When you first decide to start a garden it can be a bit overwhelming. It's one of those things that can very quickly become complicated and overly expensive, which it really doesn't need to be! There are some gardening basics for small to medium sized gardens, and once you have those you're well on your way.
Like most things it pays to get fewer items that are quality than a lot of cheaper items. It will minimise waste and save you money in the long run. So look for wood and metal over plastic and foam.
TOP ROW
1. Gloves- Because you want to get your hand dirty... but not too dirty. A good pair of gloves will last you years.
2. Hand Trowel- This is the most versatile and useful tool for small to medium gardens. You can use it for digging, weeding, covering and planting.
3. Cultivator- Nothing beats hand cultivators for aerating soil, turning soil before you plant and clearing top soil, it's also handy for pulling weeds.
4. Shears- These are priceless! fantastic for trimming, pruning and breaking small branches you otherwise couldn't clear, and gardens love to be trimmed.
MIDDLE ROW
5 +6. Watering Can and/or Hose- Depending on where your garden is, and how big it is water is e.ssential If your garden is tiny and close, you can get by with cups and jugs but for bigger gardens a watering can or hose will be in daily use.
7. Garden knife- This is something I discovered later in my gardening life but I would have loved to have one from the start. Shears don't cut twine and open bags without a lot of work. A good knife that lives in your garden kit will serve you well.
8. Twine- Twine is like the bandaid of your gardening kit. It is always handy to have, but sometimes overlooked. Twine will come in handy for running repairs, binding and makeshift runners (fantastic for beans and other climbers).
9. Stakes- This is another tool that I added to my kit after some trial and error. Bamboo stakes are fantastic supports for plants as they get taller, especially fruiting plants like tomatoes and eggplants.
BOTTOM ROW
10. Hessian Bags- If twine is the bandaid of a gardening kit then hessian bags are the bandages. Twine will cut into all plants, but particularly new growth and softer, fleshy plants. They need something with give that allows them to grow without being cut. Cutting hessian bags into strips is the perfect, biodegradable option for cushioning a plants support. They also make fantastic weed barriers and moisture retainers.
11. Equipment Storage- I learned the hard way that even the best garden tools, if left outdoors will not last. Finding a storage container that protects them from the elements and separates them from your indoor tools will protect them and ensure they serve you for the long term.
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This is a pretty good list! But, while tools are important, I gardened on my balcony for years with a soup spoon (and occasionally a fork) and my bare hands. What made me successful was good soil in my pots. If a beginning gardener is going to invest in anything, it should be their soil.
I had to google Hessian (burlap coffee) Bags. I love them too but perhaps you might explain their uses...
Agreed with Mary Wynn. Good soil is by far the most important thing, especially if you are growing in containers! (As the nutrients deplete rather quickly.)
I'd venture to guess that Hessian Bags could be used to grow potatoes, or other crops that need a larger container? I'd use them to cover big plastic buckets that I'd grow tomatoes or dwarf trees in too! (I'm also using burlap this year as a cover on top of my raised bed soil, cutting x's for each plant.)
Thirding the soil investment. I've been growing veggies & herbs in pots on my balcony for four years, and while I've bought a short shovel and compost fork, a soil scoop, a watering can, and all lengths of bamboo stakes, nothing is more important than the soil you get. The first year I tried to go cheap, with the 99¢ bags of top soil I found at Home Depot. Boy was I disappointed with that. Mainly clay, mulch, and stones, that soil sucked, and so did my tomatoes.
tada! explainations :)
I will fourth the importance of good soil but note that if you have the time, a good composting system can turn the most unusable soil into a very fertile fruiting garden. yay for gardens!
*explanations*
Great list. Would be great to see the hose go away since watering lawns and garden wastes so much water. We use water from the cat bowls (we have a cat rescue and each cat gets a huge dog sized water bowl) and we want to get a rain barrel. Collecting water is better than sprinklers or hoses.