There is no end to the possible tools that the gardening enthusiasts will need for this practical pastime. But some garden home tools are more essential than others if you wish to attain worthwhile results.
Having a good quality shovel will certainly save you many hours of back breaking effort. A quality shovel is one that will not break the first time that you punch the hard dirt and pull back on the handle. It also needs to withstand the effects of clay or rocks, maintaining a good edge.
A square ended shovel is ideal for removing large amounts of earth at once, but they do tend to be tougher to push into the ground. It's often useful to use them on softer earth or for transporting piles of mud that have already been formed. They also make great tools for dispensing compost and manure based fertilizer over the area you wish to focus on.
The triangular spade can make a fine all purpose tool, and is in particular handy for creating those larger holes that are required to grow larger shrubs or plant trees. One version is the telescope handle shovel which is fitted with a very narrow blade – similar to a trowel by with a longer handle. They are perfect for making small holes while standing upright and are also great for many weaving tasks.
Garden shears are a basic requirement. They are available in several sizes and shapes, but make sure to get some that do actually fit your hand. Most of the shears are fitted with moon shaped blades, meaning that one side is convex and the other concave. They're ideal for cutting off stems, branches and dead leaves. The versions that are equipped with a locking device to keep them closed are great for extra safety and simple storage.
A standard hand rake is a very handy tool that may be used for more purposes than you may imagine. Even if you have an electric leaf blower packed away in your garden shed, you'll still find times when it's neater and easier to use a rake. It's also a key tool for de-that the lawn in the fall, or preparing it in the spring.
You'll discover that having a wheelbarrow can be very useful and will get used more often than you may suspect. If you have several plants that need transportation, it's much easier to place them at the bottom of the barrow and be on your way.
They are also ideal for distributing fertilizers. You can simply place the sacks in the wheelbarrow or pour the contents, then drop it all over a specific area and spread around with a rake. This can be much easier than carrying around a 30lb sack in both arms and pouring the content out.
Apart from the basics there are many helpful garden home tools. A pole saw or folding saw is perfect for pruning trees. A hoe is likely to be used frequently. A mattock is handy for relaxing earth during weeding and transplanting. Gloves are often needed when working with those prickly plants. A trimmer, watering can, weeding tools … the list is never ending.
