16 Gardening Tool Names And Their Best Uses

Whether you’re just getting into gardening or an old pro, there are always new things to learn. Gardening can be both daunting and rewarding at the same time but armed with a bit of knowledge of the basics and gardening tool names, you’ll be growing your vegetables, herbs, and flowers in no time. A successful garden will require knowing the different tools available to ensure you get started on the right foot. Learning gardening tool names will help you go to your local home and garden store and start buying what you need to get started!

Gardening Basics

There are many decisions to make when starting a garden. You’ll need to consider how much space you have, what you want to grow, and the length of your growing season. Once you have gardening tool names and gardening basics down, you’ll then need to know gardening tool names and uses so you can start your garden and maintain it as efficiently and effectively as possible. There are also many gardening tools for kids out there, so you’ll have no problem getting them involved as well. Without further adieu, let’s jump right in!

Gardening Tool Names and Uses

1. Trowel

Gardening trowels are handheld tools with a small spade “shovel” on the end. They typically have wood, plastic, or rubber handles, and the ergonomics will vary depending on which you get. This tool is probably one of the handiest to have at your disposal and is excellent for outdoor gardens or use with pots and other containers.

An excellent option is the Edward Tools Bend-Proof Garden Trowel. It has a stainless steel handle and is touted as bend-proof. However, if, for some reason, this doesn’t hold, it comes with a lifetime warranty. It’s also cost-effective for such a sturdy tool.

2. Shears or Pruners

Garden shears or pruners are kind of like scissors for plants. They are much heavier duty and have a slightly different design than scissors, but the concept is the same. Shears and pruners are used interchangeably, but they’re the same thing. They are about the size of your typical pair of pliers.

These are great to have on hand for pruning (cutting back) bushes and trees or to trim other plants that need cutting in your garden. There is a size limit on the diameter they can cut through, so you won’t be chopping down trees with these tools, but you’ll surely find plenty of uses for them. They come in a variety of colors and prices, so you’re sure to find something that fits your needs like the Gonicc 8″ Professional Premium Titanium Bypass Pruning Shears, Hand Pruners, Garden Clippers.

3. Pruning Saw

A pruning saw cuts through small trees and larger branches too big for your shears or pruners. These foldable, handheld saws have razor-sharp teeth that make for quick work.

While there are certainly cheaper pruning saws on the market, the Silky Professional BIGBOY 2000 Folding Saw will last for years and cut about anything you throw its way. This tool is so handy, and you’ll use it for far more than garden trimming. Use it to cut firewood while camping or cutting boards or wood posts for fencing quickly and efficiently. The blades stay sharp for a very long time, making it well worth every penny.

4. Loppers – Gardening Tool Names

Loppers follow the same concept as shears but have longer handles for trimming larger-sized branches or reaching places your arms aren’t long enough to. The handles are typically about two feet long and, as with everything else, come in several materials and colors. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a pair that will sufficiently cut through most small branches and even the tiniest of trees if you put some muscle into it. A great looper option is the Fiskars 28-inch lopper.

5. Gloves

Gardening can be a physical activity and requires lots of use of your hands. So whether it’s digging in the dirt with a trowel, shovel, hoe, or just using your hands, you’ll want a good pair of gloves. Gloves will prevent you from getting blisters and keep the dirt out from under your fingernails.

The Pine Tree Tools Bamboo Gardening Gloves are a perfect option. If you get the appropriate size, they’ll fit your hands snuggly enough to allow for plenty of dexterity. The beauty of these gloves is that they are breathable, which helps to eliminate sweaty hands in the summer heat. And the best part of these gloves is they are touch screen friendly, so you don’t have to take them on and off every time you need to use your smartphone.

6. Wheelbarrow

Wheelbarrows are basically a large tub, usually several cubic yards in size, on a single or double wheel in the front. You operate it by lifting on the handles on the back end and pushing it forward on the wheel. They come in several styles and are usually made of metal, although some types are made of heavy-duty molded plastic. Check out the Marathon Yard Rover – 2 Tire Wheelbarrow Garden Cart

A wheelbarrow is a handy tool if you have a big outdoor garden that requires hauling lots of dirt, compost, or other materials. The last thing you want to do is shlep large amounts of soil in 5-gallon buckets. A wheelbarrow will make hauling large quantities of these materials much more manageable.

7. Spade – Gardening Tool Names

A spade is a much larger version of the trowel. This is what most people typically refer to as a shovel. Spades also come with wood, rubber, or plastic handles but generally are several feet long. The spade on the end is much larger; thus, you’ll use this tool for moving lots of dirt or other materials. You’ll find size and shape variations that are good for different things.

Some spades are for digging holes, some are best for trenches, while others are for moving larger amounts of material. This tool results in labor that can be a lot tougher on your back, too, so use it with care! A popular spade is the Fiskars 46 Inch Steel D-handle Square Garden Spade.

8. Rake

As with many of the other tools, these come in a variety of designs. A rake has many finger-like tines, and the handles are typically several feet long. They are used to “rake” things like leaves or grass and can also smooth out soil or compost. They do come in different sizes, and the space between tines varies. This is important because depending on what you are raking, you’ll want the correct spacing.

Something with too much space will not efficiently rake small things like pea gravel, but one with tines closer together will. The True Temper 2811500 Steel 16-Tine Bow Rake with 57 in. Fiberglass Handle is a nice option. It is also available with a hardwood handle if you prefer.

9. Hand Rake or Hand Cultivator

A hand rake like the Fiskars Cultivator is to a regular rake like a hand trowel is to a shovel. It’s the same concept but a smaller version. As with the trowels, the handles are typically wood, rubber, or plastic and are about a foot long versus several feet. They’re nice to use for raking or loosening soil between small plants. Some have fewer tines made of steel that are used for cultivating the dirt on a smaller scale. Envision being on your hands and knees and working in the area immediately around you when you’re using this tool.

10. Gardening Fork

A gardening fork is also commonly known as a pitchfork. It’s different from a rake in that it “pitches” or move things like straw, piles of weeds, or other vegetation. True Temper 2812200 4-Tine Spading Digging Fork with 30 inch handle. The design of the tines is slightly different than the rake in that they are typically straighter. They also come with varying numbers of tines for moving different things. For example, pitchforks for mucking horse stalls typically have tines that are pretty close together, whereas ones for moving hay are further apart. Usually, they are metal, but they can be plastic.

11. Hoe – Gardening Tool Names

A hoe like the Corona GT 3244 Extended Reach Hoe and Cultivator is another tool that comes on a long handle like the regular-sized shovel, rake, and pitchfork. This tool has a flat, steel blade on the end that’s typically about 4 inches long. It breaks up and tills the soil, dig trenches, create piles of dirt, and digs up weeds. As with the others, there are handheld versions as well, but the most common are the longer ones. These are used for more extensive outdoor gardens as there won’t be any use for them in small pots or indoor use.

12. Knee Pads

If you have a garden outside, you will spend plenty of time closer to the ground and on your knees. It’s just the nature of the business. As a result, you will come to appreciate a good pair of knee pads to keep your knees from getting bumps and bruises. There are also square or rectangular foam pads available, but you’ll have to move these each time you move manually. We recommend the kind you strap on each knee. Then you don’t have to worry about them.

The one-size-fits-all NoCry Home & Gardening Knee Pads provide dense foam cushioning and are easy to clean. They easily attach to each knee with velcro and allow you to move freely around your garden, or at least as freely as being on your hands and knees will enable you to move!

13. Garden Hose

Gardens need water to grow. Therefore, a garden hose is another necessity as a way to get water from your faucet to your plants. While garden hoses used to only come in standard rubber materials, the sky’s the limit on what you can find these days. Some variations expand and contract to keep from tangling, and they come in all sizes. You can also attach several to adapt them to your various spaces.

Check out the FitLife Flexible and Expandable Garden Hose if you want to avoid frustrating tangles. It is lightweight and easily collapses. The coolest part about this hose is it’s only 17’ when not in use but expands to 50’ when water is run through it! Not only does this save space, but it’s easy to move around. Fifty feet of a regular hose are bulky and cumbersome, so this hose solves many typical problems.

14. Watering Can

As we said before, vegetables, herbs, flowers, and other garden plants need water. A watering can similar to the ADAMS USA Bloem Deluxe Watering Can is handy for anything you’ve plant in containers, pots, or barrels. These watering containers have an opening at the top with a handle and a long spout to pour water. The spout helps direct water exactly where you want it to avoid spillage. They come in a vast array of designs, colors, and materials. From metal to plastic, large to small, bright to muted, there is a fun watering can for everyone!

15. Auger – Gardening Tool Names

An auger is kind of like a screw you drill into the ground to dig a hole. The design moves dirt upwards and into a pile. These come in all sizes, depending on the equipment you have to run them or the size of the holes you intend to drill.

The smallest augers like the Jisco JL24 Earth Auger, 1-3/4-Inch by 24-Inch Length attach to your power drill and used to drill holes for planting seeds or small trees or bushes. On the other end of the spectrum are huge tillers that attach to a tractor, skid steer, or other large equipment. These are typically for drilling holes to plant posts for fencing in. Finally, in the middle, you have augers that run off a motor that you use your body weight to push down on. These are handheld but much larger than the ones used on the power drill.

16. Tiller

A tiller is also referred to as a rototiller and is a piece of motorized power equipment used to tear up the dirt to prepare it for planting a garden or grass. They run using small engines, like those found in weed whackers, all the way up to the size of those used in something like a snowblower. Sun Joe TJ603E 16-Inch 12-Amp Electric Tiller and Cultivator.

The harder ground you have, the bigger and more heavy-duty tiller you’ll likely need. Smaller ones are great for working up gardens that have been in use for several years, have been amended with lots of soft compost, and are already quite soft. However, a much larger, heavier one may be necessary for hard-packed dirt.

The smaller ones are relatively inexpensive, but the bigger ones can get pricey. However, you can rent one from most equipment rental places or even home and garden stores.

Green Thumb Conclusions – Gardening Tool Names

Now that you have this list of gardening tool names and their essential functions, you can start planning your garden! Once you figure out how much room you have, what you want to grow, and the length of your gardening season, you’ll be able to narrow down which tools are needed.

If you’re an old pro, perhaps this has inspired you to go out and get some new tools that will make your life much easier. The right tools for the job make every task that much more fun and enjoyable.

While gardening can be back-breaking work, it is pretty worth it when you start harvesting your bounty. There is nothing like fresh fruit or vegetables picked from the garden straight to your plate. You know exactly where they came from and what was used (or not used) on it as far as pesticides and herbicides go. While you may invest more time, you’ll undoubtedly save money, and all your efforts will be worth it. Happy Gardening!