5 Essential Tools To Start Your Garden This Year!

You've got your seeds and you've got your soil and you've got what you're going to grow in. You're ready to tackle this gardening thing and get your hands dirty or in this case maybe prevent them from getting dirty. Either way the choices for gardening tools and hardware can be overwhelming. What do you need? What don't you need? What is a luxury and what is a necessity? No matter how you grow there's three main activities that we all do to run a successful garden. We dig, we water and we cut. Today let's look at the five essential gardening tools and accessories that I think you're going to need to get growing successfully this spring and it starts right now. No matter if you're gardening in small containers, raised beds or even large plots we all need to dig at some point. The first tool on my list is a shovel. Now shovels obviously come in all shapes and sizes for various uses but I feel like you can get away with just two kinds. For container gardening, planting, weeding and even mixing a hand trowel is a must. These miniature metal diggers are essential and centric to so many garden activities it's no wonder they're first on our list. I use mine daily for mixing, digging, potting and planting. I don't think a day goes by where I'm not putting this guy to work. For these guys you've got to go metal. The plastic ones will break it's only a matter of time. If you're indoor, patio or container gardening exclusively you can pretty much stop right there. This is all you need but if your endeavors are a little more expansive we're going to need to level up. In that case I highly recommend a spade or pointed shovel. Necessary for moving large amounts of soil, mulches and aggregates, shovels are also required for digging and breaking up tough dirt. This is why you want the pointed ones rather than the square nosed ones. Square shovels are also nice and sure if money isn't an option buy both but in terms of functionality the pointed shovel can do everything. Aside from digging the next most popular garden activity is watering. Plants need moisture to grow and produce and their relationship with water is synonymous with a healthy flourishing plant. There's a million different apparatuses to water your plants but outside of an automatic watering system there's only three types of tools that I use to water my garden. For close quarters or quick applications it's hard to beat a solid watering can. Versatile, inexpensive and if you're indoor growing or confined to patio gardening this is all you need. For more expansive setups I look to a multi-headed sprayer on an extension hose. They have numerous settings you know both for watering and washing. These guys are just fantastic especially for overhead watering when you need to change the sensitivity based on the crop that you're watering. Another option if you're vertical gardening is one of these hand wands with an extended handle. Really handy and I much prefer to have one of these guys than trying to lug a With the plants dug into our soil and nicely watered as expected they're going to start to grow and that's where our third set of essential gardening tools comes in and that's our cutting tools. If you're growing mostly herbs, lettuces, spinach you know and other lush plants honestly you can get away with a simple pair of scissors. Not even garden scissors, just scissors. They're perfectly fine for harvesting the soft lush leaves of some of our favorite crops. However once you start getting into growing woody perennials and larger crops such as peppers and tomatoes you're going to need to seriously look at getting a decent pair of pruners. They can do everything that scissors can do plus some. Prices range from ultra cheap to well over a But most stainless steel ones in the $20 to $30 range will serve you quite well and last for years if well maintained. This particular pair here they may look new but I've had them for six years now and these guys here I've had them for nine years. So don't skimp when you buy these guys but don't overpay. Anywhere around $30 make sure you get stainless steel you'll be just fine. If I were just starting out my gardening career those three sets of tools would fully encompass what I call garden necessities. Now the next two tools while not required are highly recommended. The fourth tool on our list is a hard rake. This has to be one of the most versatile pieces of hardware that a home gardener can have. While it can be used just as you would traditionally use any other rake a hard rake has more functionality. It's fantastic for leveling beds and preparing large long rows for nice neat sowing of seeds. It's also great for applying coarse mulches and wood chip paths. A hard rake is one of those tools that you buy once and it lasts you a lifetime. And the final accessory while not required but highly recommended is a good pair of gardening gloves. I love to get my hands dirty as much as the next person but there's no denying that sometimes it's just nice to have that extra protection. I wear my dirty fingernails like a badge of honor but as the season wears on and as the work gets tougher I'm thankful for those gloves and I'm really thankful for that extra protection that they provide. Like anything else to do with gardening you can drive yourself crazy thinking that you need to acquire everything to grow successfully. And while all tools have their place and are nice to have that's just it they're nice to have. Your plants don't know what hardware you own they're only concerned with the soil around them and the light above them. If you're just starting out make sure that you can dig, water, and cut. Beyond that as you get a few seasons under your belt start acquiring tools that make your life easier. Tools that really help you. And those kinds of choices will become more clear with more and more seasons and more and more crops under your belt. Hey if you can think of any tools that I missed that should be on this list make sure to share it with the community down below. Also if any of you are on Facebook head on over and join our gardening group called Growing Better. The group has grown phenomenally fast yet it will never lose its sense of community or its welcoming feel. If you're passionate about growing epic organic fruits, herbs, and veggies for you and your family the Growing Better group is a great place to hang out, share, learn, and grow. Hey thanks for watching guys. 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