If you’re a beginner to gardening, you may be asking yourself what tools I need to start my growing journey. Well, we’ve comprised a list of the top 5 tools we believe every beginner gardener needs.
It’s easy to go crazy and buy all the latest tools, but to start with all you need a staple few items that will allow you to become begin and become familiar with gardening and growing.
Gardening gloves
In at number 1 for beginners are gloves. Gardening gloves are an essential gardening tool. They’re not just there to keep your hands clean they have many practical uses such as a barrier from soil, compost, manure, and dirt. They also protect your hands from thorns and splinters.
Gardening gloves aren’t just for beginners they are for all gardeners. They are a tool that adds a protective layer to prevent direct rubbing and contact-induced blisters.
Even beginners can go through periods of intense gardening, and this can lead to dry, cracked and even bleeding hands, gloves will inhibit this. Long days in the summer sun will take a toll on your hands if they aren’t gloved up, protection from prolonged direct sunlight is very important. When the winter comes, gloves will keep your hands dry and warm.
How to choose the right gardening gloves
With so many options out there as a gardening beginner, choosing the right gardening gloves for you can be tricky. Below are some important factors to consider as a beginner when choosing your garden gloves.
-Gloves should be robust and strong, but not too thick or rigid. As a beginner you will soon learn that dexterity is important when planting seeds and working with young seedlings.
-Ideally you should choose a fabric that is water resistant as opposed to waterproof, this will allow your hands to breath and keep cool and comfy.
-Poorly fitting gloves can cause several issues such as blisters and letting in cold and damp. It’s important to get the correct size for you. Sizes range from small, medium and large.
-Depending on your main gardening tasks, it’s important to choose gloves with a long enough cuff. Choose a longer cuff to cover your forearm for a wider range of gardening duties or even a full length glove great for pond and draining chores.
Where should you store gardening gloves
It’s important to store your gloves in a cool, dark place out of direct sunlight. Somewhere away from insects or pests is best too.
Secateurs
Number 2 on our list of gardening essential tools for beginners are secateurs. Secateurs can have many names such as deadheads, pruning shears, tree pruners, hand pruners and many more. These handy little garden tools are a perfect beginner tool for deadheading, pruning and general tidying around your garden.
It's crucial to find a pair that suit your needs and strength. These tools vary from ultra-lightweight, smaller pairs to more durable, heavier pairs.
The heavier pairs can be harder to use if you have reduced hand or wrist strength as a beginner, so bear this in mind when choosing your new beginner tools.
Ensuring cleaner cuts and minimal plant injury can be achieved through regular sharpening of these tools and using a good quality tool oil.
Hand trowel
In at number 3 is a tool no gardener, beginner or not, can be without. The trusty hand trowel. As a beginner you will find this tool is useful for an extensive list of gardening tasks such as digging small holes, extracting weeds, breaking up earth, mixing in fertiliser or compost and transferring plants to be re-potted.
Just like with the secateurs, hand trowels come in different styles.
A good quality hand trowel should last years. The best materials to look for as a beginner in this tool are solid wood and durable stainless steel.
Plastic trowels are increasingly available but as a beginner aren’t as strong or long lasting as traditional ones. Plastic is prone to bending and snapping as well as potentially interacting with fertilisers and other gardening substances.
Watering can/ bottle top waterers
Number 4 is a watering can. Water is essential for all life, including your new plants. As a beginner you’ll notice some plants need a lot more water than others.
Watering cans are a vital tool that come in a range of sizes and it’s important to find a watering can that is the right size and weight for you.
The best material for a watering can is metal as plastic ones can leach into the water if exposed to sunlight or heat.
Our galvanised metal watering cans are the perfect tool to avoid rusting.
You can also get watering cans with a detachable rose. This device is an ideal multi-use tool in any garden. Our detachable rose is additionally suitable for use when applying nematodes.
If you are limited with space or have reduced wrist or arm strength a great alternative is a bottle top waterer.
A bottle top waterer is a handy beginner tool that can be fitted over an old plastic water bottle and given a new lease of life as a watering can. Our bottle top waterer’s come with different attachments for all your watering needs.
These tools are also a great beginner option for house plants. If you are concerned about overwatering houseplants consider an indoor plant watering system or a moisture sensor.
Propagator
Our last item on this list of beginner’s essential tools for gardeners is a propagator. Gardening can be tricky especially for beginners and using a propagator tool increases plant survival. This will in turn increase your confidence as a new beginner to gardening.
A propagator is essentially a tool much like a miniature indoor greenhouse. It is made from hard plastic and is specifically for seeds and young plant incubation.
A propagator tool allows the grower (you) to have greater control over the temperature and moisture content of the interior. It is considered a much more stable and protected environment which is vital for immature seedlings as they are more vulnerable and thus susceptible to damage.
Some great plants to try growing in a propagator if you’re a beginner are:
-Sweet peas
Best results achieved when temperature is monitored with a propagator thermometer.
It’s also recommended to use special seedling compost in a propagator tool as normal compost is too rich and doesn’t allow for adequate oxygenation and drainage.
Conclusion:
As a gardening beginner don’t feel obliged to go overboard and buy every new tool or gadget you see, instead invest in a few essential beginner gardening tools.
With the items and tools on this list you will have everything you need to begin your gardening journey.