Gardening Equipment All Gardeners Should Have

Every gardener needs gardening equipment. At least that’s what we tell ourselves as we buy that new ultra-light shovel that’s on sale this week! The fact is, not every gardener has every tool they need and most of us make do with what we’ve got. Improvisation is the key here.

But there are a few basic tools that you will need to grow a garden. A rake, a hoe and a shovel are all pretty important. Pruning scissors are also very helpful and you should get yourself a quality pair.

Over the years, I found myself with quite a collection of gardening equipment - to the point that my shed is overflowing. Of all those things, my absolutely favorite tool is a pair of old but comfortable gardening gloves and my trust old kitchen knife.

When I can’t find my pruning scissors, my kitchen knife takes its place and acts as a pruning knife instead. If I can’t be bothered to find my hoe, or shovel, I just use the tip of the knife to accomplish what I want. Then of course there are the times that I just can’t be bothered with even that, and use my nicely gloved hands instead to loosen the soil, or pull up weeds.

It may sound like a disorganized way of gardening, but every gardener knows that if you’re knee-deep in the garden, the last thing you want to do is drop everything to go find a tool.

In spite of all that, some jobs really are made easier with the right tools and it may be worth taking a minute or two to go get them. One of those is my garden claw.

I’ve got two different types - one for kneeling work and one for standing up. I just stick the claw into the dirt, give it a twist and pull it back out. It does a great job of loosening the soil and is particularly helpful for pulling weeds.

The thing to keep in mind about gardening equipment is that while you might really want something, you also might not really need it. Stick with the basics and your gardening will go smoothly.