Spring is around the corner, and it’s time to stock up on seeds, garden plans, and gardening tools.
Why gardening tools?
Because come spring, you want to head outside and start working the soil. You don’t want to pay top dollar for things you can get on clearance now at your local garden center.
Plus, these gardening tools do easy work and protect your hands from dirt, scratches, and moisture.
10 Gardening Tools You Didn’t Know You Needed
If you’re new to gardening, you probably will be surprised with the 10 must-have gardening tools on this list:
- Gardening gloves – You need gloves to protect your hands and wrists from cold, moisture, dirt, scratches, and punctures when you’re working in your garden and landscape.
Gardening gloves come in various fabrics, colors, and sizes. Yes, you can buy the basic cotton garden gloves in every garden center, big box, and dollar stores.
However, if you’re going to be working in your garden, weeding your flowerbeds, and trimming your rose bushes, you’ll need sturdier gloves to protect your hands:
- You want your gardening gloves to fit, well, like a glove. Bulky gloves will make gardening work more difficult and set your hands up for injury.
- You want your gloves to keep your hands dry and warm. Rubber gardening gloves or gardening gloves made from Lycra or Spandex fit your hands well and keep them dry.
- You want durable gardening gloves—that won’t fall apart when you’re completing a hard-core gardening chore, such as pruning or pulling weeds.
Read: 13 Handy Tips for a Beautiful Lawn and Garden in 2021
- Garden trowel – Just like you need a sturdy pair of gardening gloves, you also need a hand trowel. A hand trowel should fit snugly in your hand and help you get a multitude of jobs done whether you’re in the garden or working on your landscape.
A hand trowel, another name for a garden trowel, works like a shovel that you hold in your hand. Use a hand trowel for digging, transplanting, weeding, and creating container gardens.
Look for a stainless steel blade with a comfortable handle that fits well in your palm.
- Soil knife – A soil knife is similar to a thin trowel except that one side of its blade is razor-sharp with a niche for cutting twine.
The blade’s opposite side has a serrated edge that cuts through tough roots. The sharp tip allows you to dig deep into the soil to get rid of weeds or dig a hole for tulip bulbs.
- Pruning tools – There are many pruning tools on the market to keep your shrubs, trees, and perennials looking tidy. Consider adding these trimming tools to your landscaping arsenal:
- Hand pruners (also known as secateurs) – These trimmers fit comfortably in your hand. Use them to deadhead perennials and shrubs and to trim back thin branches.
- Anvil pruners – Takes off dead branches. Don’t use on green stems or branches because it’ll cause injury.
- Bypass pruners – Use these pruning shears for green stems and branches for a clean cut.
- Loppers – These pruning tools allow you to get branches that are higher up in the tree or shrub.
- Gardening fork – This gardening tool works like a pitchfork, but it’s smaller and easier to use. A gardening fork helps you turn over compost, lift mulch, and dig into compact soil.
Watch: How to Assemble the Brinly DT-40BH 40” Tow-Behind Dethatcher
- Garden rake – This allows you to pull a large swath of leaves and reach into narrow areas in your landscape or flowerbeds.
Garden rakes come in different styles and sizes to fit the job. Go to an independent garden center to find the right rake to meet your garden and yard needs.
- Garden hoes – This must-have gardening tool helps you pull weeds, create rows, and works under the soil’s surface to reduce top growth. Garden hoe blades come as:
- A thin blade that works well in perennial beds where you want to protect the plants while still digging out weeds
- A wide blade works well in vegetable gardens by removing weeds between rows.
- A square-face hoe allows you to push the soil back and forth.
- A flat hoe helps you create rows in vegetable beds.
You want the garden hoe to
- Feel comfortable in your hands
- Have a sharp blade to cut through the soil
- Have an open square head for pulling weeds (called a hula or stirrup hoe).
- Garden hoses – You may want more than one type of garden hose to use on your garden and lawn. For example, soaker hoses work well when you don’t want to invest in an in-ground irrigation system.
Soaker hoses have tiny holes that slowly emit water into the soil. You can employ them in your lawn during a drought or when you overseed. You can also use a soaker hose in your flowerbeds and vegetable gardens during the driest part of the summer.
For a standard garden hose, you want one that won’t kink. A hose made with rubber rather than vinyl will last longer and doesn’t kink.
Consider investing in a watering wand with an adjustable nozzle. You’ll be able to water hanging baskets, flowerbeds, vegetable rows, and landscape areas.
Read: 11 Ways to Stay Safe While Clearing Off Snow and Ice
- Watering cans – You can’t go without this basic gardening tool. If you have houseplants or hanging baskets, you’ll want a smaller watering can that comes with a slim, long neck.
Conversely, you want a wide nozzle on a big watering can to cover a larger area. Some watering cans come with double-handles to make them easier to carry when they’re filled with water.
- Shovels, including a gardening spade and a square shovel—These must-have gardening tools help you dig holes, add mulch, and other garden amendments.
Honorable Mentions
The above gardening tools get you started in basic gardening. As your green thumb grows and your gardens expand, you’ll need to add some other equipment to your gardening arsenal, including:
- Row covers to protect young plants from frost
- A garden shed to store your yard and garden equipment
- A garden cart to help you transport plants, potting soil, and garden tools to your workspace.
How Brinly-Hardy Tow-Behind Cart Gets Your Spring Gardening Off to a Great Start
If you’re lucky to have a garden tractor to help you with challenging landscape jobs, consider investing in a Brinly Tow-Behind Cart to carry all of your gardening essentials.
At Brinly, we design our tow-behind cart as a one-piece, heavy-duty, compression-molded polypropylene. Our tow-behind cart, as well as Brinly’s other lawn care and gardening attachments, are sturdy, rugged, and long-lasting, making your gardening chores a cinch.
If you’re in the market for a well-designed tow-behind cart, you’ll find Brinly products at these fine retailers.
If you have a question about your Brinly product, call our customer service at 877-728-8224 or fill out our contact form.
Sources:
GardenDesign.com, “12 Essential Gardening Tools for the Beginner.”
GardenTherapy.ca, “Soil Knife: The All-in-One Garden Tool That Will Change Your Life.”
HGTV.com, “Gardening Gear: 5 Must-Haves.”
HGTV.com, “Protect Your Hands: 5 Types of Garden Gloves.”
