Spring Gardening Essentials

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This year, with so many landscaping and planting plans for the spring and summer, I am taking stock of our gardening tools and gear. I realized I need a go-to gardening outfit that isn’t old leggings and a t shirt — functional and durable gear that will be my outdoor uniform. I also wanted to make sure we have all the tools we need to get our planting and tending done quickly and safely so we can do more with the time we have this season.

These are the essentials I’m gathering for our projects this year:

Garden Tote: Until now, our gardening tools have kind of floated around the garage. I’d love to have this durable waxed canvas tote for all my hand tools, cleanup tarp, kneeling pad, and garden gloves to live in. Bonus: It looks like it would last for decades.

Walnut Garden Cultivator, Scoop, and Trowel: More forever pieces — I love when something utilitarian can also be beautiful. Imagine the way these gorgeous walnut handles would age over time and achieve the perfect patina. Of course, I’d keep them inside my waxed canvas garden tote.

Kneeling Mat – Another thing to keep inside the garden tote — I have never used one of these but as I get older my knees get more sore from kneeling while I’m working. I’m all about being kinder to my body while completing projects this year.

Mattock— This is an essential tool for us at our house because our soil is full of shale. When digging a hole for plants we almost always have to break up the shale with a pickaxe or mattock. If your soil is different, you may not need this.

Edging Shovel — My favorite shovel. This straight end creates perfect lines when you’re neatening up around flower beds, pathways, driveways, or other landscaping. It’s also essential if you’re creating new landscaping, to create a border.

Augur Drill Bits — I just found out about these in the past year. Did you know you can attach one of these augurs to a regular drill and create holes for plants by drilling directly into the soil? Just proceed with caution and expert instructions, as you can injure your wrist using these the wrong way.

Garden Cart — I love a garden cart. More stable than a wheelbarrow, and this one also has hinges so you can dump the contents easily. The soft green color is so pretty and I like that it has solid sides for carrying soil, mulch, and pebbles.

Crevice Weeding Tool — Another tool I just discovered. We all have those little crevices along our house, in our pathways, that weeds just seem to creep up through. This is an easy tool to remove them down to the root.

Easy Clean Up Tarp — I love this tarp with big, easy-hold handles, to pile excess soil, sod, or leaves on when cleaning up the yard, and then drag them away to be disposed of.

Trimmers — I prefer trimmers with all metal components like these ones, so they will last a long time and create clean cuts. This quality pair can be disinfected and sharpened and serve you for years.

Garden Clogs — I love having a designated pair of shoes that I can throw on to do light yard work and gardening, and then easily remove before I come inside. These garden clogs fit the bill and are so pretty in this light blue color.

Digging Shovel — My second favorite shovel. This one will cut through tough sod, roots, and soil easily when you’re digging out an area for landscaping.

Garden Rake — This hard rake is my go-to for cleaning up garden beds in the spring, or clearing out areas of brush and leaves on our property in preparation for mowing.

Transfer Shovel — The ideal shovel for transferring dirt, pebbles or mulch when building a garden feature or excavating one.

Lightweight Garden Overalls — In my quest for a gardening uniform, overalls from this brand kept appearing. I love that they’re lightweight, have some stretch, and are built to last for years. The ample pockets are essential for my phone, headphones, garden gloves, and anything else I might need on hand.

Straw Garden Hat — Being out in the sun feels wonderful, but I don’t want to look like I spend all my time out in the sun, you know what I mean? This chic gardening hat will save my face.

Long Gardening Gloves — We have so many nettles and wild blackberry bushes on our property, and I’m sick of being stuck through the thin cotton garden gloves I’ve used in the past. These elbow-length leather gloves won’t let anything through!