The Best Gardening Supplies

• Using quality tools for the right job makes gardening efficient. Mike Harrington/Lifesize/Getty Images

  If you want to start a garden, or just get better at working the one you have, start with a trip to a garden-supply store. Armed with the most effective tools, you can create a productive garden in the most efficient way.

Tools

• Tools that help work the ground include a garden spade, for slicing through compacted soil and creating clean edges and crisp corners, and a garden fork, to aerate and break up the soil and mix in compost. A cultivating fork roots out weeds, and a deep spade gets down into tough or weedy soil. Gardeners like Joe Queirolo, writing in Fine Gardening, count on a level-headed rake for making the soil smooth and ready for planting. When planting, use a trowel to dig the rows and holes, a ruler for spacing, and a planting line for straight rows. A seed drill makes your life easier if you have a large garden, the University of Illinois Extension website notes.

Seeds and Plants

• Seeds and plants form the basis of your planting supplies, so buy only fresh seeds and seedlings, with no signs of disease, the University of Illinois Extension website advises. Count on a trusted, well-known supplier to ensure healthy plants. You can also start many plants from seeds indoors and transplant them at the peak of health.

Maintenance Supplies

• Once the garden goes in, stay on top of its care with pest and weed control, using efficient supplies. The University of Illinois website suggests putting pesticides in a spray bottle for a small garden plot and looking for prepared formulas. Attach a sprayer to a hose to get the chemicals onto a large garden. Before you plant, buy mulch to protect your plants from weeds and keep in moisture, as well as tools for keeping plants in control, such as stakes, tomato cages and shields to guard against pests or cold weather, wind or scorching sun. You will also need a watering can or hose to keep your garden watered.

Extra Advice

• Buy the best tools the budget allows to avoid the frustration of having one break or not do the job properly, Queirolo advises in Fine Gardening. Seek out well-built supplies with appropriate handle length and overall weight to avoid straining your back or causing other injury.