Last updated on July 13th, 2022 at 06:48 am
We are not here to spend more than we need when it comes to essential gardening tools. More tools take up a lot of space in the storage along with maintenance, especially if you do not actually need them over a long period of time. Keeping your focus on the basics yet essentials must-have tools for your home garden that are budget-friendly. You will see the bigger and the better tools coming every day in the market, but you are not at all bound to buy them all.
The right investment in the right tools can save you a lot of time and money, which you can always enjoy in your home garden. Having a maintenance check on your garden tools can make them last longer.
Essential Gardening Tools
While gardening can be a fun activity, it can turn into a nightmare in no seconds with those splintery and thorny hassles.
Garden Gloves
If you do not own a pair of good garden gloves, here are the reasons you must own one good pair.
- The right gloves are the most durable and yet not too heavy on hands.
- Perfect-fitting gloves are very important to keep your hands from getting blisters or slipping out of your hands during working.
- Water-resistant but breathable fabric help in keeping your hands cool and comfortable.
- To avoid soil getting into the gloves, longer cuffs are the best way to go for.
Maintenance Tips
- Always store your gloves out of direct sunlight.
- Keep the water away from gloves.
- Store your gloves somewhere away from the insects.
Product Recommendation
Foxgloves Original Gloves
- Available in different sizes
- Water-resistant
- Longer cuffs
- Lycra elastane stretch
- Breathable knit fabric
Garden Fork
Another efficient gardening tool that everyone must have is a garden fork. It helps in digging deep into the soil even better than a spade.
- Forks have a slight curve on the spines, which is useful for scooping more soil and turning the composite piles. It works much like a pitchfork.
- Straight tines work better for digging when it comes to compacted or rocky soil.
- Square tines are stronger in comparison to flat ones.
Maintenance Tip
- Stainless steel prevents rusting over time.
- Clean it with water or damp cloth or else dirt will become stubborn.
Product Recommendation
Radius Garden 203 Pro Ergonomic Steel Digging Fork
- 4 stainless steel tines
- Resin encased carbon steel shaft
- Extra-wide radius
Grass Shears
To tame those blades of grass, a precise grass shear is one of the essential gardening tools for everyone in their house garden tool kit.
- Grass shears are used to trim the edges of your lawn where a lawnmower is unable to reach.
- It offers a fine and neat look to the lawn.
- Grass shears offer more control over the tool and the grass.
- You can also trim small shrubs.
- Grass shears come in scissor motion and also rotating blades.
Maintenance Tips
- Keep sharpening your blades over time to keep the cutting edge at an angle.
- Clean your grass shear by rinsing it under running water or soak them if necessary.
- Use a bristle brush or wire to scrub off the soil.
- Use coarse-grade steel wool if your grass shear is rusted.
- You can also bleach them for few minutes, dry them, and then apply WD-40 for a protective coating.
Product Recommendation
Zenport ZL119 Landscape Grass Shears
- Adjustable Grass Shears
- Carbon steel blades
- Best for corners and areas harder to reach
Rake
This is yet another important tool to keep your gardening easy and fun. It is a fan-shaped fork-like tool that collects or remove stones, rocks, and other clogs from the surface or the ground.
- Wider width helps in covering more area, sweeping up leaves.
- A heavy-duty rake is ideal for a gravel surface.
- Adjustable rakes offer versatile functionality. You can use it for smaller and narrower areas. Steel tine is stronger and sturdier than plastic ones.
- Foldable rakes take less space in your storage.
Maintenance Tips
- Use vegetable oil to wipe your rake every two months or store it in a bin filled with sand and oil mixture.
- Oiling metal gardening tools prevent them from getting rust.
- Occasional oiling to wood handle is also beneficial to extend the longevity of the tool.
Product recommendation
Gardenrite Adjustable Garden Leaf Rake
- 63 inches long
- 15 flat tines – expandable head
- Zinc-plated steel handle
- Lightweight
Garden Hose
Reaching every area of your garden with a water hose is essential to keep your plants hydrated when necessary.
- Garden hose comes with different diameter for different purposes; ½ inch (avg. 9 gallons per minute), ⅝ inch (avg. 15 gallons per minute), and ¾ inch (up to avg. 25 gallons per minute).
- An adjustable hose helps you control the pressure and speed of the water.
- Length of the hose affects the pressure; the longer the hose, the lower the pressure.
- Vinyl and rubber are used to make the hose most commonly. The vinyl hose is cheaper and lighter in weight but degrades faster. Whereas, rubber hose is more durable.
Do not forget to take proper measurements of your lawn to save yourself from trouble. Having joints or attachments in the hose also affects the pressure of the water.
Maintenance Tips
- Store your hose out of direct sunlight to avoid breaking.
- To increase the life of your garden hose, store them coiled up or on a hose hanger or manual hose reel.
- Do not leave your hose with water in it or else it will get mould causing it to smell.
Product Recommendation
Tuff-Guard Garden Hose
- Polypropylene material
- 25-foot
- Three-ply construction
- Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) tube
- Braided polyester core
- 100 pound per square inch
Besides these 5 essential gardening tools, there is a gear for everything you do on the lawn, depending on the size and type of garden you own.
Other Essential Gardening Tools
Larger gardens need more tools for maintenance, whereas, a plant garden would need proper gardening tools and kits for convenience and better working. As per the size of your garden and what type of plantation you have in the garden, here are some of the best essential gardening tools for an efficient garden makeover with the least effort and time.
- Hand trowel
- Spade
- Shovel
- Scissors
- Outdoor brush
- Garden Tractor
- Wheelbarrow
- Kneeling pad
- Watering can
- Loppers
- Weed & moss killer
To ensure healthy growth of your garden along with time-saving maintenance of the garden and the tools, invest in good quality products that tend to last longer in comparison to cheaper counterparts. Having an organizer or tool chest for your garden tools is the best way to save time finding the right tool at the right time. Besides the time, storing your tool in a storage box keeps them safe from rusting. Investing a little more in a good product can save you time and again maintenance and replacement of cheaper garden tools. For instance, you can replace all of your grass cutting, edging, and trimming tools with a good garden tractor. It will free up space and also hassle to use every tool individually when you can just hop on and ride your lawn for a fine trimming or cutting.
