- Jun 15, 2022

Gardening Essentials for Beginners and Beyond

woman walking on stepping stones through a rose garden with blue arbor

After receiving several requests for garden tool recommendations, I thought it was time to put a list together of all of my favorite products and the essentials you need to get started! Even if you're an avid gardener, you might find something on this list that might make gardening life a little easier - or maybe it's time for an upgrade!

Gardening Gloves

brick house with garden, gardening sign, flower bird feeder, pink cosmo flowers

Full transparency, I'm not always great at wearing my gloves, but they really are an important tool to have! I actually just did a quick google search so I could tell you all the reasons it's so important...I'm never NOT wearing gloves again. Tetanus, sepsis, and spider bites were mentioned. Just wear the gloves! And how could you not when they're this cute?!

Hand Tools

back yard, zucchini plants, patio with patio lounge furniture, hanging planters and shed

There are a lot of gardening tools out there, but you definitely need to have a trowel and pruning shears. I have a metal trowel with a serrated edge for helping me dig through touch soil and roots. But it's also just as handy for scooping potting soil. Shears are important for pruning back plants at the end of the season, pinching back plants to encourage them to grow fuller, and harvesting all of your hard work!

| stainless steel orange set | pruning shears | workpro set |

Cultivator

I credit my dad for this very helpful tip. Using a 4 prong cultivator to work up your soil and mulch in the spring and throughout the summer has SO many benefits! It loosens and aerates the soil to encourage roots to grow. It breaks up the crusty layer of mulch that rain and sunshine can create. Not only does this make your flower beds look better, but that crusty layer creates a barrier and prevents water from getting through to your plant babies! And loosening the soil makes it easier to remove the inevitable weeds that pop up!

| cultivator |

Storage

brick house, garden with galvanized hanging wall planters, garden sign, portulaca, metal outdoor cabinet

Whether you have a small caddy for your tools or a full size storage shed, you need to place to keep your tools. For convenience, we placed a metal garden cabinet in our vegetable garden with all of the basics - gloves, hand tools, fertilizers, and plant tags.

| outdoor cabinet | wood storage shed | garden caddy |

| full sized shed | bucket bag organizer |

Footwear

woman holding floral bogs garden clog slip on shoes

While not the most attractive look, I love the protection garden clogs provide! And they're also easy to slip on and get to work. Bogs are hands down my favorite brand. My husband and I have owned Bogs for years and they look as new as the day we bought them (minus the mud!) They are a bit of an investment, but so worth it!

Extras

| lawn wagon | easy haul wheelbarrow | shovel |

What would you add to this gardening essentials list? Let me know in the comments! Make sure to follow along on Instagram for more planting tips and gardening inspiration! And don't miss our main page, The Rural Legend for affordable ideas on how to make the INSIDE of your home beautiful!

xoxo, L