The Most Common Gardening Tools and their Uses

Gardening is a wonderful activity for anyone to engage in. While the basic requirements needed for gardening are seeds, soil, sunlight, and water, the truth is that gardening without the appropriate tools can be very difficult. If you are just getting into the whole gardening thing, then knowing which tools are used for what can be a little confusing. But do not worry, we have you covered.

In this article, we will be discussing the most common gardening tools as well as their uses. At the end of this article, you will know what tools are perfect for what conditions. Let us start this list.

1. Hand Trowel

This tool is a must-have no matter where your gardening takes place. If you garden in a container, a bed, or your backyard, you definitely need a hand trowel. Folks who garden on their apartment patio will enjoy using this tool.

Speaking of using, what is it used for? Well, a hand trowel is used to dig or turn up soil. You can also use it to remove stubborn leaves. It is also great for transferring soil into planting pots or seedlings.

When choosing a hand trowel that you will use, make sure that you select the ones that have a bright handle. This will allow you to easily spot it in the soil if you choose not to keep it in an apron for gardening one of which you’re expected to own. Keeping it in an apron will free up your hand to allow you to do other things.

2. Pruning Shears

You will require pruning shears even if you do a little bit of gardening. With this tool, you will be able to trim and cut plants. It is also great for harvesting fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

You can also make use of pruning shears to cut small branches and thick stems. It can help in the summer to take care of thick vines and vegetable stems. If you want to make a compost pile, you can use it to cut down the plants you want to use.

3. Rake

Anyone with a yard knows the importance of a rake during the fall. When your yard is full of dried leaves, the only tool perfect for the job is a leaf rake. For gardening, having a leaf rake and a bow rake is vital. While a leaf rake helps with gathering leaves, with a bow rake, you can use it to spread mulch, clear leaves, breaking up dirt, or leveling soil.

Mixing compost with regular hand tools can be quite difficult; however, the task can be made easy with a bow rake.

4. Most Common Gardening Tools- Garden Gloves

Gloves are indispensable and while they may not be regarded as tools, they are very important as far as gardening is concerned. Not only do they keep your hand clean while you work with the dirt, but they also protect your hands from injury. It is more helpful when you have to work with branches that have thorns or plants with pricks.

Folks with sensitive skins are advised to make use of gardening gloves. This will prevent your hands from reacting negatively to plant allergies, fertilizers, or chemicals used for gardening. If you are prone to eczema, you should also make use of gardening gloves.

5. Digging Shovel

This tool is used for digging holes and moving dirt from your wheelbarrow to the garden. It can also be used to stir compost and mix potting soil. With a digging shovel, you can level the ground, turn dirt or even remove earth.

When selecting a digging shovel, go for ones that are pointed; pointed shovels making digging much easier. Also, if the shovel is heavy, you can look for the ones that were manufactured using lightweight materials.

6. Garden Spade

Although a hand trowel will handle a lot of the digging, you will be doing, using a garden spade comes very handy when you are working on a garden bed.

This tool is designed to be used in small spaces; hence, they have the advantage in such a situation over digging shovels. Furthermore, with the blade having a square shape, it is great digging holes where you want to put in plants or bushes. Since they are smaller, they can be used in a garden that has already been establishing which ensures that other plants are not affected or harmed while you work.

You can also use this tool to remove deep root weeds that prove difficult to remove by hand alone. If there is a have to transplant any perennial plant, you can use this spade to cut the plant out from the soil.

In general, any task that involves transporting dirt and digging, with this spade, you can get it done easily.

7. Garden Hoe

Hoes are useful during the spring and planting season in general. They are used primarily for weeding garden beds thanks to their amazingly sharp blade. Another use for this tool is compost spreading especially in small and tight spaces. Visit this link to learn how to make compost for your garden.

There are different types of hoes; hence, your choice will be shaped by your kind of gardening. If you make use of a large area or a vegetable garden, we recommend a wide hoe. Flower gardens, on the other hand, require a gentle blade that will not end up cutting the flowers mistakenly.

Sometimes, you might have to buy more than one hoe if you have a wide range of gardening projects at hand.

Conclusion

A lot of folks are taking up gardening for various reasons. However, to ensure that this task does not become more difficult than it should be, you will need to make use of some common gardening tools.

Therefore, in the article above, we have listed the most common gardening tools you should have. Furthermore, we have discussed their various uses. With the information we have provided, you should know what gardening tools you need to get the next time you go shopping.

If you have further questions, do not hesitate to let us know.