10 Essential Gardening Tools (for Better Gardening)

[@saundrayork1654]

the garden "mailbox" is genius! Thank you!!

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I've switched from wheelbarrows to wagons, and will never look back. Four wheels make them *much* easier to move around; my wife and mother-in-law simply refuse to struggle with a wheelbarrow. There are several good wagons/carts now designed for yard/garden work, available at the big box stores. Usually the "bed" part is made of heavy duty plastic that won't rust or dent or break. Once you get used to how easy it is to pull a load of compost or buckets of water etc, even two hundred pounds plus of bags of concrete, in a wagon, you will never want a wheelbarrow again :)

[@rummysworld7531]

Amen, I got a Gorilla cart and love it. Little more spendy... but a decent wheelbarrow isnt cheap either. Plus I can tow the gorilla cart behind my atv.

[@alleimerb]

Which wagon do you recommend?

[@grepora]

A wagon is great because it provides a level cargo area and requires no lifting, only pulling. However, a wheel barrow is great because it can easily dump loads, it can be used for mixing soil amendments, and use if for catching sifted soil (if you build a screen sifter). It can maneuver in tighter spots than a wagon, and it is easier to store than a wagon. There are wheel barrows available which have two wheels that are more stable. I don't have a wagon, but I have two wheel barrows.

[@grepora]

@@alleimerb It depends on on the size of yard you have. If it is a small yard, a Radio Flyer style is adequate. You can also get a plastic one. I like the ones with mesh and removable sides.

[@kat6084]

my favorite tool is called a Garden Buddy. it's a cart that the lid can be used as a seat. I can't get down on the ground, but I can sit & roll around my garden. it holds all my tools (pruner, trowel, hand rake). One of the best presents my husband has ever gotten me.

[@Changesonemack]

Trade the short spade for a square nose garden shovel. Indispensable tool for transplanting. I’d throw in a couple 5 gal buckets on the list. Many uses from watering, fertilizing, tea dumps, , moving, transplanting, rock removal, weeding, litter, tool carry, a seat 🪣

[@carladelagnomes]

Yea! Buckets are absolutely necessary in the garden! [and the workshop, as well]

[@KatheWithAnEBurke]

I haven’t used my wheelbarrow since I got a gorilla cart. So much easier for this old lady to manage 😊

[@bobsnow4890]

Second on the gorilla cart! Its so nice to not need to balance as you move.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

Same here. I'll never buy another wheelbarrow again.

[@charlesstock64]

Go Gorilla Cart! Mine can dump also. Several folks have asked where I got it!

[@KatheWithAnEBurke]

Charles, yep mine dumps too. Fits right under the chicken coop man door too for cleaning. Then, I can take it right to the compost pile and dump it. My favorite “tool” for sure!

[@KatheWithAnEBurke]

Oh! And I can take the pin out of the handle and attach the cart to my lawn tractor too! Great for when I’m trimming bushes to throw the branches in and take to the burn pile or if I need to take bags of compost or mulch to the garden!

[@scrappyquilter102]

You're right about the fiberglass handle on the shovel. Broke every one I had until I got fiberglass. Good advice.

[@amysnipes4245]

Thanks, Gardener Scott, for the mailbox idea. I'm going to put one in.

[@matthawkins4579]

The garden rake is also great for leveling a bed when you add soil or compost to it. Just flip It so the tines point up and level away.

[@wesgriffin5631]

Being a amputee supporting a prosthetic, I too use a wagon. Sometimes a wheelbarrow causes me to Loose balance. The rest of the tools, I use them all. Great video!!! Keep them coming.

[@freedombug11]

I LOVE the mailbox storage!!

[@lindadavidson2237]

I'm short and have wonky knees. I highly recommend a spear head spade. It won't move a lot of soil but it's very easy to dig, including in heavy clay.

[@Jeff_PNW]

Solid list, Scott! 👍 I've got all of these and more under cover outside my shop, which is conveniently located right in between my main garden beds. As others mentioned, 5 gallon buckets are a must...great for carrying all sorts of stuff including hand tools, and in a pinch a bucket can be used as a stool.

[@OurLanding]

I appreciated this video. I have a sturrup how and I never knew what it was used for!

[@carladelagnomes]

I'm an irregular individual. :D Instead of a trowel I have a large flathead screwdriver for digging out weeds and planting seeds. A flathead shovel has served me well over the decades. My old flathead is so worn that it now has "ears" and is wonderful for taking out invasive weeds. A hayfork is necessary for turning over the compost and lifting it into the wheelbarrow. And speaking of wheelbarrows, I love the durable plastic one that I got from the local hardware store. I'm getting older and it's hard to generate enthusiasm for carrying bags of soil for here to there. You wouldn't think a plastic wheelbarrow would last, but it has survived the building out of these yards and moving rocks and woods chips. I'm like you, I like the metalhead rake for moving all those chips and spent vegetation. That postbox is a good idea! I may do one to keep my hose watering implements all in one space!

[@bkerr1]

Darn it, Scott! I watched this video a couple days ago and agreed with most of what you said, but when you were discussing a long-handled spade, I thought, "My wooden-handled spade is doing just fine after almost 30 years." Well, you guessed it, it broke this morning. I had to pay more than I wanted to, but I got a fiberglass-handled spade this afternoon. I told my wife it will last longer than I will, lol!

[@Gkrissy]

Great video for ideas! I will be using this video as birthday gift ideas for myself. I want a hori hori knife and stirrup hoe for the weeds and garden fork to mix my compost pile :)

[@heidiclark6612]

Great tool suggestions! I have most of those tools. I use my Hori- Hori knife pretty much every day and a pair of small clippers.

[@joeseatat]

I guess I never thought of gloves as a tool, but you right. We use buckets like a lot.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

Scissors, needle nose nippers, and this year I'm making myself a harvesting apron. Harvesting often takes two hands and the apron will free them up.

[@jerrybessetteDIY]

My new favorite tool is a Korean Hand Hoe. My old favorite is a heavy broad fork. My tools are all red, orange, or yellow. I painted the ones that did not start that way. I find I misplace green, brown, and black colors.

[@waynesell3681]

Another interesting video thank you Gardener Scott

[@scheralgreider5406]

I love my AM Leonard Soil Knife. I use it for planting, weeding, etc.

[@scheralgreider5406]

@@paulalexander616 I have used my AM Leonard Soil Knife for 8 years professionally and it's still in great shape.

[@tommymckiddy7872]

You gotta get a hori hori. I recommend the Dig Dig. Awesome tool. I also recommend a cultivator and a whole bunch of 5 gallon buckets.

[@GardenerScott]

I have a hori hori and use it often. It would have been number 11 on my list. Thanks.

[@CNile-se9xw]

Excellent vid, I have varients of all the tools you've listed & they are definitely all must-haves. I'm 70 with arthritic hands so my gloves are nitrile-faced {grip with must less exertion}, & also cut-resistant for safety. I love my Bahco BAPXRM2 rotating handle bypass pruners (Fesco 12 equivalent), I keep them razor-sharp. My wheelbarrow of choice has a heavy-duty plastic bucket (light), a wide tyre aids stability & resists getting bogged down. Most of my long reach tools have wooden shafts, so going fibre-glass as you suggest is on my wish list. 👍 My advice is to avoid Box-Stores, only buy good quality tools, they have superior precision, longevity & ergonomics while being a joy to use. Best wishes from Australia. 🇦🇺

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks. Good tips. I agree that buying quality is a good idea. It's great to still be using the same tools year after year.

[@melissasullivan1658]

A sharpie pen is my preferred seeding tool. Seriously, it’s always the perfect width. Great list!

[@pamelaspooner7183]

A new tool that will become a fav is the Cobrahead. Comes in 3 sizes, including one with a long handle (like a hoe). So many uses. You can buy from the manufacturer or from Texas Gardener magazine.

[@johnjude2685]

Narrow trowel for my heavy Ohio clay base,Best hoe for my clay base I made it about 2" across the tip and 4.5" wide at base with the tip sharpen as also the sides to deal with weed mounted at a sharper angle to cut into the clay and not bounce like the more popular standard hoe.My best long handle weeder is a old style arrow head weeder.My garden wagon can outwork any wheel barrow for most garden choirs, I have a SS parring knife that has little value for cutting roots and tops from radishes and many crops, Rain barrow is my only water source and a 2 garden watering bucket.Wire tries and I agree with gloves and leather welding gloves for bad jobs. I have not done your mailbox but I have the mail box but haven't installed it yet. Thanks for so much and a lot of good teaching Sir

[@pamelaspooner7183]

Also if you prefer a wheelbarrow, get one with 2 wheels at the front so you aren’t fighting to balance the weight on one wheel. Makes a tremendous difference and prevents those premature ‘unloading opportunities’.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

I would also suggest - measuring tools. An inexpensive tape measure for spacing out rows and transplants evenly. A rain gauge so you're not guessing how much water your garden has gotten this week. And a moisture meter & pH meter so you have a better idea what's really going on in your soil.

[@GardenerScott]

Good ideas. Thanks.

[@dogslobbergardens6606]

@@GardenerScott your videos have helped inspire my wife and I to get our place certified as a Tennessee Smart Yard and NWF Garden for Wildlife. I consider the measuring to be part of the citizen science and good stewardship that goes along with all that... so I thank *you* for helping us along! :)

[@johnhpalmer6098]

Another tool is the Garden Weasil, also known as the Claw. I bought one last year and it does very quick work on the weeds in a flower bed. Just push into the dirt over the weed, and twist, the weed, and root usually come right up. I also have the stirrup hoe too, I find it's OK but better if the ground is not so dry though. I don't have any D handle short tools like your fork, and have thought about getting one, but at this time, it's not that necessary. Otherwise, I have most of the tools on your list, including the Hori Tori, a wheelbarrow, and a 5Gal bucket (great to wash out your paint rollers too).

[@Aries61]

If Mr. Rogers was a gardener…. 🙏✌️😊

[@paigeanddanajackson2987]

I love these tool suggestions! I couldn't help but notice the nice shade cloths in the background. Do you have any recommendations for good shade cloths?

[@GardenerScott]

Thanks! I don't have a specific shade cloth recommendation. I've found they are similar from different sources so look for a good price and availability.

[@Miwako_vklolita]

thanks for the video! the tool for removing weeds(stirrup hoe) is something i need so much, i live in florida and i have a lot of invasive plants!! i want to add carboard and mulch to my grass, like i did before but i havent bought mulch or stones to put on top. the moment i removed the cardboards they came back. we dont have a fence yet so i dont know if the mulch will fly away to my neighboors patio ahhahahah

[@Drkakfood]

Excellent gardening! My slogan home gardening style must be with homemade organic fertilizer and natural pesticides

[@dwaynewladyka577]

Thanks for sharing this. Cheers, Scott!

[@garynorcal4269]

I love my gorilla carts.. I will never get another wheel barrow. I also like a shovel with a wide foot push section like on your fiberglass spade. I want that on my shorter d-handle shovel as well.

[@tauceti8341]

I remember working in theater and 'accidentally' forgetting some of those metal utility knives in my pocket

[@briansutherland6456]

Great video! To the point and super valuable. I will add one thing: I highly recommend that folks buy the dramm aluminum water wand heads. They are much more durable when it comes to freezes and drops.

[@GardenerScott]

You're very right. I mention in an earlier video that I've replaced many plastic heads and the aluminum ones make a big difference.

[@He4vyD]

I can hear Mark from Selfsufficient Me say: You call that a knife? THIS is a knife!

[@maydaygarden]

Same! LOL

[@karinchristensen220]

I am terrible at putting my small tools back where they go. It looks like you are better organized. I was spending too much time searching for a pruner. So, I got a carpenter's tool pouch that I can wear loosely around my waist. That way I have all of the little tools and plant ties and a place to keep my gloves. Then all I have to do is figure out where I left it the last time I used it.

[@carladelagnomes]

I have this same thing for my cemetery tools! It has certainly been convenient!

[@Junzar56]

Only one I would add, is a Hori Hori

[@GardenerScott]

I agree. I almost added that as a bonus 11th tool.

[@johnhpalmer6098]

@@GardenerScott Yep, got one for Christmas 3 years ago I think and it's great for the things they do, better than a regular spade and trowel in some ways.

[@Rachej6]

I wanted to know if you do drip irrigation in your raised beds? If so have you done a video on how to set it up? I can’t seem to find one. Is there a drip system you recommended?

[@GardenerScott]

I don't have drip irrigation but will include it in a future watering video. I prefer to hand water. With drip systems I've set up in the past, I use the tubing and emitters readily available from Lowe's or Home Depot.

[@helenperalta3555]

Thank you Scott for this list of gardening tools. I need to find that hoe!

[@jean-pierreposman7282]

Hello Scott ! I have a problem and question i cant ask on monday eve. . I have a bug problem on mi chart . Everywere in the laeves are holes bitten and some start to go in seed because they feel they gonna dye . Si i went to the nursery getting myself a package of neemoil . When i see the description in the box i see the use is praed it on the ground .... nut it are little flies who doing that .... when i see anny gardeners video's they speaking of spraying on the laeves. ... what shall i do ? K don't think that spraeding on the ground is nat help at all . The description dat also its good against aphyds and carrotflies and many other little bugs . I cant ask you that on monday because the question is too long . What shall i do ? Spraying on the laeves ? Thank you for all the help you give to me . Jean Pierre greetings from cold and wet Belgium

[@GardenerScott]

I spray neem oil on leaves and that is the best way to use it for insects. Mix it with water to spray. Good luck.

[@jean-pierreposman7282]

Thank you Scott i shall do that

[@jose_da_gymrat]

What hose would you recommend? I live in Houston, TX. It is pretty hot (90’s to

[@GardenerScott]

I use a heavy duty garden hose. I don't have a particular brand to recommend.

[@timothymclaughlin6630]

Hello gardener Scott hope you and your family are doing well. My question is what causes end rot on green peppers

[@GardenerScott]

Hi, Timothy. It's similar to blossom end rot in tomatoes and is caused by a calcium deficiency. Most soil has adequate calcium so the problem is usually caused by irregular watering, either too much or too little, and by using too much fertilizer.

[@bobsnow4890]

I've had plenty of fiberglass handles break on me. Those splinters were NOT fun. At least wood will let you know before it gives. I prefer a properly oiled wooden handle, MUCH stronger IME.

[@NashvilleMonkey1000]

I just read that the drought grasshoppers are starting to assemble, now is it better to let them eat all the foliage to lessen the risk of megafires, or is it better to squish all the grasshoppers before they eat all the leaves?

[@GardenerScott]

That's a dilemma.

[@maryannerenison6336]

How about a hoe? I’ve only had small gardens and did everything on my hands and knees. This season I have a large garden with rows! Will I find out what “a tough row to hoe” really means? Lol. Thanks😊

[@GardenerScott]

I hoe can be a good tool in many gardens. Because most of my gardening is in raised beds, I don't use a hoe much.

[@mksecoboost3466]

Gardner Scott, please, I need help!!!! After the flooding here in the Detroit metro area. My tomato plants are wilting. What can I do to save them? We haven't watered since last week. But with little sun, and more rain they're drowning, and I don't know what to do, to save them. If there's anything. HELP!!!!

[@GardenerScott]

There isn't much you can do other than wait for the soil to drain. Remove mulch to let the sun help when it returns. The plants are resilient and should bounce back.

[@mksecoboost3466]

@@GardenerScott Thank you, I was afraid of that. On a positive note the watermelon, honeydew, and cucumber, are loving it. Trade offs I guess.

[@nancywebb6549]

I couldn’t garden without my short handled dual headed weeding tool.

[@erictownsend4236]

In N.H. , shovels, are classified, round point, square point. Yes we are different, but correct! Ha Ha

[@adampetherick6266]

Thsnkyou

[@Junzar56]

Keep fiberglass handle tools out of the sun when you aren’t using them.

[@markpnw8745]

I have broken 2 fiberglass handles in one year. Don't remember if they were left out in the sun or not. I now have a shed and have not broken another yet.

[@Changesonemack]

I purchased my home from an old German couple who themselves were unbelievable gardeners by all account. One of the things he left with me as they moved into assisted living was his trusty square nose garden shovel. Solid wood (hickory??) and metal; with, guessing a 30 year old patina. TWENTY years later: I have brutally used this shovel. Jump cutting thru thick roots, transplanting, lilacs or moving hibiscus, prying cabbage size stones or 16x8 bks I have left forgotten in back parts of property for days, weeks maybe in the elements…. And it’ll get some easy stuff like edging too. I know there’s a limit to it’s power and I have passionately reserved some things to a 5’ pri bar. But it has never gave a hint of failing. The shovel is a beast; quality from a time that is long gone. I ❤️ my garden shovel. Love.

[@carladelagnomes]

@@Changesonemack That's awesome! I have some tools that I've held onto through many moves and life changes. A good shovel is a godsend!

[@advocatesanjaykhimesara972]

👍👍👍

[@brianw3822]

Disposable nitrile gloves.

[@andreitatucrees]

I'm so sad because my lead level is high 😭 my garlic 😭😭😭