5 Gardening Tools You Need and Where to Buy Them

• 
  The 5 Gardening Tools You Need
• 
  Shovel
• 
  Pruning Shears
• 
  Watering Can or Hose
• 
  Gardening Gloves
• 
  Bucket or Bin
• 
  Special Mentions
• 
  Hand Hoe - Easy Digging Weeding Planting and Chopping
• 
  Thumb Control Nozzle - Easy Watering
• 
  Stirrup Hoe – Easy Weeding
• 
  Loppers - Easy Pruning and Reaching
• 
  Conclusion

As a professional gardener in Brisbane I have used my fair share of tools. Here are my top tips for when buying gardening tools:

• 1.
  Expensive doesn’t always mean better. For gardening tools it can mean more complicated and more problems.
• 2.
  Lighter tools are worth the extra money if you use them frequently or aren’t particularly strong.
• 3.
  Buy other tools as you need them. You will find most tasks don’t require anything special.

Garden is easy if you have the right tools. After more than a decade of gardening here is my cut down list of tools you actually need for gardening, why you need them and where to buy them in Brisbane, Australia. You don’t need a lot—just a few simple things.

Source: Cyclone Long Handle Plumbers Shovel

Shovel

For digging holes, planting, moving soils and compost. A shovel has a rounded or pointed nose that I find easier when digging in different types of soil. You will find that spades can’t make their way well through stones but shovels can.

• 
  Get a longer handle suitable to your height. Gives you more leverage and easier on your back.
• 
  Get a wood handle as the fibre glass ones feel flimsy and shake in your hands when digging something harder.

My experience

I have been using my Cyclone Long Handle Plumber's Shovel as a professional gardener for 1 year and it is still standing strong. You can buy this gardening tool in Brisbane from Bunnings or Total Tools.

Buy From Bunnings

Source: Okatsune Pruners

Pruning Shears

Pruning shears are used to cut dead leaves and branches, trim plants, or harvest fruit, veggies, and flowers. I have tried many pruners over the years, both cheap and expensive. The best ones I've found are the Okastune 103 Bypass Pruners. The more expensive brands like Fiskars are more complicated, and they break easily. The locks break, and the springs stop working.

• 
  Fancy mechanisms = breaks easily
• 
  Stick with Okastune (cheaper) or Felco (expensive)

My experience

The Okastune 103 Bypass Pruners have a simple, strong close and a single spring. You don’t need anything more. You can buy these pruning shears in Brisbane from Amazon.

Buy From Amazon

Source: 9L Watering Can

Watering Can or Hose

Plants need water to grow! A watering can is good for small gardens and applying fertilisers, while a hose is better for big spaces. Make sure the water comes out gently (like rain) by picking the right type of nozzle

• 
  For outdoor spaces without hoses, a large 9L watering can is good because it limits trips back and forth from the tap.
• 
  Every hose we have used gets kinks, except for hose reels which are a great investment but not necessary.

My experience

From my experience, all the watering cans available locally are cheap and leaky, but they get the job done. You can buy a hose or watering can in Brisbane from Bunnings or Amazon.

Buy From Bunnings

Source: Saxon Large Nitrile Dipped Garden Gloves 6 pack

Gardening Gloves

Gloves help keep your hands clean and protect you from cuts, blisters, and infections when handling soil and compost. Please wear gloves! Your hands are your most important tool for gardening, and a cut in the wrong spot can stop you from gardening for a while.

• 
  Gardening gloves always break. I go through at least 1 pair a week.
• 
  Expensive or cheap, they all seem to break the same—usually at the tip of the index finger.

My experience

Cheap or expensive, they all seem to break at the finger, so you might as well get the best value. I now use Saxon Large Nitrile Dipped Garden Gloves 6 pack. They are cheap, fairly breathable, and durable. You can buy these gardening gloves in Brisbane from Bunnings.

Buy From Bunnings

Source: Willow 60L Black Dome Bin

Bucket or Bin

Buckets are super helpful! I carry it around with me when working in the garden. You can use it to carry tools, collect debris and weeds, and hold plants, soil, and mulch.

• 
  Any container without holes!
• 
  Pick a size that matches your strength and size.
• 
  You don’t need a lid.

My experience

We use the Willow 60L Black Dome Bin because it is cheap, tough, large, and light. You can buy this bucket/bin in Brisbane from Bunnings.

Buy From Bunnings

You can garden without these special tools, but you will always find me using them! They are super useful for specific tasks. If you're doing something in the garden and think there must be a better tool for this, these are those tools!

Source: Thumb Control Hose Nozzle

Thumb Control Nozzle - Easy Watering

If you need to water your garden for more than 10 minutes, you should use a thumb-controlled hose nozzle. This nozzle lets you push a lever with your thumb to control the water flow, so you don't have to hold a trigger and get hand cramps.

• 
  Don't buy the lever + trigger hose nozzles. We want to avoid the trigger altogether.

My experience

We use the Garden Hose Spray Nozzle and don't have any complaints about it. You can find it or similar ones on Amazon and Bunnings.

Buy From Amazon

Source: Hand Hoe

Hand Hoe - Easy Digging Weeding Planting and Chopping

A hand hoe is a helpful tool in gardening. It's great for digging small holes, cutting roots, removing weeds, and teasing roots. Because it's small and sharp, you can use it to do detailed work. It's an important tool for any gardener.

• 
  Easy digging, weeding, planting and chopping.
• 
  The cheap ones are heavy, and that gets annoying really fast.
• 
  The head of the expensive ones are made from one piece (no welds), so they don't crack or break.

My experience

We use the Asaka Kogyo Forged One Hand Culch Hoe with Handle. It is strong, very light, and has three prongs instead of one. This makes weeding and teasing roots much easier. You can buy this hand hoe in Brisbane from Amazon.

Buy From Amazon

Source: Cyclone Stirrup Hoe

Stirrup Hoe – Easy Weeding

The stirrup hoe is the best weeding tool, and I recommend it to everyone. It's quick, effective, and you don't have to bend down. These tools are used by farmers, growers and gardeners to get weeds close to plants. For shallow-rooted plants, it pulls them out completely. For deep-rooted plants, it cuts the top off. You can pick up the weeds or leave them to dry and die on the surface.

• 
  Can require a little muscle depending on soil.
• 
  Use it quickly and often. Check out 'How to use the Stirrup Hoe' on YouTube.
• 
  I find stirrup hoes are easier and faster than other types of hoes.

My experience

Some people say there's no point in weeding if you don't get all the roots. But in my experience, when people think that way, they often end up not weeding at all. The strategy of this hoe is to weed quickly and frequently (e.g. every 2 weeks), attacking the weeds until they give up. We use the Cyclone Stirrup Hoe as it has a strong wooden handle and is very sturdy. You can find it at Bunnings.

Buy From Bunnings

Source: Loppers

Loppers - Easy Pruning and Reaching

Loppers are for cutting things too big for your pruning shears, and they get a lot of use! Think of the branch of a hedge, a small limb of a tree, or something just out of reach for your pruning shears.

• 
  Must be light.
• 
  Must be telescopic!
• 
  Leave cutting huge branches and trunks to the pruning saw.

My experience

I have been using the Fiskars Extendable Handle Lopper, but it's no longer sold, so I can't recommend a current one. What I love about it is that it's extremely light and telescopic. If it isn't telescopic, don't bother! It allows me to reach things without needing to climb a ladder, and because it's light, it isn't too heavy to hold up when fully extended. Another great feature is being able to adjust the length by simply twisting the handles—no buttons that can break and force you to move around.

Having the right gardening tools makes gardening easier and more fun. From digging and pruning to watering and weeding, the tools we've talked about are important for every gardener.

In Episode 2 we will cover how to identify what weeds, plants and soil you have in your Brisbane garden using common sense. If you are interested, our gardening services specialize in designing, planting and maintaining gardens. Feel free to explore our gardening services.