So here’s my guide to the beginner vegetable gardener’s essential
toolkit (all images are from the GardenXL website).
Trowel (balcony, patio, garden)
One of the true basics! A hand trowel is useful for all sorts of things and mine never
leaves my side. Whether it’s
transporting compost from bag to plant pot, planting plants out in the
vegetable patch or generally cleaning beds up, a trowel is essential kit,
whether you’re starting on a balcony, patio or in a garden.
Rake (garden)
When I had my allotment in Richmond, I only then realised the
importance of soil preparation. A decent
garden rake is an essential piece of kit if you want to prepare
soil, keeping it raked over and oxygenated nicely. Putting in the effort of soil preparation up
front will pay dividends in the long-run!
Spade and Fork (garden)
Some more essential kit for the garden vegetable-grower! A garden spade is a
useful tool to dig up and prepare soil in the garden, while the classic garden fork is vital to keep soil turned over and fresh. Stainless steel tools not only look nice, but
they also remain rust-free – perfect when gardening in damp conditions!
Pruning Shears (balcony, patio,
garden)
Finally, pruning shears are
a decent buy for the budding vegetable gardener. While these are traditionally employed for
pruning (hence the name!), my pruning shears come in useful for all manner of
things – cutting string, shopping bits of bushes and plants – anything that
needs cutting.
