When it comes to gardening, one thing is for certain: you need garden tools! From the smallest hand weeding tool to the largest gas-powered cultivator, using the right garden tools is an essential element towards growing a healthy and thriving home garden.
But where to start? With the internet at our finger tips, we’re often times overwhelmed by the millions of options out there rather than being reassured.
If that sounds like you, then don’t worry—this guide is meant to help direct you towards tried-and-true garden tools of all types. Keep reading this complete guide to home garden tools to learn where to start!
Seed Starting
You can usually choose to either start from seed indoors, or plant directly outdoors after the last frost date. If you choose the latter, then you’re going to need some different tools than those you use outside. Take a look at this list to get started.
And if you’re not growing from seed indoors, then feel free to skip to the next section!
Grow Lights for Indoor Gardening
Grow Lights for Indoor Plants
Grow Lights for Seedlings
Heating Pads for Seedlings
Humidity Domes for Seedlings
Indoor Gardening Plants
Indoor Gardening Shelves
Indoor Gardening Tools
Indoor Seed Starting Setup
Organic Seed Starting Mix
Digging
If you’re starting a garden from scratch, the first thing you’ll most probably find yourself doing (besides planning) is digging! That’s because you don’t just dig to plant seeds and root balls. Digging is a very important step in reviving any patch of earth and preparing it to nurture your future garden.
The Complete Guide to Garden Digging Tools
Edging Shovels
Garden Spades
If you want an overview of all the garden tools out there, these complete guides are the post for you. Learn the difference between shovels and spades, and read about what tools are worth spending more money on to buy the electric version.
But if you already know exactly what digging tool you want, continue exploring this section to get the best brand recommendations. While you think about digging tools, though, you should also consider the soil pH of the dirt you’re planning to dig up!
Planters
Need some help digging the right kind of hole for your bulbs, seeds, or transplant? Take a look at our recommendations and learn how to use them.
Tillers
If you think you can grow your garden on any old patch of land, that means you haven’t heard of tillers before. Discover my favorite tillers and why they’re important to keep in your gardening arsenal.
Cultivators
Though often confused for tillers, cultivators are different tools that also play an essential role in preparing the soil to receive your beloved plant babies.
Hand Cultivators
Garden Cultivators
Composting
We love composting—it’s about as close as humans can get to mimicking earth’s natural cycle, and it helps keep organic scraps out of dumpsters while also giving your garden an immeasurable boost!
Watering
Watering your garden appropriately is one of the most important things you can do in the upkeep of your home garden. That means having the appropriate watering garden tools to get the job done. But the truth is that there are a whole lot of watering products out there! If you’re feeling overwhelmed, check out the ones we think out best.
Drip Irrigation Systems
Garden Sprinklers
Ever heard of a rain barrel? It’s a great way to save water.
Rain Barrels
Soaker Hoses
Watering Cans
Like to do things the old fashion way? Then gardening cans and hoses are the way for you.
Last but not least, if you’re not sure about the water you’re using to quench your plants’ thirst, you could consider testing its acidity level:
Water pH Tester for Indoor Gardening
Weeding
As far as gardening chores go, weeding is one of my favorites. Why? Because not only does weeding remove unwanted leeches that are absorbing the nutrients meant for your plants, but it also as an immediate aesthetic impact on your garden. It looks neater, cleaner, and professional.
If you don’t know where to start, this comprehensive guide is for you. There’s lots of weeding tools out there, so it’s important to understand which one is best for your needs.
If you’re new to gardening, you might not even know that you can use knives for weeding. You can, and in fact, sometimes it’s even the best tool for the job. Learn why, and which brand I advise you rely on to get the job done.
Once you know which type of weeding tool you need, take a look at the different options listed below.
Pruning
While advanced gardeners know that pruning is an essential step in the care of all types of gardens and orchards, to a new gardener, it might seem contradictory.
Whether you’re a veteran gardener or a rookie, you’ll benefit from reading the complete guide to pruning, which covers pruning both plants and trees.
The Complete Guide to Tree Pruning
If you’re growing fruit trees, then take a look at this complete guide to tree pruning. Naturally, tree pruning is a bit tricker than plant pruning, if only because trees are usually bigger than plants and require long-range pruning tools.
Explore the guides listed below. As you can see, there are lots of pruning garden tools available to you, and it’s important to educate yourself on which one will get the job done.
How to Sharpen Pruning Shears in 4 Easy Steps
Extendable Tree Pruners
In the absence of a bigger category dedicated completely to garden rakes, I’ve decided to include this list of best garden rakes in the pruning section. That’s because you’ll most likely be using rakes to clean up all the organic material you prune from your trees or plants.
Harvesting
What’s one of the best things about gardening fruits and vegetables? Harvest time, when you get to literally reap the rewards of your hard work. Here’s our suggestions for the best harvesting tools:
Transporting
Though it might come as an afterthought to all the other garden tools in your arsenal, transporting tools like carts and wheelbarrows are important not specifically for the health of your garden, but of your own body!
Using the right carts and wheelbarrows will spare you back and joint pains, as well as make the entire gardening process much more efficient. That means saving you time! Take a look at the best carts and wheelbarrows on the market this year.
Clothing and Accessories
When you’re thinking about garden tools, it might be easy to forget about clothing and accessories. And while it’s true that most gardening it lowkey enough to do in any comfortable outfit that you don’t mind getting dirty, it’s still better to work with garden-specific material. In some cases, they’ll even save you from the pain of a sunburn or aching knees!
Unique Tools
Last but not least, here are more lists of helpful garden tools that don’t necessarily fit into any of the categories above, but are helpful nevertheless.
Is the idea of bending on your knees for hours at a time intimidating? Don’t let it hold you back! There are great garden tools out there that keep you low to the ground while sparing your back and knees!
Gardening is fun because it can be enjoyed both individually, or as a group activity. It’s especially great work to involve children in, because it teaches them hard work, patience, and the beauty of nature.
But not every kid is going to immediately jump at the occasion to get dirty and sweaty. So here are some great tools to convince your more suspicious young gardeners to get outside!
More Gardening Necessities
Now that you’re hopefully well on your way in completing your arsenal of garden tools, it’s time to think about some other things you’ll need for your home garden.
