Beginner - What tools do I need?

I didn't mention those Tomcat because I don't drink them.

 

And the Digestive Biscuits!!!!

 

Burgon and Ball tools are absolutely fantastic! I have 3 of them and would thoroughly recommend! Yes, pricey, but the old saying "buy cheap and buy twice" is often true when it comes to gardening tools and they come with a lifetime guarantee.

Burgon & Ball | Leading Garden Tools & Agricultural Supplies

Nick

 

Pen knife/gardening knife for cutting twine, opening plastic bags etc.

 

Sometimes, just sometimes, you can pick up decent quality tools at car boots. I used to do the gardening lark for a living, most of my day to day stuff came from having a rummage through peoples cast offs. Cheap forks bend with the wind, cheap stainless steel forks snap like a carrot and you end up a**e over elbow in the undergrowth!(personal experience)

 

A shoe box for kitchen things that are just about to go into the bin:

Blunt cheapy scissors can be sharpened and used for various tasks, table knives are brilliant for digging dandelions out from the lawn and dessert forks are just the right thing for lifting and re-potting tiny seedlings. (Personally I only use Villeroy&Boch dessert forks for my seedlings ok, because they came in a set and I don't have any other dessert forks, for goodness sake... )

Wooden or bamboo BBQ skewers (the ones with a flat wing end) double as plant labels and young plant supports and those twist tie thingies you get when buying a roll of freezer bags are fine as plant ties. Broken or tatty plastic food containers are great for seed sowing, easy to punch some drainage holes with scissors.

Broken china does the same job for container drainage that the "bits of broken clay pots" did in the days when pots were clay and not plastic and broken bits were readily available. Just be careful, china bits have very sharp edges.

In general, a good piece of something to cut with, something to dig with and some buckets go a long way. Depending on what you cut, dig and carry/ store, the particulars can be refined as you learn. B&Q, Argos or Wilkos will provide these for a total of £30 or less.

And when something breaks, it often can be repurposed. A broken bucket is just the thing to grow bucket potatoes in, just add some drainage holes and voila, home grown gourmet is on its way

On a less serious note @PJA190 , your autocorrect has nailed it Never miss that one when gardening!

 

What I used to (finally) prune the apple trees last week.

 

Wolf tools are useful in that you can swap handles to use most appropriate length one for each situation. And they seem tough - I've had mine ages

 

I agree , great tools , not the cheapest , but built like tanks and will last for ever. German engineering !!