Essential Tools to Take Care of a Home Garden

How can you get your garden to grow? What equipment do you need to get started?

Gloves

This might seem like a basic first step, but hand coverings are very important for people doing yardwork or tending a garden. Plants can be a prickly and thorny situation, first of all. And moving soil and plants can be rough work for your hands. Additionally, working with chemicals and fertilizer can be dangerous without protection.

• The gloves you select should be durable and not bulky, for occasionally your fingers will need to handle delicate, smaller things like seeds or small seedlings.
• Gloves should be made from water-resistant fabrics that are also breathable, to keep your hands cool and comfortable. The longer cuffs will protect your upper arms from damage, as well. The more durable, the better.
• If the glove fits, you will be less likely to have slippage problems or blisters during your garden work.

Shears

There are many types of pruning shears. Hand pruners help you trim back and maintain plants as they start to grow out of control. Anvil-style ones cut like a knife on a board, with a sharp blade meeting a flat surface. Bypass pruners work more like scissors.

• Pruners should fit in the palm of your hand.
• Anvil-style are best for dead wood. They can cause injury to growing plants with fresh stems and branches.
• Bypass pruners work better for green wood and live plants.
• Pruners should be regularly sharpened.

Loppers are longer-handled pruning shears used to reach areas that are further away, and they can cut thicker branches.

Wheelbarrow

So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow, according to some poets. If you have to move around a heavy amount of soil, mulch or compost, a wheelbarrow can help you haul hundreds of pounds.

• Different options may fit your abilities and needs, including the amount you can carry and the size your garden requires.
• Store it clean and dry, and regularly maintain its wheels.

Watering Tools

To best tend your garden, watering sources are an important factor to consider. Depending upon the size of your garden and your available water resources, these options will help you.

• Garden hose with adjustable nozzle
• Watering can
• Watering wand

Tools to Turn the Soil

Larger and smaller tools can help you in your garden as you work the soil. It is best to get an assortment of both, for you never know what issues might come up as you maintain your garden.

Smaller tools include:

• Hand trowel, which is a smaller shovel with a long narrow blade. This helps with weeding and maintenance.
• Garden fork, which digs into dense soil better than a spade.
• Spade, a short-handled shovel that will help you dig holes for planting, lifting sod and moving dirt.

Larger tools include:

• Rakes, which will help you clear your garden and yard of debris as weather changes and leaves begin to fall.
• Hoes, which can vary in size based upon the needs of your garden.

For the best gardening guidance, our experts in lawn maintenance and available landscapers can provide you with advice on how to grow the ideal garden in your neighborhood, in addition to the services you need to make your outdoor space looks its best. Contact LawnCare.net for more information on the best lawn care plan for you.