12 Essential Garden Tools for Beginners

It's easy to get carried away when purchasing gardening tools. They can take up a lot of space and be expensive, but focusing on the essentials can keep you from overcrowding your shed or storage space.

There are always bigger and better tools, but purchasing quality tools within your budget and maintaining them can help you maximize your investment.

Here are 12 essential garden tools to get you started on any gardening project you have in mind: 

1. Gloves 🧤

Gardening can be a wonderful hobby, but without a good pair of gloves it can quickly become a headache with thorns and splinters.

• Gloves should be sturdy, but not too thick, especially when handling seeds or replanting seedlings.
• Sizing is important because poorly fitting gloves can cause blisters or slipping accidents.
• Water-resistant, yet breathable fabrics will keep your hands cool and comfortable.
• Long cuffs protect wrists and forearms from scratches and prevent dirt from entering.
• Store your gloves away from sun, water and insects to extend their life.

2. Pruning shears ✂️

Pruning shears, also called hand shears, are essential for controlling plants that become invasive. Anvil pruners cut with a sharp blade that meets a flat surface, much like a knife on a board. Cross-blade pruners cut with a sharp blade that runs past a flat, sharp surface, similar to scissors.

• Anvil pruners are best for dead wood, but can crush green stems and branches.
• Cross-blade pruners are more suitable for live plants and green wood.
• Pruning shears should fit easily in the palm of your hand.
• Ratchet pruners provide increased cutting force, ideal for people with reduced hand strength or arthritis.
• For cleaner cuts and less injury to plants, it is important to sharpen the blades regularly.

3. Pruners 🌿

Loppers are another cutting tool, similar to long-handled pruners, used for pruning hard-to-reach areas and cutting thicker branches. Long handles provide enough leverage to cut branches larger than 1 inch in diameter. There are models with an anvil and crossing blades, like pruning shears. Sleeves generally vary from 40 to 90 cm.

• Cross-blade loppers allow more precise cuts than anvil models.
• Long-handled loppers can be heavy. It is important to know the types of branches you will be cutting and the distance you will need to reach to choose the appropriate length.
• Aluminum or carbon composite shafts are lighter.
• As with pruning shears, it is essential to keep the blades in good condition and sharpen them regularly for optimal performance.

4. Garden Fork 🌱

An effective tool for turning the earth, the garden fork penetrates dense soil better than a spade.

• Forks with a slight bend in the tines are ideal for scooping up mulch or turning compost piles, much like a manure fork.
• Straight teeth are more suitable for digging, perfect for compact, rocky or clayey soils.
• Square teeth are sturdier than flat teeth, which can bend when they encounter a stone or root.

5. Transplanter 

An essential hand tool, the transplanter is ideal for transplanting border plants and herbs, planting in pots, and removing weeds.

• Choose a wide blade to move more soil, or a long, narrow blade to pull weeds or work in rocky soil.
• The handle should fit comfortably in your hand.
• Transplanters forged from stainless steel, or with a stainless steel head, are more durable and will have a longer lifespan.

6. Spade 🔨

These short-handled square shovels are real workhorses in the garden. They make it easy to dig holes for plants, create borders, remove sod, and move small mounds of soil from one location to another. This tool can be a little expensive, but a good spade will last you throughout your gardening life.

• The edges on the top of the blade provide a more solid and comfortable surface for the foot when an extra boost is needed.
• Ash handles are durable and absorb shock and vibration.
• Available in long or short handle versions, long handles provide more leverage, but are heavier.
• Stainless steel heads are sturdy and rust resistant.

7. Rake 🍂

When leaves and debris fall, your trusty rake is there to pick it up. Rakes come in a wide variety of styles and sizes, but a good choice to start with is a standard leaf rake.

• Adjustable rakes serve the function of multiple tools, allowing you to reach tight areas or gather large piles of leaves.
• Steel tines are stronger, but can be harsher on delicate lawns than plastic tines.

8. Sarcloir 🔪

The type of garden you have will determine the type of weeder that will suit you best. A vegetable garden will require a large, sturdy weeder, while perennial gardens may require a more delicate touch with a finer weeder. Weeders are very useful for preparing flower beds and eliminating weeds.

• Opt for a comfortable handle with a long reach.
• A well-sharpened blade is more efficient and easier to use.
• Weed weeders, also called oscillating or stirrup weeders, have an open square head and push back and forth just below the soil surface to cut surface weeds.
• Flat weeders are perfect for turning the soil in the rows of vegetable gardens.

9. Garden Hose with Adjustable Nozzle 💧

Water is essential to the life of your garden, and it is important that your garden hose can reach and water every area. There are three standard pipe diameters: 13 mm (approximately 34 liters per minute), 16 mm (approximately 57 liters per minute) and 19 mm (up to 95 liters per minute). An adjustable nozzle allows you to control the pressure and range of the water jet.

• Estimate the length of pipe you will need before purchasing one.
• The length of the pipe influences the water pressure: the longer the pipe, the lower the pressure will be.
• Vinyl hoses are lighter and less expensive, but bend more easily and last less than rubber hoses.
• Store the hoses rolled up and out of direct sunlight. Storing them with creases can create weak spots.

10. Watering Lance 🌧️

Give your plants a gentle rain with a watering wand. Its extended reach is also useful for reaching distant containers, hanging plants or recessed borders. Watering lances come in several lengths, from 25 to 120 cm.

• Choose the length suited to your needs: longer for overhead hanging baskets, shorter for tight spaces.
• The shut-off valves integrated into the handle allow you to conserve water and adjust the flow according to your needs.

11. Watering can 🌿

There are two basic types of watering cans: plastic or metal, with hundreds of styles, colors, sizes and nozzle options.

• Plastic watering cans are lighter than metal ones, but they are less durable.
• Metal watering cans should be galvanized to resist rust.
• Take into account the size of the watering can in relation to your strength, knowing that a liter of water weighs a little more than 1 kg.
• The position of the handle should allow you to carry a full watering can and easily tilt it to pour.
• Models with two handles provide better stability, particularly suitable for children or elderly gardeners.
• You may need two watering cans: a large one with a watering head for outdoors, and a smaller one with a long neck for indoor plants.

12. Wheelbarrow 

If your garden requires moving soil, compost or mulch for your flower beds, or any other heavy lifting and transporting project, a wheelbarrow can help you transport hundreds of pounds!

• Traditional models with two handles and a single wheel can be more difficult to balance when the load is heavy or poorly distributed.
• Single-handle and two-wheel models are more stable, ideal for those with limited strength or for traversing uneven terrain.
• Single-handled wheelbarrows can be pushed or pulled with one hand.
• Be sure to inflate the tires properly to facilitate transportation.