The best garden tool you can have is you. You are going to do more work than all of these tools combined, truth be told.
But you can use great tools to make your garden life easier and to help you garden more efficiently.
So, what are the tools that every gardener must have?
While everyone will have their favorites, here are a dozen that we can’t do without.
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Top 12 Garden Tools for Home Gardeners
1. Garden Hoe
It may sound simple, and in many ways, it is, but every gardener needs one good, basic, traditional long-handled garden hoe.
It’s a weeder, a mulcher, a trencher, a back-filler...it’s too many things to list. If you don’t have one on hand, you’re sure to know it.
- Corona's new line of EXTENDED REACH hand tools are designed for working in raised -bed gardens small garden and tight access locations
- ComfortGEL grips deliver comfort to gardeners who seek an easier more therapeutic gardening experience
- Optimal 36-in length for long reach and balance - ideal for gardeners who find many long handle tools to hard to manage
- ATJ-PE, 48-inch premium grade waxed hardwood handle for strength and economy
- Welded 6 inch garden hoe
- Matt-black painted head
2. Pitch Fork
Like the garden hoe, the garden fork is a multi-purpose tool that you’ll reach for again and again. A solid four- or six-tine fork will make easier work of tasks like spreading mulch and chip and things that are difficult to dig into with a flat shovel.
- Loosen, lift and turn garden materials with a durable garden fork featuring advanced ergonomics and a rugged build
- Welded boron steel blade and steel shaft provide durability that far outlasts wood-handled tools and won’t flex like fiberglass
- Angled D-handle keeps your wrist in a neutral position to reduce strain and provides a secure grip
- BJ-4E, 30-inch North American ash, lacquered handle with d-grip for balance and control
A heavy fork can dig like a spade, replace a potato digger, be used as a rock-picker, turn a compost pile... Forks will dig in and down much easier than a flat shovel. In fact, if you’re forced to choose between a shovel and a fork, choose the fork. In a garden, you won’t have as much use for a shovel as you might think.
3. Hori-Hori Knife
You may or may not be familiar with what a Hori Hori knife is. It is a Japanese-style gardening knife that is about six inches long, with a heavy blade with one flat side and one serrated side.
- Questions. Text 563563 to chat directly with a Nisaku expert.
- The Hori-Hori knife is ideal for gardeners and outdoorsmen alike. It is used for weeding, seeding, transferring bulbs, digging the perfect hole and cutting branches. These knives aren’t only for...
- It Features a Japanese Stainless Steel Concave Blade for digging, beveled sharp edge for slicing, serrated opposite edge for cutting tree limbs. Inch markers engraved on the blade ensure you can plant...
- Exquisite Workmanship & Multi-functional Blade: Made by mirror polishing and good tempering workmanship, anti-rusting and wear-resistant, solid and durable. Featured with curved blade, sharp edge,...
- Full-Tang Rosewood Handle: Constructed by protective handguard and premium rosewood, full tang design with 3 reinforced rivets. More secure, avoid hand injuring & offering more non-slip and...
- Leather Sheath with Hide Rope: Reinforced with 7 rivets and featured with belt loop, more durable and built for long-term use. Belt loop is used for hanging on belt for every day carry. Metal snap is...
Most will come with a sheath that you can hang from your waistband (highly recommended!). They are solid, but not particularly sharp. A good Hori Hori knife will do it all—weed, plant bulbs, dig holes for transplants, cut twine, cut crops, lettuce, and greens...You’ll be amazed how many tools this one little knife hanging off your belt can replace!
4. Hula Hoe(s) (AKA Stirrup Hoe)
A long-handled hula hoe is designed for fast, efficient, upright weeding. It has a stirrup-like shape made from a triangular band with a hollow center that allows it to shuffle back and forth through garden soil and cut weed roots just below the surface.
- ▲【Push Pull Hoe Garden Tool】Our garden hoes are designed with push-pull motion which is safer and more efficient for weeding, cut weed roots or cultivating around live growing plants with ease.
- ▼【Weeding Hoe Long Handle】Hoe Length is adjustable to be 30", 43" and 60" which provides maximum comfort for tall gardeners and protect you from bending over.
- ◀【Sturdy Quality】Weeding tools for garden are made of Commercial grade & extra thick 1.3" diameter premium steel which is sturdier and made to last for years.
- 🔨【New Design】It uses a special hollow design and is a very practical hand tool for gardeners. It can be used for daily gardening work such as weeding, loosen the soil, planting vegetables and...
- 🔨【High Quality Material】It is made of carefully selected high-quality steel, hand-forged and welded, and is very durable.Thickened steel bar More durable.
- 🔨【Change the size at will】The pole is made of spliced stainless steel tube, you can change its length according to your height and living habits, and it can extend up to 54 inches to make your...
This makes it fast and easy to go through rows and keep up with weeds, especially if you attack them regularly at the thread stage or not too far beyond it. They only disturb the top inch or less of soil, so using one decreases subsequent weeds because it does not dig up and expose buried seed.
5. Mini Hula Hoe
Full-sized hula hoes are so loved and work so well, that now they’ve developed a hand-held version. This is the perfect companion to the full-length hula hoe. While the large hula hoe will make short work of the wider spaces and around large plants, the mini hula hoe will let you do the finish work right up to the stem.
- Uses push-pull motion to cut weed roots
- Great tool for weeding and cultivating around live growing plants
- Gel grip handle cushions the hand and provides maximum comfort
- 【New Stylish Design】With a Triangular-shaped head, Walensee mini action hoe uses a special hollow design and is a very practical hand tool for gardeners. Ergonomic rubber handle which can ease the...
- 【Multiple-use】The Loop Stirrup Hoe is a necessary garden tool for you to weeding, ditching, seeding, planning, loosen the soil, cultivate vegetables and flowers, uproot weeds, and the Hula-Ho Mini...
- 【High Quality Metal Material】The Garden Tool is made of high-quality and grade steel, hand-forged and welded and heat treated blade, which is sturdier and durable and made to last for years. The...
It’s great for small plants, tight spaces, close plantings, and areas where you need to get down and pick through a little more carefully. Other than that, it works just like a large hula hoe, only for more detail work.
6. Shears (aka nippers, cutters, secateurs)
A pair or two of good, sharp cutters will not only make your gardening life easier, but it will make your garden plants’ lives easier. Good shears will make it so that you can cut, trim, prune, and harvest everything from cut flowers to roses and berry bushes with one quick, sharp cut.
- Quality Garden Tools: Designed to help you cultivate a better garden, Fiskars garden and yard tools are equipped with smart technologies and award-winning, ergonomic features that make it easier and...
- Maximum power and precision: All-steel blade stays sharp longer; Rust-resistant, low-friction coating helps glide through wood; Self-cleaning sap groove keeps blades from sticking; Non-slip grip...
- Long-lasting and reliable: All-steel design provides excellent durability for lasting value. Fiskars pruning shears and tools are built to last and backed by a full lifetime warranty.
- Drop forged body and handles.
- Quality blade made of Premium Titanium steel with Ultra-fine Polishing Technology.
- Ergonomically designed non-slip handles are strong,lightweight,and comfortable.
This will make it so that things like cut flowers can live longer in their vase. It will also minimize ripping, tearing, and shredding to the plant so that it can keep going. Limiting plant damage limits the entry points for insects and disease, too.
7. Trowel
Maybe it’s boring to put a run-of-the-mill garden trowel on a list of work-saving, back-saving garden tools, but the fact of the matter is that a good, old-fashioned garden trowel is a capable and useful tool. It’s stood the test of time because it is so useful.
- Heavy Duty Carbon Steel is bend proof and break proof for confident digging in heavy clay or rocky soils
- Depth markers for easy measurement for more consistent planting or transplanting
- ErgoGrip with ergonomic rubber grip handle for comfortable use and better leverage in heavy / rocky soils
- 2 Pack of Fiskars FiberComp 11" Trowel
- Ideal for digging into tough soil and breaking up hardened dirt clods
- Oversized head displaces more soil to speed work
Even though many of these tools can replace a lot of the work you use a garden trowel for, at some point you’re probably going to be reaching for one.
8. Onion Hand Hoe
An onion hand hoe is another good close-up, detail weeding tool, but it’s more than that. It is also a very good tool for digging shallow, small trenches for direct-sowing small seed crops. It lets you cover those seeds more lightly and less deeply, too. For seeds that don’t want a deep trench or cover, you’ll find this small hand-held hoe is easier to use than the larger traditional garden hoe.
- Dimensions: 12.5" L x 2.5" W x 3" H; 0.75 lbs
- Earth friendly way to get rid of weeds; no need for toxic herbicides
- Pull the hoe just beneath the surface or chop to easily remove weeds
- High-quality stainless steel head
- Cranked shaft to protect knuckles during work
- Excellent rust resistance
On the other hand, you’ll find its sharp, strong blade will chop through and dig up thicker and larger weeds than what the hula hoes will do—handy if you’ve missed a week of weeding and things are getting a bit larger than is ideal!
9. Spade Shovel
Yes, a good spade shovel is an essential garden tool to have on hand. You won’t use it all the time, and if you only do raised bed or container gardening, or don’t grow anything larger than a tomato plant, you might get away without one.
- Designed for edging, cutting a trench, slicing through thick turf or digging; Great addition for everyday gardeners, yard cleanup, landscapers and work sites
- Welded 14-gauge hardened steel blade and 18-gauge steel shaft provide durability that far outlasts wood-handled tools and will not flex like fiberglass
- Extra-large D-handle and foot platform design offers secure two-handed control when digging and helps maximize force when driving the blade into soil
- DIMENSIONS: 43 inches L x 5.75 inches W x 3 inches D and weighs 4 lbs
- DURABLE: Heavy duty head construction of 1050MN carbon steel makes shovel extremely tough and durable
- RELIABLE: Features the new, no-slip, H-Grip on the ergonomic handle that turns tacky when wet to ensure a secure grip in all conditions
But if you get into berry bushes, nut, or fruit trees, you’re going to find you need a good spade every now and again (at least for planting time). That said, if you have to, you might be able to get away with just the heavy digging fork mentioned above, if occasional planting and medium hole digging is all you need to do.
10. Tool Carryall
Once you have all your must-have tools gathered, you’ll want something that is easy to keep them in for daily grab-n-go gardening. This doesn’t have to be fancy, but it should be functional and something that is up to the task.
- Bucket Boss - The Bucketeer Bucket Tool Organizer In Brown, 10030
- Three Interior Loops For Hammers, Drills, Pry Bars, And Other Long-Handled Tools
- Fits Most 5 Gallon Buckets
- AWP Exterior Hanging Bucket Tool Organizer features 51 multi-sized pockets and loops to turn most standard 5-gallon buckets into a tool storage bucket
- Rugged, water-resistant polyester construction holds up under all weather conditions ensuring tools stay both organized and protected no matter the day on the jobsite
- Fold-in design allows for bulk storage inside the bucket. Features a magnet strip for quick fastener access and tape clip on front of the organizer
A heavy basket or tool tote can work, but one sturdy, handy solution is to use a 5-gallon bucket with a construction tool organizer. This will fit all your small and handheld tools and can even carry larger things like rolled garden hoses.
11. Garden Stool
The longer you garden, the more you are going to want a good garden stool. A stool will limit bending and crouching, keep you up off the ground, and make it easier to get back up from down there!
- A Multi-functional Kneeler: It is not only a kneeler but also a seat, you can use it as a kneeler when weeding and also can use it as a seat when fishing.
- Two Convenient Tool Bags: One large tool bag has 4 pockets, and another small tool bag has 3 pockets, it is very convenient to keep your tools outdoor.And you can also take it down anytime, it's easy...
- Easy to Store: With portable and foldable stool, light-weight, our kneeler is easy to storage, and it will not take up too much your space
- 🌻Garden kneeler and seat: Garden kneeler can be flipped over to be the garden bench so you can prune long-stemmed plants and big bushes comfortably. EVA foam-padded cushion and durable stool, the...
- 🌻Compact Folding & Space-saving: Just press by hand, you can unfold and fold back this garden bench stool. The folded garden kneeler seat occupies very little space and can be carried even in...
- 🌻Comfortable and clean: Gardening stool is convenient for you to kneel down in your garden without hurting your knees or back. Whether it’s weeding, seeding, planting or any other operation...
If you poll gardeners, there seem to be several favorites, including stationary and wheeled creeper versions that help you move down the row. You’ll find your stool useful all season long, from planting time to weeding time to harvest time.
12. Basket
When it comes time to harvest, you’re going to need something to gather all that lovely produce in. You’ll need something large and sturdy. It needs to be reusable, and able to take dirty and damp conditions.
- Fiskars Garden Harvest Basket is perfect for collecting, transporting and cleaning your harvest and food gardening tools
- Colander side has drain holes for washing just-harvested produce, while enclosed side can be used for soaking or carrying clean produce or tools
- Ergonomic side handles are ideal for two-handed carrying, while folding handles interlock for comfortable, one-handed use
- Collect, Carry, & Clean
- Easily collect vegetables from the backyard garden or farmers market
- Loose dirt shakes right out
Bonus points if it also can double as a wash trug so you can leave the bulk of the dirt outside! It’s a simple thing, but a necessary thing, and definitely a must-have garden tool!
What's The Best Garden Tool?
We all have our favorites, and they’re likely to change a little over time. This is our list of the best garden tools we can’t live without. We think many of you will find it useful and will fall in love with some of our favorite tools. We are always up for a good recommendation, though, so if you have something that you just must-have in your garden toolbox or toolshed, please, do tell us in the comments!
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