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By Alexis Scott
Spending time in a garden, around greenery and in nature is the best solution to any sort of stress or tension. But as we have successfully managed to chop down every tree in sight, it’s time for some immediate individual action. Creating your own little oasis of peace isn’t as complicated as you may assume. However, though it’s done for relief, gardening can be fairly stressful without the right tools.
If you are trying to make gardening your new hobby, you are in the right place. In this article, we’ll be talking about the 6 essential garden tools that will make your gardening experience a lot simpler and easier.
No matter how big or small of a garden you are making, the resources you’ll need are limitless. Bags of soil, compost, and other materials need to be carried around the garden. Having a wheelbarrow has its own advantages in such situations. Speaking from personal experience, it can be a lot of work roaming around the garden 100 times, carrying bags of soil and compost.
When shopping for a wheelbarrow, look for the one which doesn’t weigh a lot but is strong enough to carry a heavy weight. If you are going to be carrying water in the wheelbarrow, purchase separate bags for that purpose. A wheelbarrow will also come in handy when transporting seedlings to their flowerbeds. It can be used to move leaves or dirt without spilling them all over the garden.
If you’re just getting started with gardening, why not use plastic buckets to grow your vegetables in? Instead of purchasing pots and other containers, just recycle any old plastic buckets you may have on hand. Even if you choose to use pots, you’ll find that if you sow carrots and other root vegetables, they’ll grow better in the deep soil a bucket provides. A bucket offers a lot of deep space soil can fill, so the plant will have a lot of room to fill in.
For people with only a small area to dedicate to a garden, container planting is an effective solution. It requires decreased maintenance and is not very messy. When using plastic buckets for planting, make sure you use 5-gallon (19 L) buckets as they are big enough for the plant to grow comfortably.
The process of sowing seeds in a plastic bucket is identical to sowing them in a pot. But as buckets don’t come with drainage holes, you’ll need to make a few before putting the soil in. For a classier and more harmonious look, grab an attractive piece of cloth and wrap it around the bucket.
When using a wheelbarrow to move soil and leaves, you’ll find a garden shovel helpful in transferring the soil without having to dump the whole thing onto the ground. Not only that, a garden shovel comes in very handy if your yard is on a raised bed. When it comes to mixing compost and soil together, a garden shovel makes the process very easy.
Tasks like digging soil and shifting it, moving gravel, snow or sand can easily be carried out with the help of a garden shovel.
When we’re talking about messing around with the soil or getting rid of weeds, a hand rake is a perfect partner in crime. It can also be used for mixing soil and smoothing it out. If you spot any debris around the plant, a hand rake will help you get rid of it without causing any disturbance to the roots.
If a hand rake is helpful in a small garden and with potted plants, a bow rake is the perfect equivalent for tackling a large size yard. For small gardens, a bow rake might not be of much help, but large yards can find plenty of use for one. A hand rake is more than enough for a tiny little garden. Overall, both of these tools are wonderful for leveling, turning, and smoothing out the soil. A garden that’s being newly built will have a lot of work for a hand or bow rake, so consider adding it to the to-buy list.
This is something you’ll need in the later stages of your garden when the plants start to produce long branches and stems. If you have a lot of small plants, shrubs and flowering plants, a hand pruner helps in cutting the stems and branches. They give a clean-cut and provide ease of use.
You won’t need a hand pruner for a garden that’s just starting out, because the plants take time to grow. If it’s time and your plants start developing longer and longer branches, purchase a sharp and comfortable hand pruner. As plants start to expand, pruning becomes a frequent activity, so make sure the hand pruner fits into your hand comfortably. When a pruner doesn’t feel comfortable, its effectiveness is reduced almost immediately.
The only way you’ll be able to use most of the above tools is when your plants grow and blossom. Water is the ultimate source of all that growth, so you definitely can’t forget about obtaining a good hose. A garden hose is especially helpful if you have a large yard; it makes watering plants 100 times easier. To avoid wasting water, attach a spray nozzle to the hose; by doing so, you can control the pressure.
These were the 6 main tools you’ll need for an easy gardening experience: just purchase them and get started with gardening. Remember to be patient and enjoy the process, you’ll soon see lush greenery all around.
For more information on garden tools, visit the Garden Tools Pro website, a valuable source of information on the tools that make your garden work.
Learn all about creating your own plant nursery in the article How to Design a Plant Nursery at Home that Really Thrives.
3 + 5 + 6. I can do without the rest. Really, I rarely use a wheelbarrow.
A couple of years back, I bought a wheel barrow/garden cart with two big bicycle tires in front. I LOVE it, and it is so much easier to move about than one with just one wheel in the front. Good tips.
I like the one wheel type: I can move it into narrower spaces. But to each his own!
If I could count the number of times I tipped over the one wheel type, you’d have a good chuckle.