can also use a hoe to get rid of old roots that are beneath the top soil.

Shovels and Spades

These tools are mainly used for digging holes in order to plant your crops. They have other uses as well though! A sturdy shovel can be used to break down hard soil and roots and it is also useful to get rid of large piles of debris (such as dry leaves and small branches) as well.

Rakes

Even for beginner gardeners, just one rake is not enough. The three basic types of rakes that you will need are hard rakes, fan rakes and shrub rakes. Hard rakes can be used to get rid of small stones and roots and you can also use them flipped over, in order to ensure a smooth soil surface. Fan rakes are all you will need in order to get rid of leaves. Especially if you have a larger garden, using a fan rake will save you tons of time cleaning up. A shrub rake is what you need if you need to get rid of debris that is stuck in tight places. So with these three rakes you can cover most of your gardening needs.

Pruning Shears

Pruning shears work -and look- almost like scissors. Except that they are much more durable and used for harder tasks, such as pruning woody plants. It is important to get a pair shears with blades that are as sharp as possible. And even though heavy shears might seem like a good choice, they are not. Try and find a model that is durable, sharp and lightweight, because a heavier version will make pruning really tiring really fast.

Scissors

In the garden you are going to need scissors more often that you think: To harvest herbs or green leafy vegetables; to cut those delicate cherry tomatoes; to open that bag of fertiliser; to cut the twine you use to secure your growing plants onto the trellises; and many other uses. Getting a durable pair of kitchen scissors is a good idea. Their blades are very sharp and they have a good size with hard handles that won’t break after the first fall.

Saws

You might think that saws are only useful for people with trees in their garden. And it is true that shaping and pruning a tree is done easily with a saw. But other woody plants such as roses are also easier to prune with a saw. You can also use this tool to get rid of old roots in order to prepare the soil from planting. And you can cut down small trees that grow in the middle of your garden patch. Choose a saw with a slight curve, as it is easier to control.

Of course there are many other tools and gadgets that will make gardening easier, but if you invest in these essentials, you will be able to do any work needed in your garden, without much trouble. Happy gardening!