Top Experts Reveal the 30 Must-Have Garden Products
Updated: May 31, 2022Gear up for gardening with one of these amazing garden tools.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.
Hose and Sprayer
There’s simply nothing more convenient than a hose for watering. Garden tools and hoses come in a variety of materials (vinyl, rubber), lengths (usually 25, 50, 75 ft.) and even colors (traditionally green or black, now a rainbow of choices). This heavy-duty rubber hose will hold up for years, especially if stored under cover in cold climates. Although you can always rely on your thumb, the spray attachment gives you more options (for instance, a soft stream of water for watering newly seeded areas or a hard blast for cleaning mud off of tools).
Wheelbarrow
There’s nothing like a wheelbarrow for making things easier for the gardener. You can carry soil, compost, firewood and more. Or use it to transport your tools around the yard or soak plant roots before planting. If you’re working with heavy loads, get a steel bin rather than poly. Two-wheel models are the most stable for heavy loads. A standard wheelbarrow is appropriate for most uses, but do yourself a favor and get a never-flat tire.
Clearing Garden Tools
These versatile garden tools are designed for trimming shoots and stems, cutting vines, severing roots and sawing branches. If you’ve got an overgrown garden, or one filled with coarse ornamental grasses that need to be cut back, try a 13- or 18-in. billhook saw. Both feature a rust-resistant curved blade for quick pull cuts, and a coarse saw edge for removing tough branches and grasses. Get a billhook saw on Amazon now.
Digging Shovel
A rounded-blade digging shovel is indispensable if you’re planting anything larger than your fist. Shovels have come a long way ergonomically, and this one is a good example. The D-shaped handle helps gives you two-handed control when digging up and tossing heavy loads of soil. The welded steel construction is more durable than wood and won’t flex under a heavy load as fiberglass would. Meanwhile, the large step plate is wide enough to relieve pressure on your foot when stepping on it repeatedly.
Edging Spade
A flat-blade edging spade is a handy friend to have around the garden. It can edge a garden, slice turf neatly, cut roots, or scrape soil or mulch off of a flat surface such as sidewalk or truck bed. You can also use this garden tool for general planting or when you’re ‘heeling in’ bare-root plants (putting them in the ground temporarily until a permanent location is found). Like the digging shovel, the D-handle of this garden tool design offers better control. The rubber foot pad reduces fatigue and shoe damage and can fit on either side of the shovel with pre-drilled holes.
Loppers
When you’re cutting branches the size of your finger or bigger, bring out the loppers, which offer larger blades than pruners and more leverage as well. These PowerGear loppers can easily cut branches with a diameter of up to 1-1/2 in. The gear technology increases leverage to give you up to three times more cutting power than standard loppers. Available in various sizes, from 18 to 25 in., from Fiskars and local retailers.
Pruners
Pruners are the go-to garden tool when you’re deadheading flowers or cutting pliable stems or small woody twigs. Bypass pruners (shown) are a good general-purpose garden tool for trimming stems of up to about 1/2 in. Ratchet pruners multiply the ratchet action to cut up to 3/4-in. stems. Any bigger and you risk the chance of breaking the pruners. Available from Corona Tools and local retailers.
Pruning Saw
Hori Hori Digging Tool
This multipurpose gardening tool is more than a trowel. It’s also a knife, saw and even a measuring device for planting bulbs. Use it for planting, weeding, cutting sod, severing roots and dividing perennials. It even comes with its own holster to protect the stainless steel blade.
Garden Rake
A garden rake usually gets its workout in the spring when you’re cultivating and prepping the soil in your vegetable garden. But it excels at other tasks, too, such as leveling mulch, scratching hard-packed soil to make it more porous or leveling soil before seeding a lawn. You can even use it to remove thatch or moss from your lawn.
Leaf Rake
While its primary purpose is gathering leaves, a leaf rake is also handy for collecting other garden debris (like grass clippings that accumulate when you’ve waited too long between cuts!). Durable steel-tine rakes are great for smaller yards or when you want to scratch the soil surface while raking. If you’re dealing with a large yard, a poly leaf rake covers more territory in less time. This poly garden equipment rake features a 24-in. clog-free head that won’t spear leaves.
Digging Fork
A digging fork, sometimes called garden or spade fork, is handy for loosening compacted soil, aerating small areas, incorporating compost into garden beds and dividing perennials. The D handle makes the digging fork easier to use in tight spaces, while the tapered tines penetrate the soil more easily.
Sun Joe Electric Garden Tiller/Cultivator
This powerful corded tiller from Sun Joe has a 13.5-amp motor that quickly and effectively pulverizes dirt, effortlessly slices through soil and provides maximum aeration as it prepares your seedbeds for planting. This tool features 3-position, height-adjustable rear wheels that make it easy to maneuver. And, its collapsible handle is ideal for storing when not in use.
“Great machine!” says an Amazon reviewer. “I am a 5′ woman that wanted something simple to use, easy to handle, but powerful enough to grind up our hard clay soil. This thing does it!! Easy to start, easy to use, light enough to carry or move around. I agree with other reviewers that it could use a larger trigger, but it’s not so small that I’d knock a star off my review for it.” Sick of the way your lawn looks? Learn what you’re doing wrong.
Edward Tools Hoe and Cultivator Hand Tiller
This hand tiller is made of high-grade carbon steel and has a solid oak handle that’s covered with a soft ergonomic rubber grip. The tiller feels solid and durable in your hand, ensuring easier work in breaking up soil.
“To my surprise and delight, this tool has proved itself to be worth its weight in gold!!!” says an Amazon reviewer. “It’s like having an extra set of STRONG hands in the garden! Can’t say enough great things about it… except that I will be buying more tools from Edward Tools!!!”
Yard Butler Hand Tool
The dual action head of this garden tiller features one side with three sturdy steel prongs for cultivating, breaking, loosening and deep tilling soil. On the other side, you’ll find a sharpened beveled edge that’s great for chopping and cutting roots. The heavy-duty steel head is completely welded onto the all-steel handle with comfort grip.
“This tool has been a workhorse and a real back saver for me,” says an Amazon reviewer. “I live on very hard packed Georgia clay and this tool has worked better at creating holes for planting than anything else I have used. It is very well made. It is definitely my new must have and my first go to tool.” Find out how to save $150 in one morning with proper lawn tractor maintenance.
Pop-Up Garden Bags
WORX Aerocart Multifunction Wheelbarrow, Dolly and Cart
This multifunctional wheelbarrow and moving cart is your answer to all that heavy lifting that comes with fall yard work. The cart even converts from a wheelbarrow into a dolly and more! The design adjusts the carts center of gravity for a balanced and easy-to-manage load. Furthermore, the included seat increases comfort during seated work, while also doubling as a convenient resting spot. Check out these 11 exceptional wheelbarrows that do everything.
Sprayer
This multi-purpose project sprayer is great for spreading fertilizer, weed killer and even common household cleaners. The two-gallon tank from Chapin International comes with an ergonomic handle which makes pumping easy. These are the 10 lawn care myths you need to stop believing.
Tumblin’ Along
A compost tumbler speeds up the composting process so you get ready-to-use compost in a couple months. The dual-bin system costs a little more than a single-bin unit, but it allows you to start a new batch of compost while you’re waiting for the old batch to finish up the composting process. Here’s how to make your own compost tumbler!
Edward Tools Bulb Planter
With winter fast approaching, now is time to spend a few hours planting bulbs in the ground, so you can enjoy their bounty of colors come early spring. To make yard work easier for this task, check out this bend-free bulb planter. It’s ideal for planting tulips, daffodils and other flower bulbs. It features reinforced steel, an adjustable handle hinge, soil release and depth marker. And for hard to penetrate soils, the planter has reinforced chrome-plated steel that keeps the tool from bending and allows for quick planting. Plant these spring-blooming bulbs this fall.
Tool Set with Tote
“This garden tote and tools have made me love gardening even more,” said one reviewer. “The tools are high quality. I do clean and dry them after use. The bag holds all of the tools it comes with and some extra gardening accessories. My yard is big, having everything in this bag makes everything so much easier. It’s sturdy and lightweight. The stool is useful and my knees love it!” The set includes six hand tools and the tote has multiple pockets to keep everything in place. Get a jump start on your garden with these 12 things you can do even if there is still snow on the ground.
Tool Sharpener
Make sure your vegetable garden tools are ready for the job with this garden tool sharpener. It sharpens blades on shears, hoes and shovels—no oil or stones necessary. And, it can be cleaned in the dishwasher! Save money in your garden with these 10 tricks.
VegiBee Garden Express Plant Pollinator
Rescue crops that are in dire need of pollen where no bees can be found with this vibrating pollinator. The battery-powered device is a “bee free” plant pollinator method that’s great for the greenhouse and your outdoor garden. Boost plant pollination on vegetables and fruits or use to hybridize flowers in the greenhouse. It’s a very handy little device that Amazon reviewers have especially loved for boosting fruit production on their tomato plants. The variable speeds, multiple vibrating wands and rechargeable batteries on this plant pollinator make it a high-tech gardening tool you’ll want to get your hands on. Here are 10 bee friendly plants that will also beautify your landscape.
ColdSnap! Frost Alarm App
This high-tech gardening gadget will notify you if there is danger of low temperatures outside the expected range, so you’ll be able to cover up your plants before they get ruined. The app, which is compatible with Android, can be customized, and users can choose where to source weather data from. It includes global forecast data and allows you to monitor up to four locations. Don’t start your DIY projects before you check out these apps designed to help DIYers.
Hose Wand
Keep a thirsty garden hydrated without bending or reaching with a hose wand like this Orbit Hose-End with Ratcheting Head. Pair it with a lightweight expandable nylon hose and you’ll reach any corner of your landscaping with ease. To automate watering, install a drip irrigation system.
Waterproof Gardening Gloves with Claws
These sleek-looking gloves feature four built-in durable ABS plastic claws on each hand that make for easy digging and planting, so you can skip the hand tools when doing gardening work! The gloves are waterproof and puncture resistant thanks to the natural latex rubber coating. The knit nylon fabric on the back of the hand ensures a comfortable and breathable glove that keeps hands cool and dry even in summer.
One Amazon reviewer says they’re super fun and practical. “I love these garden gloves. I call them my werewolf gloves. The plastic is strong and resilient with pointed fingernails to aid with moving dirt. They are soft to wear. I can wash them easily with the hose and leave them outside to air dry. Really like them.”
Here are all of the highest-rated gardening gloves on Amazon.
Round Lawn Edger
If manual is more your style, try this edger. It features all-steel construction, a 12-gauge steel blade, a durable foot step and it’s made is the U.S.A.
“Very well made. I used this tool to create a flower bed 110′ long by 4′ wide,” says an Amazon reviewer. “I then used the tool to make the first edge into the yard then used it to cut up the sod into manageable pieces for removal. The tool held its shape, did not bend and provided a clean edge.”
Yard Butler Twist Tiller
The perfect size for raised beds, flower boxes, around shrubs or bushes and other hard-to-reach areas, this heavy-duty manual tiller loosens, turns, tills and aerates soil to promote the free flow of water, air and fertilizer, promoting a beautiful yard and garden.
“I live in Phoenix, AZ where the ground can be very hard with lots of rocks,” begins an Amazon reviewer. “I broke a wood-handled pitch fork shortly after moving here and bought this as a necessity. It works for beginning to dig in the hard soil and for making holes for planting.
“I ran into lots of tree roots and this helped get around the smaller ones and get the hole to the proper size for planting. It is sturdy. The handle makes twisting easy and the platform is really a great place to put your foot and get leverage. I am very pleased with the purchase.” Here are 13 incredible self-propelled lawn mower options.
Osmile Professional Series Soaker Hose
Take care of shrubs, gardens, plants and lawns with this soaker hose that can function below and above ground. It comes in 50-foot length, and leaks water evenly at a rate of 2 gallons per 2 minutes at 60 psi.
You might not even need a soaker hose after learning this lawn care secret.
7Pros 3-in-1 Soil Test
Keep a close eye on your soil with this three-way soil test kit. With a Ph tester, moisture meter, and sunlight tester, it’ll help you diagnose issues going on with your plants and the dirt they live in.
Use the tester to determine soil health and avoid the top mistake people make with their lawn.