Basic Tools for Gardeners

While experienced gardeners are likely to have three times this many tools in the shed, this list will give you a basic idea of the tools you'll need to have to take care of a home landscape:

• Shovel
• Spading fork
• Leaf rake
• Bow rake
• Leather garden gloves
• Pruning shears
• Trowel
• Sprayer (even if it's just a hand-held, window cleaner type)
• Wheelbarrow

Different regions of the country also have their own specialized tools. In areas with heavy clay or rocky soil, for example, it sometimes takes a pick to break through the subsoil. In the Southwest, a tool called a caliche bar (also known as a crowbar) is used to pole holes in the concrete-like caliche soil.