That garden you planted in the spring is now bursting at the seams. Beans, zucchini, squash, tomatoes, carrots, onions–there is an abundance of produce happening, and all your hard work is truly paying off! But oftentimes, getting out there and harvesting your bounty can be just as tricky as planting it.
Fear not. With our must-haves for essential harvest equipment, picking fruits and veggies is easier than ever. Read till the end for some of our pro tips on having the best garden harvest yet!
16 Must Have Harvest Equipment For Your Garden
1. Pro Pruners
You’ll need heavy-duty pruners when cutting through thick vegetable stems like pumpkins when it’s time for harvest. With these pro pruners, you’ll be ready for whatever your garden throws at you.
The steel blades and ergonomic handles are why we picked this for the best pro pruners. These will surely last you multiple seasons and be some of your favorite harvest equipment. Need more options? Check out these fantastic pruning shears to take your harvesting to the next level.
2. Pocket Snips
Instead of ripping off fruits and vegetables from the stems and risking harming your plant, having a pair of pocket snips is excellent for snipping off your ready-to-harvest bounty. Better yet, they fit directly into your pocket or gardening apron to make for easy access.
The steel blades will last multiple harvesting seasons and easily glide through stems. The safety lock will keep your pocket snips closed when not in use and help prevent any accidents. Trust us, you’ll be glad you added these to your growing harvest equipment essentials.
3. Gardening Knife
A gardening knife is a must-have when you have planted potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables, but it can also be great for harvesting rhubarb and celery. Not only is this gardening knife useful for harvesting, but it’s also conducive for cutting through thick roots, transplanting, and weeding.
The serrated edges are helpful in both the harvest and the cleanup process, making this a great multipurpose tool to have in your harvest essentials bag.
4. Long Snips
If you have any green leafy veggies or microgreens growing in your garden, you will love these long snips; they will be a go-to in your harvest equipment arsenal. The strong, thin blades will easily cut lettuce, spinach, or mixed greens without tearing or ripping, causing the greens to bruise and wilt.
Long snips are suitable for your vegetable garden and work wonders when pruning delicate flowers or managing bonsai trees.
5. Palm Fit Snips
Harvesting equipment doesn’t only apply to fruits and vegetables. It can also be for harvesting herbs and flowers. These palm-fit snips are the perfect palm-sized fit for quickly snipping away at any flowers for bouquets and arrangements and then clipping some fresh herbs for tonight’s dinner.
The ergonomic design is perfect for those with wrist issues, hand pain, or arthritis, as it’s a quick, pain-free motion, leaving you out in the garden for hours on end.
6. Berry Picker Rake
If you have blueberry bushes, you know it can be labor-intensive to pick all the berries off once they are ripe. With a berry picker rake, the job just got much more manageable.
You’ll pick hundreds of berries with zero effort, making this your best harvest yet. The unique metal rake device removes the berries from the branch without harming the bush or fruit. Just scoop, wash, and enjoy!
7. Gathering Apron
You know it well. You’ve gone to the garden to pick a few tomatoes, and before you know it, your arms are filled with veggies that need to be picked. But with this fantastic gathering apron, those days are a thing of the past.
The roo gardening apron mimics a kangaroo pouch, so you can grab your produce and store it right in the front pocket to free your hands and arms. This differs from your typical apron, as the water-resistant lined pouch can hold as much produce as you can carry.
8. Over The Shoulder Harvesting Bucket
If you’re looking for harvest equipment to keep your hands free, this item is for you. The over-the-shoulder harvest bucket keeps you from having to haul around baskets while harvesting.
This bucket works great for smaller items such as fruits and small cherry tomatoes. You can collect and wash it in the same container, making it a handy harvesting tool, especially for a tomato or berry gardener.
9. Fruit Picker
Having fruit trees is lovely until it comes time to pick that last apple from the top of the tree. Ladders can be dangerous and quite the hassle to bring out, especially if there is little fruit to harvest.
With a fruit picker, you can forgo the ladder altogether. With adjustable sizes, you can easily harvest from any tree on your property. The stainless steel design is lightweight and durable enough to last many harvesting seasons.
No fruit trees yet? Here are some fantastic fruit trees to plant in the fall so you can get started on your next harvest!
10. Harvest Basket
You can’t bring up harvest equipment essentials without discussing a good ol ‘harvest basket. Opt for a plastic colander-style basket instead of the old wooden heavy baskets. This harvesting basket is made of premium materials and has a two-sided design to keep your produce in order while harvesting.
Once you finish out in the garden, you can bring it inside and rinse your harvest right inside the basket, making for less mess and dirt in your kitchen.
11. Nut Gatherer
No more stiff backs after bending down and picking up all the fallen nuts off of trees. With a nut gatherer, you can easily roll the tool back and forth in a sweeping motion to grab up walnuts, buckeyes, and chestnuts.
The unique design allows you to open the end and empty your harvest right into bags or carrying buckets instead of having to pry the metal cage apart, making for an all-around positive experience.
You can even use the nut gatherer to help pick up other items around the garden, like pinecones, to keep your garden space in pristine condition. Before you know it, you’ll be using your nut harvest for everyone’s favorite holiday baked goods.
12. Weed Pulling Tool
Whenever you’re out and about in your garden, it’s hard to resist pulling some weeds that have gotten in the way. And come harvest time, most of them are in full force.
With a weed pulling tool, you’ll quickly grab those pesky greens and get them out of your way so you can easily maneuver through the garden. Most of the time, you won’t be harvesting the weeds per se, but weeding your garden aids in growing and producing the plant’s fruits.
So get ahead of the game this year and get those weeds out with this easy-to-use, better-for-your-back weed puller.
13. Garden Kneeler
There’s nothing quite like the pain of kneeling directly on the edge of a sharp rock or stick while trying to reach for fallen tomatoes or pick carrots from the carrot patch. So it’s time to invest in a gardening kneeler.
This saves your knees from sharp objects and makes it much more comfortable to be in the garden for an extended time. Sometimes, the simpler tools make the best harvest equipment.
14. Garden Stool
Any gardener knows the backbreaking work taking care of and harvesting from in-ground gardens can be. Why not treat yourself with one of the most comforting harvesting equipment on the market today? A gardening stool.
Many garden stools are on the market and at home and nursery stores everywhere. That’s because they make a massive difference in all garden work.
Find a lightweight gardening stool with wheels, and you’ll be out in the garden much longer, making those harvesting days more comfortable and easier than ever before.
15. Garden Cart
Depending on the size of your garden and what crops you plan to collect, you may need a bigger option than a basket. You can haul all your heavy harvestables like melons, potatoes, and onions with a gardening cart.
Not only does a garden cart come in handy for harvesting season but planting and clean-up times as well, making for fewer trips back from the shed to the garden or vice versa.
Are you looking for something different? Here are the best gardening carts on the market today.
16. Gardening Gloves
You’ll know the importance of owning a good pair of gardening gloves if you’re in the garden regularly. Not only do these help keep your nails and skin dirt-free, but they also help prevent any thorns and plants from cutting you while you are tending to your plants.
When it comes to harvest equipment, a good pair of gardening gloves has to make the list. Opt for a pair that can aid your grip using pruning tools or scissors. This will also help when picking prickly cucumbers and other hard-to-grab veggies. This will indeed save your hands for all the cooking and food preservation you have to do!
Pro Tips For The Best Garden Harvest
Use Large Baskets
When heading out to harvest your crops, grab a large enough basket so you don’t have to make multiple trips or have produce lying about. This makes for a more effective and organized harvesting season.
Pick When Small
Go into your gardening knowing your produce isn’t going to look like what you see on the grocery store shelves, and that’s a good thing. Make sure to pick when your crop is ripe. Do not go off the size.
Check Your Garden Daily
Don’t let all your hard work go to waste, so check your garden daily. Harvesting a little daily helps keep your panty and fridges fuller, enabling you to enjoy bits of your harvest all season.
Be Gentle
Be nice to your plants. Use the proper harvest equipment to ensure you don’t cause damage to the plant, as this can affect the growth and production of other fruits.
Wrapping Up The Essential Harvest Equipment For Your Garden
You now have a list of all the available harvest equipment that can make this season’s harvest the best yet. Don’t forget to follow our pro harvesting tips to maximize your garden harvest.
Now that you have all this fantastic harvesting equipment, you’ll need a place to store it. Here, you can find the best garden sheds to organize all your essentials.
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Lauren has three main passions: her family, writing, and gardening! Lauren has spent countless hours in her garden tending to different plants, whether those be beautiful flowers, vegetables, or different perennials.
Rest assured that if it concerns plants and gardens, Lauren has got you covered. So, when needing advice or looking for the best new gardening gadget, you have come to the right place and the right author.