Garden Essentials: Take Stock and Gear Up For a Thriving Season

Rakes, watering cans and spades - often coated in a layer of dirt and grime - are the hallmarks of a hard day in the yard.

They don’t exactly sound appealing, but good gardening tools are essential for a lucrative harvest. While a new pruning shear or gloves remain mainstays of the garden, there are recent developments on the market that will radically transform the way you garden.

Just as a knife should be kept sharp, garden tools should be cleaned, updated, or replenished each year for a fresh start. 

Essential gardening tools for beginners

It can be intimidating curating your gardening tool kit given the abundance of options available. Many times, gardeners are caught in the frenzy of needing to buy every recommended item. However, for most gardening projects, only a modest selection of gardening tools is needed. Below is a list of both new and time-tested tools that will help prepare you for a successful gardening season.   

 

• Hori-Hori knife: As any gardener will attest, the Hori-Hori knife remains an indispensable tool in the garden. The serrated edge allows it to cut through stubborn material and compacted dirt where a trowel fails. Its multi-functionality serves it well, allowing gardeners to merge many tasks such as digging, cutting, and weeding. As it can be irritating to switch between tools, the Hori-Hori knife is a useful tool to keep at hand. 

• Raised garden bed: Do you detest wielding and dragging around all those heavy implements? A raised garden bed removes the need for back-breaking toil – many vegetable gardeners need only a trowel and fork to tend to their beds. Not only does the raised height alleviate strain on the back, but there are many benefits to raised garden beds, including control over the soil, increased yield, and improved fruit color. While a 17" height is sufficient, Vego Garden has a 32" extra tall garden bed for extra no-stress gardening.

• Spacious garden bag: A wheelbarrow can be fun to cart around, but it’s not always practical. A light-weight bag with multiple compartments to store all your tools can be great for those days when you’re just doing some basic yardwork. 

• Shovel and other basic supplies: Most gardeners agree on a few staples, such as a shovel, a plow, snipping scissors and watering can. Over time, these tools have evolved to accommodate foreign inputs or specialized purposes. Some are artisan and sleek; others are more rough-hewn. Whatever your preference may be, an emphasis on ergonomics and quality is recommended. 

Useful add-ons for the sustainable gardener

As mirrored in the symbolic garden of Eden, man will forever possess an intrinsic yearning towards nature. The best gardens of the modern era are these that minimize their ecological impact. The mindful gardener will seek ways to make their garden sustainable, whether through organic pest control or water conservation strategies. 

• Self-watering wicking cells: Most self-watering hardware is needlessly complex or expensive. With Vego’s innovative wicking cells comes a simple way to eliminate the uncertainty of uneven watering. Based on the principle of sub-irrigation, wicking beds are frequently used in arid regions like Australia where water is scarce. With water shortages rampant across the US, it has become more and more necessary to conserve water. Compared to traditional beds, beds with wicking cells result in greater cost savings, lusher vegetation, and increased yields. But the most salient benefit remains its substantial conservation of water – up to 50%. 

• Mister irrigation system: There is something nostalgic about sprinklers, evoking bygone days of verdant lawns and hazy summertime. These days seem so far away, but before you know it, the scorching summer heat will be upon us. In hot climates, shade cloths become a necessity, and so does an efficient irrigation system. Designed for easy installation with a water source and a cover system, this mister irrigation system simplifies the complexities of irrigation with pre-cut irrigation tubes and adjustable nozzles. 

• Worm composter: Composting is often suggested as an eco-friendly way to reduce waste, but how many gardeners, deterred by the smell and hassle, actually try it out? If you’re wondering how you can make composting easier, then check out this worm composter. It only takes two to three months to turn food scraps into rich, organic matter. Meant to be buried into your garden beds, this in-ground composter is a straightforward way to replenish your soil without much effort. 

• Solar lights: Outdoor lights can appear garish and wasteful – disruptive even - to certain nocturnal species. While not all outdoor lightning is inherently harmful to the environment, few are as elegant and low-maintenance as these solar lights, which couldn’t be easier to install. Perfect for illuminating a garden path or a garden of night-blooming flowers, they provide light even on cloudy days. 

• Seedling trays with drip irrigation cover: The sky above may be dark and gray, but thanks to modern advancements, gardeners who want to get a head start can cultivate their seedlings indoors in seedling trays. Unlike other seed starting trays, these specialty trays are paired with drip-irrigation chambers that can be refilled without lifting the lid. Once the seedlings have sprouted, we recommend removing the lid to encourage stem strength. 

• Finishing soil: Chances are that you are already acquainted with the term finishing school – academies where upper-class young women were taught proper etiquette for entry into society. Finishing soil is similar in that it acts as a richer kind of topsoil, working to promote a more ideal growing environment for the root zone of your plants. Custom-made from the careful calibration of premium materials, finishing soil can aid in remedying deficiencies in garden soil.