A few well-chosen basic garden tools will provide you with everything needed to prepare a garden bed and plant seeds or seedlings. You don't need to spend a lot of money assembling your starter kit. Visit local flea markets or yard sales for secondhand bargains. Look for tools with rubber grips, which provide better traction than plastic grip coating or no grips. Review basic cutting and digging techniques in printed or online sources -- then grab your tools and dig in.
Shovel
- Every garden kit needs a shovel. The shovel is a multipurpose tool that allows you to dig up soil and move material around. Shovels have long wooden or fiberglass shafts, and usually have steel blades. Garden shovels generally have a rounded edge with a little point. This helps you break through compacted soil either to move it or create holes. Look for a shovel with a small lip on the edge of the blade. This helps you with leverage when putting your foot on the edge and pushing it further in to the ground. If you need to move material such as rock or fill, purchase a shovel with a flat, square blade.
Garden Fork
- A garden fork is a tool with two or three tines or blades. It looks similar to a pitchfork, except the blades are dull. Garden forks either are straight or curved. Straight forks generally have a long shaft, and you use it standing up. Curved garden forks are hand tools. If you have any type of back problem, purchase the fork with the long handle. The blades on these tools usually are made of steel. Garden forks break up soil and remove grass or weeds. Use this tool to dig up bulbs and tubers without hurting them.
Shears
- Garden shears come in different shapes and sizes. If you need to cut down branches, purchase lopping shears, which have long, thick blades. Operate these shears with two hands in a scissorslike motion. Standard garden shears are multipurpose garden tools for trimming trees, shrubs and plants and have only has a single cutting blade. Operate this small hand tool with one hand. If you plan to grow hedges, invest in a hedge shear. Hedge shears have long handles and long blades, allowing you to stand back from the hedge and avoid getting plant material on you. Hedge shear blades are sharp to break through both leaves and branches.
Hoe
- A hoe is another multipurpose garden tool. Hoes either have wide, flat or triangular heads. Use this tool to create rows between vegetable beds or to remove weeds between plants. Create small holes for planting bulbs or seeds with a hoe. Mix up fertilizer or plant feed in to the soil. Break up hard soil, or pull rocks out of the ground. Remove bulbs or tubers without damaging them.
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