Dirty Hoes: A Guide to Garden Tools

My drawing of some typical garden tools.

Getting down and dirty in the garden is one of my favorite activities. However, a fun gardening afternoon can turn into a slew of inefficient or challenging projects without the proper tools to get tasks done. Having the necessary garden tools on hand is essential to getting things done promptly without risking damaging your crops. Although a few tools can go a long way, every garden tool has a specific purpose, making your growing adventures fun and easy. I wanted to give you a little guide showing you how to use your garden tools for every one of your gardening projects. 

Hand Trowel

Pruning shears.

Harvesting potatoes with gloves on.

Hand trowels are essential to have in the garden. They help in digging in raised beds or containers, digging up roots, and weeding. This hand tool is also perfect for transplanting new nursery starts into the garden. 

Pruning shears (a.k.a. secateurs) are crucial. From harvesting to pruning, shears are the perfect tool for assisting you various of garden tasks. There are two different kinds of pruners: anvil and bypass. Anvil works like a knife cutting through plant matter, then it hits the anvil, which acts similar to a cutting board. Bypass pruners work more like scissors. Although you can use either for many tasks, anvil pruners are better for cutting through dead or rigid plant material, while bypass shears are gentler with fragile plants. For example, I would use anvil shears for cutting through dead limbs on a small tree, and I would use bypass for trimming suckers off of tomato plants. If you can only afford to get one pair, I recommend bypass pruners first since you will use these most often on soft living plant tissue. 

Gloves are crucial mainly for your protection. Not only do gloves help deter any potential blisters or cuts you would get from the average garden task, but it also prevents any possible plant chemicals from coming in contact with your skin. I use garden gloves most of the time, especially when dealing with nightshades, cucumbers, squash, and when doing extended digging or shoveling.

Garden shovels are pointed in shape

Garden spades are square in shape

Using a garden hoe to loosen soil

A garden shovel is essential for digging and transporting soil. You can use it to dig holes for plants, move soil in and out of wheelbarrows and beds, and to stir or mix compost piles and amendments into garden beds. Shovels are perfect for digging due to their pointed shape. Make sure to get a shovel that is a comfortable weight and length for your height. 

Garden spades are similar to shovels, but they have a square-shaped blade. Spades are great for digging large holes for installing trees or bushes and are great for transplanting established plants since they have enough surface space to pick up entire root systems. They’re also great for digging up weeds and roots that are challenging to remove by hand. You can also use them for transporting soil or mulch.

Garden hoes are fantastic for weeding, cutting through tough unwanted plants, loosening up soil in preparation for amending, and spreading compost or soil into tight corners of raised beds. Although it is not necessary to have more than one garden hoe, they come in various blade widths, and you should choose the size based on what kind of gardening you will be doing the most. If you have a large vegetable garden and need it to move soil often, getting a wider blade is probably better. If you do mostly flower or aesthetic gardening, a smaller hoe blade width is sufficient.

Japanese Hori Hori

Using loppers to trim high up branches

Garden rake

A Hori Hori (or garden knife) originates from Japan and is quite the epic garden tool. It is a stainless steel blade with both a sharp and serrated side, often with measurements inscribed. You can easily use this tool as a replacement for a hand trowel, but it is fantastic for cutting through soil or roots, digging up weeds, and planting started crops. Due to its durable and sharp nature, you can also use it to dig into tough dirt or waterlogged soil.

Loppers are a tool mostly used for pruning trees and shrubs. Similar to pruning shears, loppers also come in either the anvil or bypass variety. If you don’t have any large-scale plants to deal with (trees, shrubs, or bushes), then these won’t be on your essential tools list. However, loppers can deal with much thicker plant matter than pruning shears, which could prove useful when doing major cleanup work in the garden. Another note to remember is longer loppers can cut through thicker branches. 

While standard leaf rakes are useful for any home, bow rakes are indispensable in the garden. Not only can they rake up leaves or plant debris, but they are great for tending to the soil, breaking up tough dirt, and leveling mulch over a raised bed or dirt area.

A spray nozzle attachment for a garden hose is crucial

Classic metal watering can

Wheelbarrows make garden tasks much easier

It is essential to have a garden hose to maintain a garden, but it is also beneficial to attach a spray nozzle with various settings. Spray nozzle attachments usually have anywhere between six and ten settings and prove very helpful when watering the garden. For example, when watering seeds in trays, using the mist or rain setting will provide a gentle stream that won’t disturb the delicate germinating seeds. On the other hand, when deep watering large established tomato plants, using the full or soaker setting will give the plant a more powerful water stream. 

If you already have a garden hose and spray nozzle, buying a watering can may seem unnecessary. Watering cans are great to have on hand for specific times of watering in the garden. When fertilizing with a liquid fertilizer, for example, you will need a watering can to mix the liquid with water before applying it to the soil in your garden. If you have a portion of your garden that is out of your hose’s reach, your watering can is there to assist in those kinds of situations. Also, having a watering can is crucial if you have any indoor plants. 

Wheelbarrows sure make things a lot easier. Having a wheelbarrow helps you transport large amounts of soil and compost, assists you in transporting tools, and in general, is an asset to have for big garden projects.

Garden fork at work

One of the many styles of garden weeders

Pruning saws help you cut through thick branches and dead wood

You will most often use garden forks to turn and mix soil and break up hardened clumps of dirt. I mainly use them when amending soil between seasons; it is an excellent tool for mixing compost or other amendments into existing soil since it can turn the soil more efficiently than shovels or spades. Along with the larger garden forks, you could also purchase a hand fork for smaller projects in the garden.

Weeders might not be necessary if you already have a hand trowel or Hori Hori. Still, they specifically design these tools for weeding out tougher plants and digging into the root systems for a smoother process. These tools are also great if you have a rampant weed issue or you struggle with back problems. 

Pruning saws are right in between loppers and a full-on chain saw. Pruning saws have a lot of power and can cut through thick branches up to eight inches thick. If you don’t plan to do a lot of tree maintenance in your yard, this tool can be on your list of tools to buy later.

While there are many other garden tools you may need or want at some point, this list is a great place to get started. I recommend having some other items on hand for your garden projects, including string or garden twine, popsicle sticks or crop labels, a pH soil tester, sharpies, garden boots, a hat, long sleeve shirts, knee pads, and small Fiskars (a smaller version of bypass pruners.) Garden tools assist you in your gardening adventures and make your tasks more comfortable, quicker, and more fun. Happy gardening.

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