Beginner - What tools do I need?

They're a good idea if you can use them Jocko. Unfortunately I wouldn't be able to push myself up from one of those. I very rarely get that close to the ground in my garden either, being rural there are ticks here.

 

After writing my comment yesterday with a baby on my arms I decided to make a list of the top 5 most useful tools. Everything above is a nice to have, but I always come back to those five:

1. A spade
And don't go cheap here. This will be the workhorse for a bigger garden.

2. That diggy thingy I mentioned in my other post. It's the perfect combination for delicate work and when you want to really eradicate some weeds.

3. A pair of gardening shears
Which kind is personal taste, but don't get the cheapest. If you have trees you might want to add a pair of pruning shears and/or a saw.

4. Cut-proof Gardening gloves
Your hands will thank you and you will use them for lots of things.

5. Buckets
Believe me, you can't ever have enough of them. They are the poor man's wheelbarrow, stack in a tidy order and can also be used as a root barrier if you dig them in (don't forget to cut holes in the bottom). I prefer mortar buckets, as they are cheap and durable for decades. If you have a big garden, maybe add a real wheelbarrow, preferably one with two wheels if no tight manoeuvring is required.

 

As you bent the shears on tree branches I would get secateurs, and probably a small folding pruning saw, folding means you are less likely to get accidentally bitten by it.
I use flexible "tub trugs" round the garden useful for carrying tools, compost, weeds, plants, mixing compost, watering plants etc. I find them better than buckets as buckets invariably bang my shins at some point.
Get the best quality you can, visit car boot sales, yard sales, clearances etc.

 

I have a similar kneeler but still can't use it as the base is too firm and hurts my already hurting knees.
I have a small long handled fork which I use all the time. I admit although I have a nice I seldom find the need for it

 

Oops forgot, yes I have a large flexible trug thingy too, holds a lot !!!

 

All the basic tools I would suggest have already been mentioned, I think - fork, spade, hoe, trowel, hand fork, secateurs, tub trugs (four here of various sizes), one of those double-sided hand cultivators.

Yes it's always worth paying for better quality but I think it's also important to handle before you buy - don't opt for mail order, but go somewhere where you can try the length of the handle and the weight of the tool to see if it feels comfortable *for you.* And take a look at Lidl and Aldi when they do their spring garden tool offers over the next couple of months, yes they are relatively cheap but I have always been very pleased with the quality of what I have bought from them. As my neighbour says, 'Germans won't buy rubbish tools'!

Also useful to repurpose and keep in the shed: a pair of kitchen scissors, assortment of containers (biscuit tins, ice cream tubs and plastic milk bottles are good) for storing seed packets, fertilisers etc. I find an old pair of leather gloves more flexible than gardening gloves for pruning prickly shrubs etc.

Other needs will doubtless emerge as time goes on - e.g. if there are big shrubs to tame later on, then you will need loppers and/or a pruning knife. Or topiary shears for fussing with smaller ones! But no need to rush out and get everything all at once.

 

Yes @Clare G you've reminded me I have a knile, fork and teaspoon stored in the greenhouse too...so handy!!

 

A pair of chunky, sturdy stainless steel scissors is one of my main tools in the garden, they can handle being rained on for brief periods of time, are useful for quickly opening bags of different soil materials and trimming/deadheading plants!

Nick

 

Did anyone mention a rake?

 

And a Hat when the Sun shines Good luck.

 

Or in Scotland, an umbrella!

 

No, nobody's mentioned a rake.

 

Nobody has mentioned the most important one yet ………a nice big travel mug with lid for the tea/ coffee/ cocoa .

 

Thanks @Jocko I might just put that on my birthday list, and the gift box may double up as a seed box!
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