What Tools Do You Need to Start a Vegetable Garden


Starting a garden? Depending on the garden tasks you want to do this season, finding the right garden tools is essential. What type of gloves should I get? What is the best garden hoe? Find out what exactly you need and what you might not need when it comes to gardening tools.

Having a successful vegetable garden actually doesn’t need an enormous amount of effort and time.

In fact, with the right tools in hand, the process can become a whole lot easier, and if you too are thinking about getting started, here’s a bit of help your way.

What tools do you need for a Vegetable garden?

Depending on the size and how you plan your garden, you might need more or fewer tools.

As a beginner gardener, we encourage you to start small, and the tools below will help you make your garden experience a better one.

Read on to discover the tools you need to have to start with your own vegetable garden.

Suitable Quality Gloves With a Velcrom Strap

Okay, you definitely guessed this one is coming! Gloves are a must-have in every gardener’s toolbox. But we are not talking about any garden gloves. We are talking about durable, less bulky garden gloves that are also the right fit for you.

They should be water-resistant, yet comfortable enough for you to get your hands dirty without it being effortful.

But they should also be more than just water-resistant, so keep on reading.

What type of garden gloves should I get?

As a beginner gardener choosing the right glove is essential. When selecting the best garden glove, remember that:

  • Not all size fits all. Find gloves that fit your hands comfortably.
  • Find the right glove for the right job. Not all gardening jobs are the same.
  • Find the right glove on a budget you can afford, but avoid cheap ones.

Now that we have covered the top three essential keys, let’s include other vital tips when it comes to finding the perfect garden gloves.

We mentioned quality, but what exactly are we talking about. For garden gloves again, it comes down to what type of job you are going to be doing in your garden.

For a beginner gardener, it is essential to know that a durable glove will have good sticking in them. If a glove does not have a right stitch, it will not last long, and this is a common garden glove failure.

Low-quality gloves will cost you more in the long run since it will have to be replaced.

What garden glove is recommended for beginner gardeners?

Gloves with velcro wraps on their wrist and the reason why that they are better for gardening tasks such as weeding and digging.

Remember to make sure they fit your hands and avoid using Unixes garden gloves.

The velcro should fit right around your wrist and not too tight. 

Bypass Pruners For Beginner Gardeners

Pruning shears or hand prunes are, again, a valuable tool for every gardener. You’ll need these to cut off the dead parts of the plants, broken stems, dead leaves, and of course, to keep plants in control.

How do I choose a garden shear?

There are 3 different pruning shears:

  • Bypass pruners
  • Anvil pruners
  • Ratchet pruners

Each of these pruners are good and are for specific jobs. 

Bypass pruners are the most popular and the one we recommend. These pruners make excellent clean cuts using two curved blades. They are excellent to trim plants. 

For a beginner, bypass pruners are what we recommend if you are starting out, and you are planning on gardening small to medium plants.

Anvil pruners are single straight cut blade, more like a knife. They tend to be used to remove dead branches.

Ratchet pruners are an anvil with mechanism, and if you are someone who doesn’t have very strong hands, ratcheting shears can be a great option.

Difference between a bypass and an anvil?

Watch the video below to learn more about the differences between a bypass pruner and an anvil.

Do I need a garden hoe?

It depends on what type of vegetable garden you are planning this season. You see, if you are planning on starting your vegetable garden with containers and a small raised bed, then you don’t have to go ahead and purchase one right away as you might not need it.

Now, if your vegetable garden is more significant and planned differently, we suggest you purchase one.

Since you’re focusing on a veggie garden in specific, a wide and sturdy hoe is the one you should opt for.

A garden hoe can help you with cutting down weeds and prepping your garden. Just make sure you pick one that has a comfortable handle, a flat surface (to turn the soil over in your vegetable garden), and a sharp blade.

What is a garden spade best for?

Spades are actually just short-handed shovels and are another essential to add to your gardening tools list.

You can use them to do everything from digging small holes and moving small amounts of soil from one place to another to edging and lifting plants.

Pick one that has a stainless steel head, and if you don’t have a problem with a little additional weight, you can choose one with a more extended handle too.

What is the difference between a shovel and a spade?

As a beginner gardener, you might ask yourself what the difference between a shovel and a spade is. The difference is that a spade is used for digging, and a shovel is used to scoop. The spade handle is more straight, and the shovel is an angled.

Garden Hose with an Adjustable Nozzle

This one’s probably one of the most essential gardening tools out there, a garden hose with an adjustable nozzle.

A garden hose with an adjustable nozzle helps to control the water pressure and spray radius, and this will ensure that your vegetable garden gets just the right amount of water without you having to put in a lot of time and effort. 

Remember that the length of the hose affects the water pressure. Please make sure to estimate the distance you absolutely need before buying one.

Also, don’t forget to purchase a garden hose reel to store your garden hose. There are many different styles of garden hose reels like wall mounts, and even more portable ones.

How to Choose a Garden Rake

A garden rake is another essential for your vegetable garden and can be really helpful in clearing off the leaves and debris.

To tend to a vegetable garden, we know that we need good quality tools for specific jobs, a garden rake is no exception.

Garden rakes come in many different styles and sizes. To find the best garden rake for your garden find to make sure you look for the following:

  • Rake size
  • Rubber or metal rake

What’s the difference between a metal rake and a rubber rake?

Many beginner gardeners use rakes for the wrong task in the garden and like many garden tools each, it is important to know how to use them properly.

There are garden rakes specifically used to pick up leaves and turn the soil at the same time. Metal rakes are used to level out your soil and to prepare your vegetable garden for planting.

Rubber rakes are used to rake leaves from soil and dirt without pulling lawn and turning the soil.

When it comes to garden rakes you’ll find many different variations to choose from in this one, but a standard metal leaf rake does the job well, or you can also pick up one with an adjustable handle.

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