Posted on: 4 October, 2019

Top 7 gardening essentials for beginners

Widely appreciated for its mental health benefits, gardening is a great hobby to pick up – it helps to reduce feelings of stress, and instils a strong sense of accomplishment. You’ll also be making positive contributions to the environment – so if you’ve been thinking about giving it a try, there’s every reason to.

 

Technically, gardening can be done with very few tools – but possessing a few essential items can make it an easier process, and allow for a wider variety of plants to be grown.

Durable gloves

No matter what you’re growing, it’s always essential to wear a good pair of gloves. These not only help to prevent splinters and injuries, they also allow for a better grip. Make sure to get hold of a pair that fit well to avoid blisters, and make sure they aren’t too bulky so that you can easily handle smaller seeds.

Gardening fork

Whilst there are a few different types of gardening fork, simply equipping yourself with a good quality, basic one will suffice for shallow digging. Garden forks generally dig deeper and more effectively than a spade, making it easier to turn over soil. Digging forks are also safer tools, since they cause less damage to the plant roots.

Hand trowel

Trowels are generally used to move soil and plants around. The curved sides of the tool allow it to hold more soil, which is ideal for planting, and some feature sharpened edges so that they can remove deeper roots. Broad and narrow blade trowels can also be purchased, depending on the function needed – but it’s best to buy stainless steel ones if you can, since these are more durable.

Dibber

The dibber is a particularly useful tool for beginners, making it easier to dig holes for planting seeds. Some have embossed rings, which allows the gardener to easily measure the depth. This is not necessarily an essential item, but nevertheless makes gardening a little easier for the uninitiated.

Watering can with attachments

Watering cans are, of course, needed to hold the water that keeps plants alive and healthy. It’s a good idea, though, to invest in a can that distributes the weight of the water easily; this not only makes for a more even pour, but it also makes it much easier to carry around, preventing injury and strain. Try working with a few different attachments; rose attachments are popular, since they disperse the water more evenly.

Sustainable plant labels

It’s particularly useful for beginner gardeners to invest in some plant labels. It can be hard to remember which seeds you’ve planted where, and with written labels placed accordingly, you’ll avoid the risk of forgetting. For the benefit of the environment, invest in sustainable labels made from bamboo or wood.

Secateurs and shears

These tools are essential for garden maintenance. They allow the gardener to cut back shrubs and stray branches, and remove dead flowers. It’s worth opting for high quality blades that are more durable, and have replaceable parts so that you don’t have to re-purchase a full set.

 

The beauty of gardening is that it can be picked up as a hobby by anyone who has a plot of land, and whilst offering benefits to our mental health, it also makes positive contributions to the environment. If you’re thinking of learning some new hobbies, take a look at our articles for suggestions.

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