Every garden has its weeds and with warm temperatures now getting warmer, it’s time for some gardening groove.
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Because having everything pruned and watered is vital for a beautiful green oasis in your very own urban space, you’ll want to check for the right tools.
If you’re just getting started with work in the backyard and have never landscaped, knowing what to look for when buying essentials is furthermore important, so here’s everything you need to turn that empty backyard into a beautiful thing.
The essentials that will last for years when kept in good conditions
The gardening tools that a beginner needs are usually the tools that you won’t have to replace for years, because they will last that long if you store them in proper conditions.
The essentials are fork, hand fork, spade, water hose, pruners, trowel, rakes and hoe. Remember that pruning and watering are two vital must-dos in gardening.
Make sure you clean and sharpen these tools regularly so they can give their best and you find them easy to work with.
Now let’s break some of them down into subcategories because they come in various types.
- The two main types of fork
The most commonly used in gardening is the garden fork and most people own and use this type of fork for everything. The second are pitch or compost forks.
Other types include border forks – a smaller version of the garden fork and suitable for smaller spaces and borders, potato forks – designed only for potato lifting (not to dig), pitchforks – used for moving light material like hay and straw.
- The four most popular types of spades
You will need to use a spade for cutting and digging in heavy soil. Many people choose shovels without knowing that although they are good for digging and lifting, shovels are meant for loose soil and lightweight materials.
A spade is usually shorter than a shovel and comes as follows: garden spade, border spade, transplanting spades and specialty spades.
You’ll also distinguish spades from shovels by their flat blade with a square-shaped end. Shovels are curved and usually have a bowl-shaped blade.
- The varying types of hoes and rakes
Both hoes and rakes come in many styles, with most popular being the push hoe that cuts weed from their roots with a push-pull motion and the swan-necked draw hoe that cuts just below the surface.
The most common types of rakes include the bow rake, which is what you’ll want to buy because bow rakes accomplish a number of tasks, the shrub rake and the leaf rake.
- Water hoses are probably the most essential tools you need to own
There would be no garden without plants and flowers and there would be no flowers and no plants without water, so you’ll want to choose the best garden hose even if it means investing a little extra.
The best hoses are kink-free, thus when buying try to kink the hose to see if it kinks.
Hand forks and trowels are smaller tools used for planting and they will help with delicate tasks like seedling, so are just as important for your garden.
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In any case, make sure your tools are as less physically demanding for you as possible. For example, someone of a smaller size will work more efficiently with a border spade than a standard spade, so choose tools that feel comfortable to you.