Tools are essential for every grower; they make life so much easier. I tend to go for high-quality tools from the get-go; this will save you money in the long run. I use all the tools I recommend myself and use them on a daily basis.
Here are my top 5 tools every gardener should own:
- This Spade on Amazon. A good Spade is essential for every grower, and by far, the tool I use the most. I’ve tried a couple of different shades throughout the years -mostly cheap ones- and they all had some minor issues. So far, I am pleased with my current one and can only recommend it.
- This Spearhead-Spade on Amazon. This one was a real surprise; I bought it after reading a couple of very positive reviews. Mainly because I often have to dig in hard, rocky clay soil. Well, this spade was a pleasant surprise; it never was this easy to dig a hole. I’ll share some pictures below so you can see for yourself.
- This Garden Fork on Amazon. This garden fork is another one of these tools I couldn’t live without. It’s great to loosen up the ground and to remove weeds. Most importantly, it can deal with my hard soil.
- This Mattock on Amazon. A Mattock is one of those tools you never know you needed until you try it. Mattocks are a combination of picks and hoes, making them a great tool to loosen up vast quantities of soil fast and efficiently.
- This Pruner on Amazon. I can only recommend my current Pruner. It’s so lightweight, I first thought it wouldn’t last a day, but it’s actually pretty strong and sturdy.
Spades and Shovels
It’s worth investing in a good spade or shovel when you plan on growing your own food. For me, a combination of the Spearhead-Spade and a regular Garden Spade works best. I can’t stress enough how much I like my Spearhead-Spade, there is only one issue I have with it, and that’s it’s small shoveling Area. Supplement it with a regular Garden Spade, and you have the perfect combination to dig up any soil. It doesn’t matter if it has tons of rocks in it or is some unbelievably hard clay soil (the earth in the picture is both).
Most cheap tools tend to break rather fast -granted, I could be kinder to my equipment. For me, they both have to last a long time and not cost a small fortune. What sold me on Fiskars is the lifetime warranty, their tools are great to handle, high quality, and so far quite sturdy.
Digging Forks
This is the first Digging Fork I’ve used, that doesn’t feel like it bends or breaks when you try to work in hard soil. Handling is excellent, and working with it is bliss. Removing the top layer was never that easy, and now I don’t have to be afraid of using the fork to loosen up the soil.
Pruners and Saws
I literally thought this Lopper wouldn’t cut anything, and oh boy, was I wrong. It’s such a lightweight tool that still packs lots of power. It works great to cut small and medium-sized branches. In combination with a Hand Saw (link to Amazon), you can easily remove trees, shrubs, and Blackberries.
Here’s a good example of what you can do by using just this lopper, a hand saw, and a Hori-Hori. Nothing else needed!
Before 
After
I’ll keep this page up to date and add or change things if I find even better tools.
