Garden tools: the essential kit for a new gardener

Walk into any hardware store and you'll find a wall of tools. Most gardens only need a few good ones. Start with the basics, learn what you actually use, and add to the kit over time.

The essential kit

Spade and shovel

People use these words loosely, but they do different jobs.

• A spade has a flatter, straighter blade. It's for digging holes, cutting edges and slicing through roots.
• A shovel has a scooped, often rounded blade. It's for moving loose material like soil, compost and mulch.

If you can only buy one, a spade is the more useful for planting and digging.

Garden fork

A fork loosens soil without turning it over completely, lifts potatoes and other root crops, and turns compost. In Adelaide's heavier clay soils it's often easier to work than a spade.

Hand trowel and hand fork

You'll use these more than anything else. A trowel is for planting seedlings and bulbs; a hand fork loosens soil around plants and lifts small weeds.

Bypass secateurs

Bypass secateurs have two blades that slide past each other like scissors, giving a clean cut that heals well. Use them for pruning, harvesting and deadheading. Anvil secateurs, where one blade presses onto a flat edge, can crush soft stems, so bypass is the better first choice.

Rake

A garden rake with stiff metal tines levels soil and breaks up clods before sowing. A leaf rake is lighter and fan-shaped, for leaves and spreading mulch. Start with a garden rake.

Hose and watering can

• A hose long enough to reach every bed, with a good nozzle that has a gentle shower setting.
• A watering can with a rose (the sprinkler head) for seedlings and pots. A strong jet can wash out small seeds and knock over seedlings.

Gloves

A pair of tough gloves for pruning and roses, and a lighter, close-fitting pair for planting and weeding. Always wear gloves with potting mix and compost.

Wheelbarrow or tub trug

A wheelbarrow saves your back moving soil, compost and mulch. In a small garden, a flexible tub trug (a lightweight bucket with handles) is cheaper, easier to store and handy for weeds and harvests.

Hori-hori or weeding knife

A hori-hori is a sturdy Japanese digging knife with a sharp edge. It digs out deep-rooted weeds, plants bulbs, divides clumps and opens bags. Many gardeners find it becomes their most-used tool.

Nice to have later

Once you know how you garden, consider:

• loppers for thicker branches
• a pruning saw for anything thicker than loppers can manage
• a Dutch hoe for slicing weeds off at the surface
• a soil thermometer for timing sowing
• a sprayer for seaweed solution and liquid feeds
• a kneeling pad or garden seat.

What to spend on, and where to save

Spend on the tools that take the most force and get used most: a spade, a fork and secateurs. Cheap ones bend, snap or go blunt quickly. Look for solid one-piece steel heads, strong handles and replaceable parts on secateurs.

Save on buckets, tub trugs, plant labels, watering cans and kneeling pads. Basic versions work fine. Second-hand and garage-sale tools can be excellent value, especially older forged steel ones that just need a clean and sharpen.

Before buying, hold the tool. It should feel balanced and comfortable in your hands, not too heavy.

Caring for your tools

Good tools can last decades with a few minutes of care.

1. Clean soil off after use with a stiff brush or a blast from the hose.
2. Dry them before putting them away to prevent rust.
3. Sharpen secateurs, spades and hoes now and then with a file or sharpening stone. A sharp spade digs far more easily.
4. Oil metal parts lightly, and rub wooden handles with linseed oil once or twice a year to stop them drying and splitting.
5. Disinfect secateur blades between plants when pruning anything diseased, so you don't spread it.

Storage

Store tools somewhere dry and out of the weather. Hanging them on hooks keeps blades sharp and handles straight, and you can see at a glance what's missing. A bucket of coarse sand mixed with a little oil is an old trick for keeping hand tools clean and rust free.

Ergonomics

Gardening should be good for your body, not hard on it.

• Choose long-handled tools that suit your height, so you aren't stooping.
• Use a kneeling pad or garden seat for close work.
• Lift with your legs, and don't overfill a wheelbarrow.
• Swap tasks every so often so you're not repeating one movement for hours.

Sun safety

Adelaide summers are fierce. Garden early in the morning or in the evening, wear a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and a long-sleeved shirt, and keep a bottle of water nearby. On very hot days the garden can wait; your plants would rather you water them at dusk anyway.