How to choose gardening tools

For digging in a garden, a spade is the best choice. They’re ideal for creating defined landscape borders. However, if you’ll be digging large holes for transplanting trees or shrubs, you’ll need a shovel. A shovel is also required for moving loose materials like gravel, garden soil and mulch

A garden trowel is essential for digging smaller holes and for transplanting or for moving small amounts of soil into containers. They help with weeding, smoothing soil and gardening in tight spaces.

When you need to till and aerate hard, rocky soil, a cultivator comes in handy. These tools are available in manual versions and power versions, for large spaces. 

Particularly useful for digging when there is a thick layer of matted sod.

This tool can cut weeding time in half, cutting roots deep under the surface. Great when you’re weeding around growing plants.

This tool is ideal for removing weeds from very narrow spaces, like between patio stones, interlocking brick or cobblestones

This small tool works best in small flower beds and vegetable gardens.

For removing debris or rocks, smoothing soil in your garden beds, or breaking up compacted soil, the best tool to use will be a garden rake. A leaf rake is perfect for raking up light debris, weeds and leaves, particularly wet leaves. 

A cultivator works like a garden rake, except it’s smaller and is used to loosen soil around plants and mix in nutrients. 

Works well for loosening and levelling hard, compacted soil or mulch.

 If you have a larger property or a lot of heavy materials to move around your garden, a cart or wheelbarrow is a must. 

Be sure to wear outdoor work or gardening gloves to protect your hands when gardening.

Consider a kneeler or knee pad for added comfort when gardening.

Designed to trim grass that grows over the edges of paved walks and driveways.