Gardening is one of the most rewarding hobbies you can learn and luckily it really doesn’t take all that much to get started. To help you narrow down your garden essentials we have compiled a list of our absolute favorite garden tools that each gardener can collect over time for easy gardening and yard maintenance.
Like most hobbies, when you first get into gardening you will quickly find that there are an almost endless number of tools worth collecting. Since gardening truly is a lifelong hobby that you will always be learning from, I personally like to think of each new gardening tool as an investment in my gardening journey. This is why if you plan on being a long-term gardener, investing in the best tools for gardening is always the better route to go as they can literally last you a lifetime with good care.
My Favorite Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners
The following are some of our favorite essential gardening tools for beginners that we have invested in over the years and find ourselves using over and over again in the garden.
Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners: What To Wear
While what you physically wear while gardening may not be considered an official “garden tool”, I do believe that choosing the right clothing and accessories are really important before you even get your hands dirty. I can’t tell you how many times I have forgotten to wear my garden gloves and ended up with unnecessary scratches, or skipped a hat and ended up with a nice red face at the end of the day.
So do yourself a favor, before you even step outside to garden, think about investing in a few garden wear essentials that will be comfortable to garden in for long hours, while also keeping your skin safe and protected.
Straw Hat
Long days in the garden usually mean a lot of time spent in the sun! Outside of making sure you are always using sunscreen, investing in a high quality straw hat is a great way to protect your skin from the hot sun and keep you a little cooler.
Gardening Overalls
You know you are getting serious about gardening when you find yourself investing in a nice pair of gardening overalls. Especially if you are doing yard clean up, having your legs covered can really help avoid unwanted scrapes or accidental exposure to things like poison ivy!
Just add a light weight linen shirt and a straw hat and you are ready to go!
Gardening Apron
This waxed canvas gardening apron is water resistant (ideal for early morning gardening/watering) and has front pockets that are perfect for placing your gardening sheers, garden gloves, or hand held gardening tools. I also love the durable canvas fabric that will resist ripping and the utility look of this apron.
Gardening Gloves
If you do nothing else, please start by purchasing a pair of high quality garden gloves to protect your hands!
I personally always find myself leaning towards leather gardening gloves, and these are a great option! The leather helps to protect your hands from any dirt and debris, while the flexible material doesn’t feel restrictive.
Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners: Garden Hand Tools
There are so many types of garden tools, but your garden hand tools are in my opinion the most essential gardening tools you can collect, and where every beginner gardener should start their garden tool collection. The following garden hand tools are everything you need to plant, prune, and weed your way to a healthy, vibrant garden. While you don’t need to run out and purchase every single one of these garden hand tools at once, collecting them overtime will definitely make your gardening experience a whole lot easier.
Garden Clippers
Every gardener needs a pair of high quality garden clippers, and if you keep them clean they will stay sharp and work well for you for the long haul!
I personally love the grip and shape of these clippers, which can tackle tougher stems on my rose bushes, while also being gentle and small enough to handle pruning delicate herbs.
Micro Clip Garden Pruners
These micro-clip garden pruners are another favorite as they are perfect for easily snipping fresh garden flowers and herbs from your garden. I find myself often reaching for these when I need just a few things from the garden for dinner.
Hand Leaf And Debris Rake
Having a hand leaf and debris rake can make getting into the small corners and tight spaces of your garden so much easier! While you can definitely get a lot done with a larger garden rake, I find that for weekly garden maintenance I prefer this smaller hand leaf and debris rake.
Half Moon Hand Weeder
Weeding is a part of gardening, some hate it, some find it almost therapeutic, but every gardener at one point or another is going to have to tackle it. This half moon hand weeder makes weeding go a lot quicker with its unique shape and ability to cut through even the toughest weed roots.
Transplanting Trowel
I love the shape of this transplanting trowel and find that it works well to loosen roots and dig perfect holes, making transplanting a breeze.
Stainless Steel Trowel
Whether you are potting plants in containers or digging holes for your seedlings in the garden, every gardener needs a trowel. This stainless steel option has a comfortable wooden handle and a well made stainless steel trowel that if well cared for will last for many years to come.
Stainless Steel Hori Hori
A hori hori is a type of gardening knife that can really come in handy when trying to divide and transplant well established perennials, or when tackling particularly tough and evasive weeds.
Japanese Weeder
This Japanese weeder has a very sharp blade that can easily slice through weeds beneath the soil surface making it a favorite garden tool for many gardeners.
Round Potting Scoop
A round potting scoop is essential for easily filling pots with soil and will quickly become one of your most reached for gardening tools if you plan to do a lot of potted or container gardening.
Stainless Steel Cultivator
Great for aerating and loosening the topsoil, this cultivator is an excellent tool to use when preparing your garden beds for planting, or for gently aerating compacted soil throughout the growing season.
Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners: Large Garden And Yard Tools
If you plan on tackling any large garden space or yard there are some essential gardening tools that you will need to help get those bigger projects done. While larger garden tools can be on the more expensive side, they are usually made to stand the test of time, with some manufacturers even offering lifetime guarantees.
Personally, if you are looking to get started with the bear minimum I would recommend purchasing an all purpose shovel, a rake, and a hoe weeder. These three garden tools alone can help you cover a lot of space and will help make those larger projects go a lot more smoothly.
All Purpose Shovel
Every gardener needs a high quality all purpose shovel. I recommend opting for one that is stainless steel and will be more resistant to rust, but also consider how heavy the shovel is and how easy it feels to handle.
Dutch Hoe Weeder
If you are gardening in larger spaces then this Dutch Hoe Weeder will quickly become your new best friend. This weeder makes it easy to tackle weeds in between your garden rows, and allows you to stand up while weeding, which can really give your back and knees a break.
Garden Fork
A garden fork is a great tool to have when doing larger garden cleanup, or for moving things like manure and compost into your wheel barrel.
Large Garden Spade
A large garden spade can be used for digging, transplanting, and planting larger plants like small trees and perennials.
Garden Leaf Rake
If you have a yard then you are most likely going to need to rake a few times a year, and this rake is perfect for getting your yard and garden beds in great shape.
Eight Tooth Garden Rake
This garden rake is perfect for aerating and loosening up larger plots of soil before planting. It also is helpful for evenly leveling and distributing mulch, compost, and other garden amendments into the soil.
Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners: Watering Tools
Every garden needs to be watered, which is why a good set of watering garden tools is essential for every home gardener. When choosing your watering garden tools I always recommend thinking about weight, and functionality. Different types of plants need different amounts of water, which is why I like to opt for nozzles and watering wands that offer multiple spraying options, and a hose that is lightweight and will be less likely to get tangled when you are carting it around your garden.
Watering Wand
These watering wands can easily attach to your hose and provide a rain like shower for your plants. The wands are especially great for reaching higher plants or for watering over certain areas that you may not be able to reach with a regular garden hose.
Watering Can
Every gardener needs a watering can. I love these metal watering cans that hold a lot of water, but are still comfortable to cart around the garden.
Perfect for small space gardeners who may not have easy access to a garden hose.
Lightweight Garden Hose
There are an endless number of garden hoses to choose from, but I personally like to look for options that are light weight and are made to easily untangle.
Garden Hose Nozzle
A multi-stream garden hose nozzle is essential for gardening and will help you change the level of water pressure you need based on what you are watering.
Essential Gardening Tools For Beginners: Garden Accessories
While the following garden accessories aren’t absolutely needed, they are pretty nice to have. I personally love having a variety of wicker baskets and totes to use when harvesting produce from the garden, and love collecting pretty accessories like these copper plant markers that just make the garden feel a little more special.
Canvas Garden Tote
This is the perfect garden or farmers market tote featuring multiple outer pockets for carrying your gardening sheers or more delicate garden produce, and a large inner pocket that can fit larger produce items.
Coconut Outdoor Broom
Gardening can be messy so I love to keep an outdoor broom on hand to quickly sweep up debris and dirt from our patio and outdoor living spaces.
Copper Plant Markers
Trust me, even if you think you don’t need to mark your plants, you do. I can’t tell you how many times I have planted seeds only to forget where I planted them or if I planted them at all.
Wicker Garden Basket
You really can’t have enough wicker garden baskets in my opinion. They and will always be the perfect solution for harvesting flowers and produce items from your garden, not to mention they look beautiful overflowing with your summer harvest.
Garden Carry All
Similar to a wicker basket, this garden carry all is great for carting around the garden to store your garden produce. I love the look of the wood handle and the metal wire basket makes it a great addition to any gardeners supply.
Moisture Meter
A moisture meter can really be helpful in understanding exactly how much water your plants have received and when it is time to water. Using moisture meters through your yard and garden can help prevent overwatering or under-watering, both of can be problematic for your plants.
I hope you find this essential garden tools list helpful as you begin to grow your gardening collection and dive more into the wonderful world of gardening. Because there are so many types of garden tools available, we couldn’t possibly cover them all but we would love to hear from you! Have some other gardening tool favorites? Let us know what your essential gardening tools are below in the comments.
