I can't live without my straight edge shovel, my rake (the straight across kind), leaf rake (the triagular shaped one) and my weeder. And a wheel barrow or garden cart (both have their own advantages, but if you get a wheel barrow make sure you get a metal barrow, not a plastic one).

Don't forget a good trowel. As you get further into your gardening/landscaping, the other tools can be purchased. Always buy the ones that are sturdy and the length of the tool, whether it is rakes or shovels, is good ergonomically correct for you.

Thanks for all the replies. I forgot to ask what do you use to separate flowers / blubs without hurting them too much? Is it necessary to have a hoe / cultivate necessary?

thanks in advance

I divide flowers with a sharp apade. Bulbs I dig and pull apart (since I wait until they are dormant and the roots have dried a bit on them as well). Some folks dig the entire flower up and divide with a knife.

I have another favorite tool- I call it a digging stick- its a simple tool with a fishtail shaped end for digging up weeds. They cost about $3. I have really good luck getting weeds up root and all with it. I have the 12" kind,but I have also seen a 3' variety.

My other favorite tool is my scuffle hoe, or stirrup hoe. It is shaped like a stirrup, and there is some play where it attached to the pole. This is another great weeding tool. You 'scuffle' along just uncer the surface of the mulch and decapitate the weeds. Sometimes they come back, but most of the time they don't. If it's just one or two, I leave them on the ground. If it's a clump, or a big patch, I will bend over and pick them up. Less bending is good!

One last favorite- a garden tub or collapsible bag. It's great for collecting debris. A trash bag is too much trouble- you can pitch weeds and trimmings into one of these tubs and keep the area neater as you go.

Here is a link that might be useful: scuffle hoe image

Not sure what you mean by "separate flowers/bulbs", since you mention hoes.... However, to divide plants you need a knife! A sharp serrated one about 6" long is useful, as is one of those hori-hori things (more for digging stuff out than for separating delicate plants, but they are good for prying clumps apart).

Other tools you must have for landscaping (not vegetable gardening): good bypass pruners (e.g., Felco), loppers (ditto), and hedge shears (e.g., Okatsune -- not just for hedges; great for ornamental grasses, shearing back perennials, etc.). Something to carry heavy stuff -- wheelbarrow, cart, little red wagon, whatever works for you. Something collect/haul lighter stuff --- a rubber trug, tip basket, even a tarp. Your back will thank you, especially when you get to my age ;^>... If you expect to be doing alot of woody plant removal, a decent saw and a mattocks/pickaxe are essential.

Rain barrels are great, especially if we get more drought years (with watering restrictions) like we had not too long ago...

These aren't tools, but if you will be doing alot of digging please wear a good pair of boots. I've known people who have ruined their feet by stomping on shovels in sneakers or lighter boots. I would also say my coveralls are essential -- no more dirt, leaves, bugs, etc. down your pants, and you can leave the dirt at the door. Hope these suggestions are useful!

I love my korean hand plow. It's got a wrought-iron leaf-shaped blade with a pointed tip, set at right-angles to a short wooden handle. It digs out dandelions, smooths furrows, carries dirt like a trowel -- and pleases the eye too. Pinetree seeds is selling them, as is Zimmerman & McClure.

That and my trusty Felco pruners ride my pockets like a pair of six-shooters when I walk my garden beds.

Lynn

I am big on using a fork, especially when starting a new bed.
I have a hay fork in my compost pile for turming it, but the one I use turn in the garden I think is called a spading fork.
Rob

I've had good success using a hacksaw with a fine-toothed blade (standard) to cut clumps of perennials apart. For coarser clumps, you can use a bow saw used for pruning. For delicate pruning and deadheading of flowers, I like those small shearers made by Fiskar or Stanley...I saw a Fiskar version in the amazon.com magazine I just received...if I can find a link, I will post it in another reply..of course the heavier duty Fiskar or Felco pruners are a must...also a good 5 or 6-pronger pitch fork (long handle type) with just the right curvature where the handle meets the fork...also...a small bladed shovel..either one designated as a woman's shovel or a trenching shovel..in other words one that is just big enough to dig a 6-inch diameter hole or so to plant veggies or annuals or perennials. I just planted 36 tomato and pepper plants using something a bit unusual for garden planting...a two-bladed post hole digger with 2 handles...you sink the blades in the soil...pull the handles apart with both hands...and lift the soil to form a planting hole about 8 inches deep (less if desired) and 6 inches in diameter...with a stretched string as a guide and graduated markings on the handles of the digger for measuring desired spacings, you can dig quite a few nice planting holes in record time...also..a 4-foot long watering wand (with a shower head attached) is a must with an easy to use shut-off valve between the hose and the wand...invest in a good rubber hose and a hose caddy, reel or rack for storing the house when not in use...some racks are portable and have built in shut-offs so you shut off the water flow without running back to the faucet at the house, if watering is required some distance away from the house...

I guess I need to preview my typing again after I update my post..before I submit...of course I meant hose, not house...among other typos..

Creatrix - your "digging tool" used to be known as a "Dandelion Digger" (don't know if it's still called that these days) because it was one of the only things that would pry those long Dandelion tap roots out of the lawn. Oh - & can't live without mine either. Don't have a Dandelion problem, but do use it for prying stubborn wild onions & other long-rooted weeds out of the garden.

I also LOVE my "Scuffle" or "Stirrup" Hoe. Has a back-&-forth moving stirrup-shaped blade that cuts small weeds off under the soil line. Is easy to maneuver around plants & almost makes weeding fun.

Of course can't live without my planting trowel, my regular long-handled shovel, or my steel-tined garden rake for planting, forming & raking smooth new free-form raised beds.

Last but not least - my hand pruning shears. For deadheading, pruning small suckers off of trees/shrubs, & for harvesting peppers & eggplants.

I rarely use anything other than the above 6 tools for regular day-to-day gardening tasks.

G'Day!
i like to keep a big trowel with a good, sharp tip and a pair of long scissors - very pointy and with the steel going all the way around the handles - in my pockets at all times. Poultry shears are also useful. You can never have too may plastic buckets. (Hint: bakeries and resturanbts get suppies in heavy-duty buckets which generally get discarded, so you may be able to get a dozen high-quality buckets at a time - free!) And gumboots or wellies are a must.

The best source i know of for most all your agricultural needs is your local Southern States franchise; many are now as much for the home gardener as for real farms. Generally very sturdy equipment at realistic prices, much lower than at a fancy nursery. They also often have some basic but nice plants. You may not need a ten pound sack of seed Pinto beans, but many will let you buy smaller quantities. Just look around carefully first before asking for help so your questions are specific; Southern States stores generally have very knowledgable staff but not much time to spare. They have to run a tight ship to keep their prices good. Google Southern States; their website has a zipcode locator to help you find their franchisees nearest you. Check out a couple to see which one near you best suits your needs. Stock up on your basics there - then take your savings to that fancy nursery for your fun, specialty items!

Of course, your best plants will come from swaps! And maybe a few tools too. (i did NOT buy those pink handled cultivators! Thanks Dawn, thay work great - but i may have to paint them!) Speaking of paining handles, while you may be attracted to green or eath-tones handles, go for the truely obnoxious orange or other bright-colour-not-found-in-nature. You want tools you can easily find when they get dropped in a mess of tall plants. If you already have tools with subtle colours, wrap some brilient tape on 'em before you lose them!

Note that sometimes two tools which look identicle will feel and work a bit differently. Hinges may be tighter on some, which makes cutting easier, than on others. Keeping things sharp makes a BIG difference. To help prevent rust, when done for the day, rinse everything off and put in a nice dry place.

It also helps to keep a bucket full of coarse sand soaked in oil (like minieral oil, not petrol!) to plunge tools into. This helps clean them and prevent rust.

Happy gardening,
-vlad

My can't do without tool is a long handled floral shovel with a half sized blade. Bigger than a trowel but smaller than a shovel, it's ideal for planting, digging, and I even use it to dig fairly large holes. It's light weight and easy on a senior citizen's hands and feet. Agway carries but so do other outfits though my first one came from England. It looks like a child's tool but has a standard length handle and is made out of heavier metal with a turned lip for putting your foot on for extra leverage.

My favorite garden tool is a mattock. It has a handle about 1 1/2 feet long with a dual purpose head on the end. Held one way, it has three strong, rakelike teeth about 2" long each that can be used to soften soil or dig at weeds.

Opposite the toothed end is a solid, hoelike end that can be used like a hoe, or to dig small planting holes.

I especially like this tool because I have to do much of my garden work in a sitting position, and find that it allows me to exert maximum force with minimal effort, using a chopping motion rather than the twisting one that many hand tools require.

I also think the full-sized bulb planters, with the handle as long as a shovel handle and the cast-iron bulb planter on the end, are an excellent investment for anyone planning to plant very many of the larger (eg tulip) bulbs. It is a lot easier on the wrists than the shorter version.

Anyone that has done much gardening in the clay in S. Central Pa.knows how hard the soil can get around here. The above two tools really help. Even now, in my raised bed, which has softer soil, the mattock continues to be useful, as it allows me to easily dig additional holes for plants from an arm's length.

A TRUG !!

I cannot step out into my gardens without my gardening gloves on and my TRUG !!