25+ Types of Garden Tools

Gardens come in every shape and size, and purpose. One person is rooting cuttings in a kitchen window, while another has planters of tomatoes and basil on the balcony.

Here, there might be a small raised bed for children’s Halloween pumpkins, and there someone is starting a food forest or creating a habitat for native birds and bugs.

Though there are diverse types of gardens, gardeners, and reasons for gardens, the tasks that each requires are surprisingly universal. Differences are simply matters of scale. Since the tasks are the same, the tools used to accomplish them are also similar. The different garden tools are all used to perform similar garden jobs. Let’s look at some of the types of garden tools you can use.

Types of Garden Tools

Garden Tools for Digging

Some of the most common garden tools are for digging in the soil. Some of the best types of tools for digging include:

Hand trowels – These are used for small, close work and can be used in any type of garden, from containers to landscapes.
Shovels, spades, and forks – These are used for more extensive, in-ground gardens where larger holes are needed.
Picks and mattocks – These are used for large holes in rugged, rocky soil or thick clay.
Cultivators – These are power tools used for big garden digging projects.

Garden Tools for Leveling Soil

After a garden or a plant has been dug, it’s necessary to smooth and level the soil. Some of the best tools for leveling are:

Hand rakes -These are often used for small raised beds or containers, where less leveling is needed.
Garden rakes – Garden rakes are a long-handled tool with a toothed metal head, perfect for leveling soil, breaking up chunks of dirt, and gathering roots and stones out of the garden bed.
Leaf rakes – Leaf rakes have a long handle and a broad, lightweight, fan-shaped set of flexible teeth. This kind of rake works well for leaves and grass.

Garden Tools for Cutting

Gardeners need to trim plants, cut flowers, or prune branches. Here are the best types of garden tools for cutting:

Scissors and shears – Scissors or shears work well for tending small plants or for close and delicate work on tender plant material.
Pruners – Pruners are small hand tools with a strong, curved blade that can be used for precise cutting jobs where more strength is needed.
Loppers – Loppers are large pruners with long handles for additional leverage. They can be used to cut small branches on woody plants.
Pruning saws – Pruning saws have very long handles and serrated edges to cut away branches that are too thick for snipping with a pruner or lopper.
Chain saws – For big, tough cutting jobs, a chain saw is sometimes needed.

Garden Tools for Watering

Care of a garden almost always means watering plants. Gardeners need good ways to carry water to their plants, and here are some of the best types of gardening tools for watering:

Watering cans – Watering cans make it easy to carry water to containers or window boxes and gently water plants without disturbing the soil.
Garden hoses – Garden hoses have a longer reach and eliminate the need to carry water from place to place. In addition, garden hoses often have attachments that allow you to adjust the water spray as needed for different parts of the garden.
Sprinklers – Sprinklers attach to garden hoses and spray water over the garden without requiring any time or effort.
Irrigation systems – For large gardens or complex landscapes, gardeners may water with an irrigation system. Some irrigation systems can be complicated and expensive, with timers and sensors that react to garden conditions.
Rain barrels – Many gardeners collect rainwater in barrels to be stored and used later when the garden is dry.

Garden Tools for Weeding

To some extent, every type of garden requires cultivating the plants you want and eliminating the plants you don’t want. Unfortunately, even small gardens can have unwanted weeds, so here are some of the types of gardening tools for weeding.

Garden hoes – Garden hoes are metal cutting tools with a long handle. They can be used to cut the roots of unwanted plants and are precise enough to work around growing plants and remove weeds.
Dandelion pullers – Dandelion pullers are special tools designed to remove weeds with long, deep taproots, like dandelions.
Mulch – Mulch isn’t necessarily a garden tool, but many gardeners use a thick layer of mulch to protect their plants and reduce weeds.

Garden Tools for Hauling

Planting a garden, especially if it is a new garden or landscape, requires moving a lot of soil, plants, rocks, garden equipment, and other materials from place to place. Even simple garden tasks like weeding require a set of tools that need to be carried. Here are some of the best types of garden tools for hauling:

A basket or hand caddy – Small baskets or caddies) can carry hand tools to a garden area for particular tasks. They can also be used for harvesting herbs, flowers, and vegetables during different seasons.
Wheeled carts – Many gardeners use a wheeled cart to carry new plants, garden tools, containers, or soil to part of the garden, so they have a work surface where it’s needed.
Wheelbarrows – A wheelbarrow is the best way to transport large amounts of soil, rocks, and other materials to different parts of the garden.

Garden Tools for Comfort

Gardening is a fun and relaxing hobby, but working in the garden can also be tiring and uncomfortable, with a lot of reaching, pulling, lifting, and stooping. As a result, gardeners often use a wide range of garden tools to improve their comfort, including:

Gloves – Some plants can be tough or thorny, and gardening often involves digging in the soil and using hand tools that rub on the skin. A good pair of gardening gloves is essential to protect the hands from dirt, scrapes and rubbing. Gardeners often use two types of gloves: smaller, tight-fitting gloves with textured grip for delicate work and large, rugged leather gloves for heavy-duty tasks.
Aprons – A garden apron is a great way to protect your clothes from dirt and stains while working in the garden. Most garden aprons also have a wide range of pockets for your garden tools and implements.
Hats – Even on a cloudy day, working in the garden can be uncomfortably hot, with lots of sun exposure on the face and neck. A hat is a great way to protect your skin from the sun without getting in your way.
Gardening shoes – Gardening is dirty and often muddy. Most gardeners use a sturdy pair of dirt- and water-resistant shoes or boots for their garden work.
Gardening stools – Gardening stools are a great way to reduce back strain while working in the garden. They allow you to sit more comfortably while weeding, planting, and cultivating and make getting up and down from the ground easier. Many gardening stools also have pockets or containers for hand tools, so they do two jobs at once.

Conclusion

The specific garden tools you need depend on your garden and your most common gardening jobs. However, since people have been growing plants and gardening for thousands of years, there are specialized tools for every garden need.