Gardening is one of the healthiest and most relaxing outdoor activities, and you reap its benefits in several ways such as when you harvest fresh vegetables for your dinner table or when you enjoy looking at a beautiful garden landscape with family and friends. Not to mention, gardening also allows you to get plenty of fresh air and sunshine that is good for your body. It’s an easy way to relax and improve your mood while getting moderate exercise along the way as well.
Beginning your gardening journey can be confusing at first. What you need first is to have the correct tools and the willingness to work under the sun if you seriously want to create your very own garden.
To ensure that you have a comfortable and safe gardening experience, take note of these eight must-have gardening tools:
1. Gardening Gloves
One of the most basic protection measures in gardening is to wear gardening gloves. Although some people may prefer digging through the dirt and feeling the earth pass through their fingers, you can get thorns and splinters if you are not wearing gloves. What is even worse is that hand injuries can lead to infections such as septicemia and blood poisoning!
Wear gloves to protect your hands and to reduce pain and blisters when using tools such as hand shovels, hand spades, and knife weeders. The good thing is that there are several types of gardening gloves to choose from. Pick gardening gloves made from cotton, spandex, leather, and rubber, depending on which material you like best.
2. Shovel
A shovel is one of the most important tools that will help you in your gardening tasks. It has many purposes such as digging through the soil or using it to spread fertilizer and compost. You can use a shovel to dig deep holes or scoop out unwanted weeds.
Since your shovel will be a highly used gardening tool, invest in a high-quality one that you can count on for a long time. Look for a shovel that comes with improved rubber gripping, which will give more leverage and make your gardening more comfortable and easier.
3. Spade
A spade just like a shovel is also a critical gardening tool. Spades can be used for digging through compact soil, edging beds, transplanting, trenching, etc.
Unlike the round edge of the shovel, spades come with flat rectangular edges that make it easier to trim plot edges. Using a spade will ensure that your garden looks cleaner. Invest in a stainless-steel spade that will stay smooth and never rust.
4. Wheelbarrow
As you go about working on your garden, you may need to move around heavy soil, debris or compost. A wheelbarrow is a perfect tool to help you with these kinds of gardening tasks. Instead of hauling debris or compost around with small pails, using a wheelbarrow will save you a lot of time and effort, making your gardening life easier.
Since you can use a wheelbarrow to carry heavy items, make sure to choose a durable yet light wheelbarrow that is easy to maneuver even when full.
5. Hoe
A garden hoe is a versatile tool that lets you cultivate the soil, complete edge work, prepare soil beds, and remove weeds. This tool makes planting bulbs and seedlings easier since it allows you to dig a shallow trench in the soil.
If you are planning on having a vegetable garden, you will have to plant a lot of seeds making the garden hoe an essential tool for your ease and comfort.
6. Secateurs
Secateurs aka pruning shears/clippers is another must-have gardening tool. This type of scissors is designed specifically for plants and is strong enough to prune branches, shrubs and remove dead plant growth.
Pruning shears are also great for trimming and shaping plants in your garden. Invest in high-quality secateurs that will make your life easier since it is designed for comfort and prolonged use. The sharper edge also makes trimming thick branches easier without having to exert a lot of effort. Any good-looking garden will require constant maintenance making secateurs an invaluable garden tool.
7. Knee Pads
While working on your garden, you may find yourself on your knees while removing weeds or digging through the soil.
Knee pads or garden kneelers are gardening tools that will save your knees from unnecessary pain and make your gardening life more comfortable. A good tip is to look for innovative knee pad products that not only act as kneelers but also doubles as a stool and lets you take a seat while pruning or take a rest when you are tired.
8. Rake
The garden rake is a kind of broom intended for outside use that lets you collect debris such as leaves, stones, rocks, and other clogs from the ground.
There are different types of rakes ranging from the lightweight fan-shaped leaf rakes used to sweep and gather leaves to the heavy-duty bow rake that is better suited for collecting rocks on stony grounds.
While leaf rakes are made of soft flexible plastic or metal allowing you to lightly rake the surface and leave the soil in place, the bow rake with its shorter and thicker bristles made of metal can pick up debris and more compacted dead turf to break down the surface of the soil.
While there are still a lot more tools that you can have in your garden, these eight must-have gardening tools are the very basics to get you started in having the best gardening experience. Remember that even gardening experts started off with the basics. Once you have these tools at your side, it is time to bring your dream garden to life!