Home gardeners rely on many different types of tools and gadgets to make garden chores easier, and there is a dizzying array of products available to suit every gardener. If you are tempted to buy them all, check out this list of six must-have tools first.
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1. Cobrahead Precision Weeder and Cultivator — Gayla Trail, a popular Toronto-based garden
writer and creator of the blog You Grow Girl, calls this her “desert island garden tool” because it is an effective weeder, will dig holes for new plants, and can cut through the toughest, most compacted soils.
2. Sharp, high-quality pruners — Good pruners for cutting back plants, weeds, and woody shrubs are a must. Well-made pruners will prevent fatigue and keep you safe if you are doing
a lot of pruning, says Colleen Vanderlinden in Treehugger. She recommends brands like Felco and Friskars.
3. Japanese garden knife (hori-hori) — This multipurpose tool can stand in for a trowel for digging holes for plants and bulbs. It can be used for weeding, cutting roots, and dividing perennials. It’s like having
five tools in one, says Real Simple.
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4. DeWitt Dutch Trowel — Gayla Trail loves this trowel because it is very sharp, which is helpful for cutting through tough roots or compacted soil. She considers it a wise investment because it is so sturdy, it doesn’t bend even in the toughest of conditions.
5. Water Right’s Ultra-Light Drinking Water Safe Polyurethane Hose — This hose is pricey, but is a wise investment, says Gayla Trail. She prefers this hose because it is lightweight and easily portable to all parts of your garden. In addition, the water coming from it is safe for drinking and won’t be contaminated by BPA as with so many other garden hoses.
6. Online garden planner — According to Colleen Vanderlinden, these tools are great for figuring out how to use your limited garden space and decide which plants should be planted in different areas of your garden. They can account for crop rotation and plant spacing as well.
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Brande Plotnick is an ambitious home cook, gardener, beekeeper, writer, and speaker who started her website, Tomato Envy, to inspire others to find their deliberately decadent life at home. Brande’s down-to-earth style and approachable manner have been winning over the readers who follow her blog. Her work has been featured in Urban Farm Magazine, Natural Awakenings, Mother Earth News, and the Whole Seed Catalog.