Essential Tools You Need To Start A Garden

If you’re thinking of starting a garden, you need to have the right tools. Here are the essential tools you need to start a garden. 

One of the most rewarding and continuous projects I work on every year is my vegetable garden. I’m going on my 10th growing season and with every approaching spring, I let my garden planning almost consume me. I love to plan and design what gets planted in each garden bed, following my notes that I took from my garden in previous years and applying these enhancements for this year. The goal is always a healthy crop with a high yield. I wrote all about and filmed a video how I plan my garden for the coming season, and you can see it HERE!

It seems there’s no end in sight to the high costs of food on the rise. It saddens me to know that I get sticker shock each time I walk into a grocery store, but then I find it comforting that my vegetable garden will get started in just a week or two. I’ll sow the seeds indoors, place the trays in front of the south-facing windows, and then I’ll sit back and let the seeds germinate, gently watering each cell everyday. Come May, I’ll transplant everything to their designated beds in my garden.

If You’re Thinking Of Starting A Garden, Now Is The Time!

And why not really?! Even if you don’t have a lot of room, there are plenty of vegetable varieties that are happy to grow in pots; like tomatoes, peppers, and green beans to name a few. There’s something to be said about growing your own food mainly because you know exactly where it comes from and how it is all grown. And the quiet time spent tending to the garden can be just as rewarding. With my garden tote in hand and all of the tools I need, I head out early in the morning, just as the sun is rising, and I get to work.

Essential Tools You Need To Start A Garden

In order to start a garden, there are a few tools you’ll need to have on hand. Smaller in stature, but workhorses just the same, once you have these tools, you’ll have them for years. These gizmos I call my “core” tools. Ones that I keep together in my garden tote and always have by my side when I’m working in my garden. I’ve rounded up my favorites and those that are in my core group for you, and I am providing links for you as well.

1. Hand shovel. You will reach for this tool more than any other tool besides your two given hands. It’s a two-fer, really; the shovel end digs and the handle end is perfect for making holes in the ground for plants. My favorite shovel found HERE. 
2. Cultivator. This tool is used to get air in the soil, smooth out rocky surfaces and it also helps to remove some weeds. Buy it HERE.
3. Lopper. I also put this tool in the pruning category, but boy is it essential! It cuts those stubborn roots that are in the way, and also work great when cutting smaller tree branches. Buy it HERE.
4. Pruner. I use this tool all the time. I not only use it in my garden, but whenever I’m creating a floral arrangement or making a wreath. I have two pairs, one for my garden bag, and one that I keep inside for those arrangements. Get the pruner HERE. 
5. Garden gloves. These are a must! Tending a garden is tough on your hands, and you need to keep them protected. I get new gloves every year for Mother’s Day, and these are my absolute favorite. You can buy them HERE. 
6. Hand rake. This is the perfect tool to help remove fallen leaves and debris between the plants. Always good to have on hand, and you’ll find that you’ll use it more than you think. Hand rake found HERE. 
7. 5-gallon bucket with handle. Perfect to hold those weeds that get pulled out of the ground, and the handle makes is easy to toss them out in the trash. Plus this bucket fits perfectly inside the garden tote! Buy the bucket HERE.
8. Garden tool tote. A must to keep all smaller garden tools organized, together and at the ready. It’s like a portable potting station. I don’t know what I would do without my garden tote. Best garden tote found HERE.
9. Hedge Shears. These are certainly are essential and all around great garden tool to have. Buy the shears HERE.
10. Tomato cages. Tomato plants can grow over 5 feet, depending on the variety. With their beefy stalks and heavy fruit, they need support. There are a lot of tomato cages on the market, some flimsier than others. My favorite has four sides. Best tomato cage found HERE. 
11. Pea trellis. Peas are climbers and when they grow, they have shoots that grab on to surfaces. They need to have a trellis to grab on to, which will also in turn help the plants to provide a higher yield. Buy the trellis HERE.

Seed Starting Essentials

Here is what you will need when starting (sowing) your seeds. Most vegetable gardens can be starting directly in the ground, but here in the Northeast, in order for our vegetable gardens to bare fruit come late spring, early summer, the seeds will need to be started indoors. I will start to sow seeds within the next week or two.

** Quick tip: make sure you read the sowing instructions on each packet of seeds. Some plants prefer to start in the ground rather than transplanted from pots.

1. Good starter soil. Hands down, this is so important to have the best soil to sow your seeds. There are several on the market that are good. This potting mix and this one are my two go-to’s.
2. Seed starter trays. Each tray has 18 cells to sow seeds in, one cell or each plant. It’s amazing how an entire garden can be started in such a small vessel. These trays are gold! Buy the trays HERE.
3. Planter trays. I always put seed starter trays inside trays to catch all of the water. Also, perfect to sow a large amount of seeds when smaller cells aren’t needed. Get the trays HERE.
4. Spray bottle for watering. Once the seeds have been sown, you’ll need to water gently as to not disturb the seed. I find a spray bottle works perfectly. Find the spray bottle HERE.
5. Plant labels. Don’t forget to label the plants! Otherwise, you won’t know what is what until it bares fruit. Labels found HERE. 
6.  SEEDS!! You need seeds to grow a garden. I buy mine every year rom two places, and I highly recommend each online store: Johnny Seeds and Burpee. I’ve had good luck from both places.

The Cost Of Starting A Garden

There is an initial cost when starting a garden. If you’re truly starting from scratch, the cost can vary from less than $50 to higher, depending on what brand you buy and how many tools you buy. What I’ve recommend above are my favorite, and are all very affordable, proving that expensive garden tools aren’t always the best.

I always think of it this way: based on what the grocery stores charge for the fruits and vegetables that I buy, I make up my garden costs by my second harvest. Once things are ready to pick, I’m harvesting just about every day, from late June to early September. I’m saving close to $100 a month just by growing my own garden. Hopefully by reading this, you will be inspired to grow your own garden!!

Growing a garden truly is so rewarding. You give it a lot of sun, love and attention, and it will bare fruit! And, in the end, will save you a lot of money.

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