Essential gardening tools

What's a garden without suitable gardening tools? A joke, obviously. Every gardener needs to have tools for tending his garden. The urge to have the best garden the world has ever seen has sometimes pushed people into getting more equipment than necessary. The aim of this article is to help you figure out what tool is necessary and which one is just not so important. This will save you some unnecessary expenses and you will be glad.

Here are some essential garden tools you will need for your garden.

Gloves

Gardening is such a pleasant hobby. However, it can become a terrible chore without the right kind of gloves. Gardeners have to handle thorny flowers, hence, the need for the right pair of gloves. Garden gloves should be durable and not heavy. Heaviness will sometimes hamper the ability of gardeners to tend to plants better. You should also go for fabrics that are water resistant yet still free enough to prevent sweaty palms. The cuffs of the gloves should be high. This will prevent scratches on the forearms. Gloves are simply used to protect the gardener from cuts, blisters and scratches.

Pruning shears

Hand pruners are also called secateurs and they are used to trim the branches of plants that are growing out of shape. This is simply to maintain the aesthetics of the garden. Anvil-style pruners cut with a sharp blade meeting a flat surface. They are similar to a knife on a board. They are best used on dead wood and can cause injury to the delicate stems of green plants. Bypass pruners cut with a sharp blade passing by a sharp-edged flat surface like scissors. They are used for live plants and green wood. Shears should be sharpened regularly for effective pruning.

Hand trowels

Trowels are essential which are wonderful for transplanting bedding plants and herbs, planting containers, and taking out weeds. Stainless steel trowels are durable and last even longer.

Spade

These short-handled square shovels are essential garden tools. They make it easier to dig holes for plants. They are used for edging, lifting sod, and moving small mounds of dirt from one area to another. This tool can be a little expensive but a good spade will last you the rest of your gardening life. Spades with stainless steel heads are strong and do not rust easily.

Hoe

The type of garden will dictate what type of hoe is best. However, a vegetable garden may need a sturdy, wide hoe. If it is a perennial garden, a thinner hoe may be required because of its delicate touch. Hoes are useful in preparing garden and flower beds and cutting down weeds. A flat hoe is good for turning soils in vegetable gardens.

Rake

A rake is needed to clear away debris and fallen leaves. Rakes come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, but the best is a standard leaf rake.

Garden hose

Seeing how much water is needed to preserve life, the importance of a garden hose can never be overemphasized. The garden hose is used for irrigation.

There are so many other garden tools. However, these are the basic ones needed to kickstart a lifestyle of gardening.

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