Whether you are a seasoned gardener or just starting out, it’s essential you have the right tools to tackle routine jobs. There’s nothing more off-putting than being unable to complete an otherwise easy task because you haven’t got the right equipment. To help avoid this, we have put together a list of 10 must-have tools that will ensure you can tackle common gardening jobs.
Kent & Stowe has a tool to make every task an easier and more enjoyable one. Our advice is to always start with the basics – tools that you will use time and time again. Most of our tools are available in both stainless and carbon steel, find out which is right for you here.
Used for general digging, aerating soil, and lifting plants. Make sure the fork is suitable for your height and that you can pick it up easily. Forks generally come in two sizes: a standard digging fork and a border fork for smaller areas. Our Garden Life Stainless Steel Digging Fork is a lighter, more compact version of our full-size digging fork to help you dig for longer. This fork is ideal for gardeners who might struggle with heavier tools and is also great for tight spaces as well as tending densely planted borders.
Used for general digging, cultivating, soil turning, and breaking up the soil. Choose a spade that is suitable for your height to reduce back strain (a standard spade is fine for those 5’6” tall and over). Use a border spade for smaller areas or lighter tasks. But also consider the weight of the spade: our Garden Life Stainless Steel Spade might be more suitable as it’s lighter and more compact than the full-size version and it’s easy to use around the garden.
This handy tool is ideal for slicing through weeds in cracks between patio slabs. The knife has a 45-degree angled blade side, enabling you to cut the tops of weeds off easily. It’s great for scraping out moss from in between paving stones too. There is also a long handled version as well as the easy-to-use regular size.
A perfect choice for clearing weeds in borders. This hoe delivers manoeuvrability as well as agility with the upright luxury of a long-shafted tool. It is the perfect height for easy working, eliminating bending and therefore reducing back strain. The unique part of this tool is its swivel-head action with a double-edged blade. Use it in a push-pull motion to unroot weeds effortlessly.
Ideal for digging and loosening soil in containers and at the front of borders. You can also use this tool while cultivating to dig out any weeds. It is an extremely versatile tool that is also available in our Garden Life and Kids ranges as well as mid-size and full-length handle versions.
The Capability Hand Trowel was inspired by the work of Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown, one of England’s greatest gardeners, and designed to match his belief that in gardening, everything could be improved. Therefore, this trowel has the functionality to endure many gardening tasks. It has a multitude of functions including a hammer for hammering canes and posts, as well as a serrated edge for weeding – or opening bags of compost with!
Designed for use in beds and borders, this is ideal for close work around plants, raking the soil and breaking up the surface to create a loose, fine tilth ready for planting. It’s available in both our lighter Garden Life and Kids ranges. We also have a longer-handled version to eliminate bending and stretching when gardening with our Stainless Steel Border Hand Fork and our Stainless Steel Long Handled Fork.
This is a spring-tine rake which gently scrapes the surface of your grass, so is perfect for raking up dead leaves in autumn and winter. It has 16 steel tines to make light work of any clearing job – it’s also available in our lighter Garden Life range.
For a true multi-function tool, try our 3 in 1 Leaf Rake. This unique rake allows you to clear leaves from anywhere in the garden with ease. It has an extra wide head for large areas, along with detachable heads which turn into hand leaf grabbers to pick up all the leaves you have gathered. You can also detach one of the heads and use it as a narrower rake for clearing around tight spaces such as beds and borders.
These are for pruning live, green stems. They are the best general, all-purpose secateurs and you’ll find them useful for pruning roses and other shrubs. They cut with a scissor action with one blade going across the other. This ensures live, green stems are easily pruned without damage (in contrast, if you used an anvil for this, it would bruise the stem and could stunt growth).
Our Eversharp™ Bypass Secateurs are the sharpest, longest-lasting, frictionless, and anti-rust blade on the market. This new technology blade ensures these secateurs will stand the test of time.
These secateurs are best used for pruning dead wood. The blade cuts like a knife onto a chopping block, so it is perfect for hard and dead wood. If you use bypass on these stems, it could wear and blunt most blades – but it’s advisable to have both types in your shed. Our Eversharp™ Anvil Secateurs are ultra-hard, ultra-sharp and rust-proof – guaranteed to last for 10 years.
These are an essential choice for pruning larger live branches or branches that are out of hands reach, or too large to cut with secateurs. Use Bypass Loppers on green, live stems (with the same principle of anvil versus bypass cut). They come in our shorter and lighter Garden Life range. We also have Telescopic Bypass Loppers, which feature handles that can be extended, allowing you to reach up further or apply more force when cutting longer branches.
With these 10 tools, you are ready to start gardening. Remember to keep tools in top condition by cleaning them after use and storing them in your garden shed or garage rather than leaving them outside. Over the seasons, your collection of garden tools will grow, as will your confidence to try new tasks and tools. All of our Kent & Stowe tools come with full guarantees for peace of mind.
