Find everything you need to know about different types of gardening tools and their uses in one place. This guide will teach you everything you need to get started, from choosing the right plants to picking the right tools for your garden.
When it comes to gardening, you don’t need a lot of fancy tools—but you do need the right tools for the job. The most experienced gardeners know which tool can prune, trim, dig, and rake. But if you’re just getting started with gardening (or if it’s been a while since you have), you may have forgotten which tools to use for what.
Fear not! We’ll unlock the mysteries of common garden tools and help you understand how each of them can be used. We’ll start off by discussing the basics — what different types of garden tools are available? We’ll then dive a little deeper into some of the more common ones and explain how to use them correctly and safely. With this knowledge in your pocket, you’ll be better equipped to tackle all sorts of gardening tasks. So put on your green thumb and let’s get started!
Types of Gardening Tools
Gardening doesn’t have to be an intimidating task when you have the right tools on hand. From spades and trowels to pruners and rakes—the possibilities are plentiful! So, let’s examine the different gardening tools and how they can help you in your garden.
To start, you’ll want a shovel or spade for larger tasks like digging or moving soil, rocks, and plants. Spades have long blades for cutting through roots, while shovels can help you move large amounts of material in less time. For smaller-scale tasks like poking around the soil or planting small plants, trowels are ideal. They have pointed blades for making neat incisions in the soil or scooping out roots from tight places.
Next up are garden forks or cultivators which are useful for loosening clumps of soil as well as getting rid of weeds. Pruners make it easy to trim plants with precision and care while hedge shears can help you neaten up even larger shrubbery. And finally, rakes are great for gathering leaves and debris as well as leveling soil beds prior to planting.
Now that you know the different types of gardening tools—you can choose the ones that suit your particular gardening needs best!
Pruning Shears: What They Are and What They Do?
Pruning shears are one of the most essential gardening tools you’ll need. They come in a range of shapes and sizes and can be used for a variety of purposes including deadheading, thinning out congested stems or branches, and cutting back perennials. Pruning shears feature two blades that cross each other when closed, providing a clean cut with minimal mess.
When using pruning shears, it’s important to ensure you’re using ones that are sharp and well-maintained. This will help protect your plants from disease and ensure you get the most out of your plants by giving them better-quality cuts. When buying pruning shears, look for ones that have comfortable handles, hardened blades, and a hinge that has enough tension for easy use but not so much that it’s difficult to open and close them.
Rakes, Hoes, and Other Hand Tools
Every gardener needs to know their way around the different hand tools that you can use for gardening. Let’s start with rakes: these are typically used for loosening and leveling soil in preparation for planting or turf. You’ll also use a rake to clear fallen leaves, twigs, and other debris from your garden.
Next up is the hoe. This tool has a sharp edge that can be used to cut through weeds, loosen soil, and make furrows. There are different types of hoes, such as scuffle hoes (great for shallow weed control) or draw hoes (which are better suited for deep cultivation).
You’ll also want to have a few other hand tools handy when you’re gardening, such as a trowel (for digging small holes) and a pruner (for trimming back plants). Also don’t forget about the trusty wheelbarrow which can be used to transport soil, compost, mulch, or plants from one side of your garden to another.
So now you know the basics of gardening tools and their uses—not so mysterious after all!
Digging Tools: Shovels & Spades
Digging tools like shovels and spades are essential for any gardening job requiring a deep or large hole. Both shovels and spades have flat blades at the end, but the shovel’s blade is curved and made of metal, while a spade’s blade is flat and usually made of plastic.
The other key difference between shovels and spades is in how they are used—a shovel is meant for lifting soil and digging deeper holes, while a spade is better suited for digging shallow trenches or edging beds and borders.
Here are some helpful tips on using digging tools:
- When digging with a shovel, always use two hands: one to hold the handle with a firm grip, and one to press down on the blade for better leverage.
- Wear gloves when using tools with sharp edges or sharp blades—it will protect your hands from getting cuts or blisters.
- Use a spade to cut through small roots or tough soil—spades have sharper blades than shovels, which makes them better at cutting through tough materials.
Lawn Care Tools: Mowers, Edgers & More
If you’re looking to achieve a perfectly manicured lawn, you’ll need the right tools for the job. Different gardening jobs require different tools, whether it’s mowing, edging, or aerating, so let’s look at some lawn care tools and how you can use them.
Mowers
Mowers are the workhorses of lawn care and come in all shapes and sizes. Whether it’s a ride-on mower for more extensive gardens or a hand-pushed mower for more intimate areas, they all provide a neat-looking finish and can perform multiple tasks with attachments like collecting bags or mulch kits.
Edgers
Edgers help create neat and tidy lines around pavements, driveways, gardens, and other borders. They range from manual models with rotary blades to more powerful models that run on electricity or fuel—just be sure to wear the appropriate protective clothing and follow any safety instructions.
Aerators
Aerators are used to punch holes into soil that stimulates root growth by improving drainage and allowing air circulation into the soil. It’s an important task to help your garden thrive if you have compacted soil, which can occur due to heavy rain or even foot traffic over time.
Storage & Maintenance of Gardening Tools
With the right tools, gardening can be a rewarding and enjoyable activity. But the key to success is making sure that you store and maintain those tools properly. Here are a few tips for making sure your gardening tools are ready when you need them.
Cleaning
The first step in maintaining your garden tools is to clean them regularly. This helps prevent rust, dirt build-up, and other damage that could harm or slow down their performance. After use, wipe down the blades of your garden tools with a damp cloth and store them in a dry place.
Sharpening
Sharpening your garden tools regularly helps ensure that they are performing at their best. Regular sharpening will also prolong the life of the tool by preventing it from becoming dull or damaged due to overuse. For example, a sharp hoe will loosen soil more easily than a dull hoe, while dull pruning shears will not make clean cuts as easily as sharp ones.
Storage & Organization
Your storage options vary depending on the size of your tool collection and the space available to you. However, it’s important to make sure that all of your gardening tools are stored together in one place – this will help avoid confusion and ensure that you can find what you need quickly when it’s time to get back out into the garden! Additionally, keeping them organized also ensures that they remain sharp by avoiding contact between metal parts which can cause them to rub against each other and become dull faster over time.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced gardener, having the right tools and knowledge to use them properly can make all the difference in the world. Gardening tools have evolved over time to provide the gardener with the best and most efficient ways of caring for and nurturing plants. From pruning shears to trowels to hedging shears, when you know how to identify and use these tools properly, you’ll be a gardening master in no time.
So, the next time you’re in your garden, or your local nursery or hardware store, take some time to get to know the tools of the trade and how you can use them to the fullest. Once you have the right tools and know how to use them, you’ll be on your way to creating a beautiful and bountiful garden in no time. Elevate your gardening game with the right equipment – explore our top recommendations for a garden tools that blooms with vitality