Even during the off-season, gardening is always on my mind. I’m dreaming, researching, reading, and planning. I love searching for new garden tools that may streamline my work next season, and I love researching garden methods that I want to try in the future.
Whether you’re a first-time gardener or like me — always open to new ideas — you’ll want to keep reading.
In this episode of the Beginner’s Garden Podcast, I talk about why I love these eight tools and books. You can click to listen or continue reading below for the list. I’ve also included links to further articles at the bottom of this post where I share some of my other favorite tools and books as well.
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I have a stool similar to this and I love it. It’s lightweight and easily portable, and the best part is being able to carry all of my tools, seeds, string, and other small items out to the garden in one trip.
I use this heavy-duty, durable hoe for all of my weeding and clearing needs. I even turn it over to create small trenches for planting crops like beans, corn, and peas. In this video, you can see it in action:
I’ve gone through many hand pruners, but none of them has worked as well or has proved as durable as my Barnel Hand Pruner. I’ve even left it in the garden for months on accident (okay, so I lost it) and when I recovered it, it worked as well as the day I bought it.
I have tried a lot of garden gloves. A LOT. From Amazon purchases to garden shows to my local garden stores — I keep trying different ones. But none have suited me better than the Wonder Grip Nitrile Garden Gloves. Not only are they durable, but they’re comfortably flexible, and they grip just the right amount. I really need to stop picking up different kinds to try because I always go back to these.
You don’t realize how nice it is to not to have to worry about your shoes as you head out to the garden. I keep one pair by my garage door and one pair by my back door. Yes, I use them that much. They’re waterproof, flexible, and super-comfortable. And unlike other boots, they will probably endure for decades.
My Favorite Garden Reference Books
I have lots of favorite gardening books. When you read as much as I do, you have bookshelves full of them. But in order to narrow them down to my favorites, I decided to consider which books I go back to time and again. I use them for reference year-round for, as you can see, a variety of purposes.
Yes, this is a beautiful book inside and out. But it’s also extremely useful. Not only can you read about tomato varieties and how to plant and grow the most popular vegetable in the home garden, but you will also find yourself going back to it through the season. The troubleshooting section is my favorite.
I love having a book that I can go back to when I need to search a particular topic. For example, when I talked about my soil test, I mentioned how I need phosphorus and potassium. But I want to incorporate those nutrients in an organic way. With this reference book I could read about my options quickly and easily.
A fun read, this handy reference guide will educate you on the most common insects present in a home garden. You’ll learn to recognize your allies and your enemies — and what to do about the latter in an organic, natural manner. For a more in-depth reference, check out Jessica Walliser’s other book Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden.
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Those are my top favorite garden tools and books. What would you add to my list?
More resources for garden tools:
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Is there a major difference between the copy by Fern Marshall and the copy by Anna Kruger? They both have similar titles. Wondering which copy to get or both for different reasons?
That’s a great question. I don’t own the one by Anna Kruger, so I can’t speak to that one, so I’m guessing maybe the difference is that hers has more photos to supplement the content. Perhaps it’s even a bit more readable like a book. The one I have is mostly what you think of when you think of an Encyclopedia — mostly text with a few graphics — and you really wouldn’t use it to read cover to cover. I use it as a reference guide for specific issues. Again, I don’t own Kruger’s so I can’t speak from experience, but that’s my guess.
Is there a major difference between the copy by Fern Marshall and the copy by Anna Kruger? They both have similar titles. Wondering which copy to get or both for different reasons?
That’s a great question. I don’t own the one by Anna Kruger, so I can’t speak to that one, so I’m guessing maybe the difference is that hers has more photos to supplement the content. Perhaps it’s even a bit more readable like a book. The one I have is mostly what you think of when you think of an Encyclopedia — mostly text with a few graphics — and you really wouldn’t use it to read cover to cover. I use it as a reference guide for specific issues. Again, I don’t own Kruger’s so I can’t speak from experience, but that’s my guess.