25 Gardening Tools Make Job Easier

There is a saying goes:to yield twice the result with half the effort. The right gardening tool makes job much easier. As the development of technology of gardening tools, it is lucky to have a handful of inexpensive tools to handle the most common lawn and garden maintenance. All of these tools make perfect housewarming gifts to give — and receive.A garden tool is any one of many tools made for gardens and gardening and overlaps with the range of tools made for agriculture and horticulture. Garden tools can also be hand tools and power tools. Below introduction of 25 gardening tools, which are most used in today’s jobs.

#1 Hand Shovel

A shovel is a tool for digging, lifting, and moving bulk materials, such as soil, coal, gravel, snow, sand, or ore. Shovels are common tools that are used extensively in agriculture,construction, and gardening.

Most shovels are hand tools consisting of a broad blade fixed to a medium-length handle. Shovel blades are usually made of sheet steel or hard plastics and are very strong. Shovel handles are usually made of wood (especially specific varieties such as ash or maple) or glass-reinforced plastic (fiberglass).

Hand shovel blades made of sheet steel usually have a folded seam or hem at the back to make a socket for the handle. This fold also commonly provides extra rigidity to the blade. The handles are usually riveted in place. A T-piece is commonly fitted to the end of the handle to aid grip and control where the shovel is designed for moving soil and heavy materials. These designs can all be easily mass-produced.

The term shovel is also applied to larger excavating machines called power shovels, which are designed for the same purpose, namely, digging, lifting, and moving material. Modern power shovels are the descendants of steam shovels. Loaders and excavators (such as backhoes) perform very similar work, ethically speaking, but they are not classified as shovels.

Hand shovels have been adapted for many different tasks and environments. They can be optimized for a single task or designed as cross-over or compromise multitasks. Examples are given under “Types”.

Best used for: Planting trees and shrubs and mixing large quantities of dirt, compost and similar materials.

What to look for: Your first shovel should be a tempered-steel round-point shovel. Look for a 44- to 48-inch-long shaft (wood, fiberglass and metal versions are available) that you can grip and lift comfortably.

#2 Garden Spade

Although many think of spades and shovels as interchangeable, they’re not the same gardening tool. A spade features a flat, squared-off blade and often is short-handled. It is ideal for edging beds, slicing under sod, and working soil amendments into the garden. In a pinch you can even use a spade to chop ice on frozen sidewalks.

Look for stainless-steel blades — they resist rust. Also, the highest-quality spades usually have steel heads that are firmly connected to the handle. Spades where the blade is riveted to the handle tend to come apart more easily.

The best gardening spades are typically made of carbon or stainless steel with the head and handle socket that are hand forged (not stamped) from a single piece of thick metal. Socket handle connections are very strong, but if you want the ultimate in strength, a strapped handle connection are considered to be the strongest available. Also, with the larger spades, look for one that has treads or shoe protectors on the top of the blade.

#3 Garden Fork

There has different garden forks listed as below:

Garden (English) Forks (aka One Serious Fork), this fork is for the soil,which is undisturbed and/or clay or otherwise tough, hard soil. The garden fork has four long square, super strong tines that end with a diamond points for easy soil penetration. The best garden forks are forged from a single piece of carbon steel and have either a riveted socket or strapped handle connection. (the strapped handle connection is considered the strongest handle connection available.) Great for breaking up the toughest of soils, double digging and if needed, digging up root crops.

Digging and Spading Forks These forks are usually a little lighter in weight and have four triangular shaped tines with a flat facing the front of the fork for lifting. With their flat faced tines, these forks are good for digging in loamy, sandy or loose soil, aerating, mixing in nutrients, turning your soil in the spring and harvesting potatoes and other root vegetables.

Compost Fork The compost fork or pitchfork usually has four or more long slender, pointed tines that are turned up slightly for scooping or moving loose material without bending. Great for turning your compost pile or moving loose materials. Note: Manure forks look very similar and work very well as a compost fork thou the tines are not turned up as much.

Border and Shrubbery Forks These forks are just smaller versions of the workhorse garden fork. Despite their smaller size, these border and shrubbery forks are hard working garden tools. This fork is great for working in tight spaces like beds and between plantings and for the smaller gardener, a garden fork that is not so big and exhausting to use.

Potato Forks There can be a little confusion with what is a “potato fork” as different garden tool makers call completely different looking fork, a “potato fork.” Some look just like a digging or spading fork with the flat faced tines for lifting the potatoes from the soil. In fact, some of the better garden tool maker’s “potato forks” are made with the same strengths as their heavy-duty forks. The other type of potato fork you might encounter has many more (up to 10) slender tines that have blunt ends so as not to damage the root crops. This type of potato fork is generally for lifting of the root crops, not digging.

Broadfork Although very different looking than a traditional garden fork, the two-handled broadfork does a lot of the same chores, only on larger scale. With two hardwood handles fitted about shoulder width on a steel horizontal bar and 4 to 6 long tines; the broadfork is generally used for reworking ground that has already been broken up. This garden tool does a lot of work in a shorter time.

As with all garden tools; you can find most of these garden forks in all price ranges. The solid forged tools may cost more initially, but the quality, strength, warranty and the fact that you’ll have a garden tool that you can pass down to the next generation far outweigh the cost. Plus, you’re not tossing a bent garden tool into the landfill every couple of years. 

#4 Bypass pruners

Pruning is a horticultural and silvicultural practice involving the selective removal of parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. Reasons to prune plants include deadwood removal, shaping (by controlling or directing growth), improving or maintaining health, reducing risk from falling branches, preparing nursery specimens for transplanting, and both harvesting and increasing the yield or quality of flowers and fruits. The practice entails targeted removal of diseased, damaged, dead, non-productive, structurally unsound, or otherwise unwanted tissue from crop and landscape plants. Specialized pruning practices may be applied to certain plants, such as roses, fruit trees, and grapevines. It is important when pruning that the tree’s limbs are kept intact, as this is what helps the tree stay upright. Different pruning techniques may be deployed on herbaceous plants than those used on perennial woody plants. Hedges, by design, are usually (but not exclusively) maintained by hedge trimming, rather than by pruning.

Pruning shears, also called hand pruners (in American English), or secateurs, are a type of scissors for use on plants. They are strong enough to prune hard branches oftrees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimeters thick. They are used in gardening, agriculture, farming, flower arranging, and nature conservation, where fine-scale habitat management is required.

Loppers are a larger, two-handed, long-handled version for branches thicker than pruning shears can cut.

#5 Loppers

Loppers are a type of scissors used for pruning twigs and small branches, like secateurs with very long handles. They are the largest type of manual garden cutting tool.

They are usually operated with two hands, and with handles typically between 30 centimetres (12 in) & 91 centimetres (36 in) long to give good leverage. Some have telescopic handles which can be extended to a length of two metres, in order to increase leverage and to reach high branches on a tree. Loppers are mainly used for the pruning of tree branches with diameters less than 5 centimetres (2 in). Some of the newer lopper designs have a gear or compound lever system which increases the force applied to the blades, or a ratchet drive.

#6 Hand Cultivator

A hand cultivator is a gardening tool that is used to turn the soil where plants and vegetables are planted, or it can be used to remove weeds from soil in a garden. For small flower or vegetable gardens, a hand cultivator can be used like a small plow to turn the earth and dig the planting rows. Using a hand cultivator is not difficult, and this easy to follow step-by-step guide will show you everything you need to know in order to properly use the tool. Hand cultivators are very useful for removing small weeds and roughing up the soil for seeding, both in containers and in garden beds. Look for a model that is either one piece of forged or molded steel, or one that has a steel head that is securely attached to a wooden handle.

#7 Hori-Hori Knife

It’s a Japanese gardening tool with a concave center (like a trowel), and a sharp, serrated edge. Would you like to see what this nifty gadget can do? Hori-Hori knife which in Japanese translates to “dig-dig”. The Hori-Hori can be used to perform a host of gardening tasks including digging, planting bulbs or perennials, weeding, cutting through roots, rough pruning and even chipping ice. Hori Hori knife help gardeners to face the never ending task of weeding.

This was such a versatile tool, good for digging, planting bulbs, cutting through tough roots and even stabbing slugs!  It is an All Purpose Knife, Garden Knife, Bonsai Tree Tool, Soil Knife, Trowel, Garden Weeder-Loved By Hunters, Hikers, Campers, Metal Detecting or Fishers.

#8 Garden Trowel

A trowel is one of several similar hand tools used for digging, smoothing, or otherwise moving around small amounts of viscous or particulate material.

In gardening, a trowel is a tool with a pointed, scoop-shaped metal blade and a handle. It is used for breaking up earth, digging small holes, especially for planting and weeding, mixing in fertilizer or other additives, and transferring plants to pots. Garden trowel makes most tasks that involves soil easier. If you don’t have a trowel, save yourself some misery and time and buy a tool that works. You can buy a trowel for under $10, but that trowel will have a duller blade that’s harder to push into the soil, and it will make dividing perennials a hellish chore.

#9 Garden Hoe

A hoe is an ancient and versatile agricultural hand tool used to shape the soil, control weeds, clear soil, and harvest root crops. Hoes are also used to mix things like concrete, and to dig holes. Shaping the soil can be piling soil around the base of plants (hilling), creating narrow furrows (drills) and shallow trenches for planting seeds and bulbs. Weed control with a hoe can be by agitating the surface of the soil or by cutting foliage from the roots, and clearing soil of old roots and crop residues. Hoes for digging and moving soil are used harvesting root crops such as potatoes.

There are many types of hoes of quite different appearances and purposes. Some can perform multiple functions. Others are intended for a specific use.Several different types of hoes are available. Some have heads with a flat blade, and others feature a pointed blade that gets in between small plants more easily.

There are two main classes of agricultural hoe: draw hoes for shaping, and scuffle hoes for surface weed control.

#10 Leaf Rake

Also a long-handled tool, this rake has multiple “springy” tines that make it ideal for raking leaves and other debris off the lawn. It’s also the best tool for cleaning spent plants and debris out of the landscape beds, especially at winter’s end.Metal and plastic tines last longer than bamboo ones. To facilitate quicker regrowth, lightly rake the turf with a leaf rake, not a garden rake. Raking will remove some of the dead, blighted leaf blades and facilitate turf-grass recovery from snow mold.it’s a good idea to lightly rake grass in those vulnerable areas to fluff it and allow light and air to penetrate A leaf rake will work fine.

#11 Garden Rake

It is used for for moving soil or smoothing mulch, or for raking up thick, matted layers of leaves. Use a stiff garden rake to work the soil around the roots and install the new plants farther away from the trunk where the roots aren’t as thick and will be less likely to be disturbed.

Some yard rakes have tines which are spring-loaded. You will be able to use these around plants without damaging them. Although a narrower rake will be able to clean around plants more easily, a wider rake will make a world of difference when raking leaves. Many of the newest rakes on the market have ergonomic handles. These handles are designed so that the least possible stress is put on the back during raking.

You will need to use a garden rake to break up chunks that form in the soil as well as to smooth over the top of your garden to prepare it for planting. The configuration of the rakes steel head is important. It needs to have teeth that are sharp enough to break up dirt clods and a flat back that you can use to tamp down dirt. A bow rake has longer, curved tines that make it easier to do raking jobs in hard soil.

#12 Watering Can

Plants need water to keep cool, pump minerals up to their leaves and grow. And in many regions and many seasons, they can fend for themselves getting water.
Before you touch that hose spigot, however, do what you can to help plants eke the most out of natural rainfall and water. Add compost, leaves and other organic materials to your soil to help it retain water. Laid on top of the ground as mulch, these materials slow evaporation from the surface; they also keep the surface loose so water seeps in rather than runs off. Weeds suck water from the soil, so rip them out to leave more water for your plants. And finally, contour the surface of sloping ground with low mounds or terraces to catch and hold water.

Buy a galvanized steel watering can. These can be found at high-end nurseries and online. They are great for spot watering during the hot summer months. They last a life time and no garden is complete without one.

#13 Garden Hose

Garden hose is one of the most important gardening tools that we use, because it helps us to prove the water for our plants and flowers.

Garden hoses are commonly green or often black, but can also be found in a variety of other colors. Garden hoses are typically made of extruded synthetic rubber or soft plastic, often reinforced with an internal web of fibers. As a result of these materials, garden hoses are flexible and their smooth exterior facilitates pulling them past trees, posts and other obstacles. Garden hoses are also generally tough enough to survive scraping on rocks and being stepped on without damage or leaking.

Most garden hoses are not rated for use with hot water, and their packaging will often specify whether or not this is the case. Leaving non-reinforced hoses in the hot sun while pressurized can cause them to burst.

Compact hose is great for watering pots on a deck or patio, this plastic hose practically coils itself up after use and weighs about half as much as a traditional model.

#14 Watering Wand

Use a hose, drip irrigation or place the watering wand of your hose at the base of the plant without wetting the leaves. Water the soil, not the plant, using a watering wand, drip irrigation or a soaker hose so less water is lost to evaporation. Use a watering wand. A watering wand allows you to direct the water to the soil at the base of each plant so the roots can be soaked while wetting the the foliage as little as possible. The wand gets the water where it’s most needed without wasting any.

#15 Sprinkler

Garden sprinkler systems have a huge role to play in nourishing your home lawn.Connect your  sprinkler to a watering hose and you can give parts of your garden or landscape a deep soaking without having to stand there for long periods or make multiple trips with a watering can. Better yet, attach your sprinkler to an automatic timer. It will turn on and off and you won’t have to lift a finger. Sprinklers that have multiple spray options offer more versatility.

#16 Work Gloves

Different types of gloves protect hands from various injuries, so keep several pairs around. Choose leather or cotton gloves to avoid blisters from tasks such as sawing, pruning, and shoveling. Wide-cuffed or long gloves coated with nitrile or plastic protect your wrists and forearms when you’re working with thorny plants, such as roses. Latex or rubber gloves keep your hands dry. 

Select garden gloves that have reinforced knuckles and padding in the palm. They’re a little more expensive but do a much better job of protecting your hands from fatigue and injury.

#17 Garden Kneeler and Kneepads

It is a tool that help ease gardening pains.Some popular products sold today through the Gardener’s Supply Company are the “GardenEase Kneeler,” which is a kneeling pad with support handles; the “Garden Kneeler” is a kneepad/garden bench combo;his is the essential tool for any ‘green fingered’ person! This product helps with the repetitive motion of getting up and down — which can be a strain on both the back and the knees. Made from robust steel with a soft comfortable kneeling platform, it also has arms that are just the right height to assist getting back up with stability in mind. This kind of product is not heavy so it’s not difficult to carry, it folds flat in seconds and can be easily stored away.

#18 Stand-up weeder

It is also known as Winged Weeder.This tool allows you to stay standing while you pull weeds from your lawn or garden – it puts much less stress on your body and the task gets done faster.Long handles mean less back strain! Simply step on the pedal, pull back and the four serrated claws will grab and yank out the unwanted plant, taproot and all.

#19 Dandelion Digger

A dandelion digger is great for garden beds as well as for lawns. The dandelion digger is a stout, single-tined fork-looking thing that you can find most anywhere this time of year. A kneeling pad might be nice, too.

You can skip herbicides altogether by digging out perennial weeds with a narrow trowel or a dandelion digger. They come out fairly easily when the soil is damp. Seeding.

#20 Woodman’s Pal

It is a classic Tool, an American icon since 1941. Made for hunters, gardeners, survival specialists, highway crews, and anyone & everyone. All in one tool to clear brush, blaze trails, thin, trim, chop and prune. Woodman’s Pal has been used ever since by forest and land managers. The original Woodman’s Pal features a two-blade axes coated with black powder to prevent corrosion. The Woodman’s Pal made a lot of bold claims and for that matter still does such as “One of the finest outdoor tools available.

The multipurpose “Woodman’s Pal” could efficiently perform the tasks of many tools including machete, axe, hatchet, pruning saw, pruning shears, pruning knife.

#21 Garden Carts

Transporting things around the garden can really become a chore without the aid of a wheelbarrow or cart. Plants, soil and compost all have to get to your garden somehow. The size of your cart will depend on the size of your garden. While bigger is better, don’t get something so large it becomes heavy when full for you to move. Two wheeled garden carts are becoming more popular because the two wheels make for a more stable ride with heavy loads.

#22 Flexible Bucket

This is great for pruning and weeding into, and it’s also flexible enough that it makes a great pouring spout for fertilizing and watering in your plants. It is great for carrying, pouring, storage and just about anything else you can think of. -Worlds most useful tub – Use them for everything.

#23 Organic Weed Killer

Weeds can literally choke the life out of a once-healthy lawn in a matter of a few short weeks. But use the wrong weed killer, and you could do more harm than good. That said, an ounce of professional advice on what kills weeds best is worth a pound of lawn rebuilding. Here are some popular over-the-counter chemical weed killers, as well as an organic option that you may prefer.

These are simple substances with direct and obvious action. They destroy plant life for a short period. They are substances encountered naturally but in small quantities. So their presence is well-known and normally not harmful. But when applied in big doses the results are devastatingly obvious in a very short time. Examples include organic acids, heat from steam, boiling water and weed flamers and salt used in very small quantities on tiny patches.

#24 String Trimmer