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10+ Fun and Useful Garden Tools for 2021 (that you’ll use season after season)

in Garden Planning· Gardening Tips & How-to's· Gift Guides· In the Garden· The Beginner's Garden Podcast

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Gardeners are always on the lookout for the next great garden tool or gadget. But we also know that not everything on our garden shelves gets used.

I’ve definitely had my share of garden tool flops that ended up in the donate bin. I also use some tools season after season — my “go-to” garden tools.

But in the last couple of years I’ve discovered some new favorites. Some are large and some are small, but if you’re looking for some unique garden ideas, I almost guarantee that this list will inspire you as you look toward to the next season. (Click here to listen to the podcast episode or continue reading.)

*Links below may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products I regularly use, and if you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Greenstalk Vertical Planter

Greenstalk Vertical Planter with plants growing

I have embraced container gardening more and more over the past few year for many reasons, but I have often struggled with soil, the kind of container, mobility, and more.

But when the folks at Greenstalk Vertical Garden sent me one of their planters to try, I immediately fell in love with this unique way of growing.

In just a couple of hours, I assembled the planter and planted 30 fall plants. Over the course of a few months I harvested countless salads, and I can’t wait to try new plants in it in different seasons.

Though I have the 5-tier planter, you can choose a 3-tier option in a variety of colors. They also have a new planter with more shallow pockets for shallow-rooted plants like lettuce and flowers. Use the code JILL10 here to get $10 off any purchase of $75 or more.

Barnel Collapsible Spring Bucket

This Barnel Spring Bucket was a splurge purchase at a local garden show. You never know when impulse buys will work out, but in this case, it absolutely did!

Barnel Spring Bucket

The lightweight 19-gallon bucket easily collapses and opens when you need it or when you store it. I used it all season long. In the spring, it stayed by my side as I pulled weeds. In the summer and fall I used it to clear out spent plants.

The biggest plus to this handy bucket: its strength and durability. Its heavy-duty bottom stayed strong even when I dragged it across the garden, full with plant waste. The handy shoulder strap let me carry it like a duffel bag, and the handle on the bottom made it easy to dump the contents out.

This Barnel bucket was definitely one of those splurge purchases that paid off!

Rolling Garden Stool

Though I included this in another list of garden tools, I had to mention this one again. Though I don’t typically use it when tending to my garden beds, it’s the perfect seat for working with raised beds.

Sunnydaze Garden Cart

I love that I can keep it in my garden year-round and just roll it to wherever I need it next. Besides airing up the tires a few times, it’s a low-maintenance, heavy-duty garden stool that I use for many tedious garden tasks.

Hori-Hori Knife

When many gardeners suggested this tool, I decided to try it. After a couple of years of using it, I can tell you, they were right.

Broccoli Head being cut with Hori Hori knife

This multi-purpose garden knife can be used for transplanting, harvesting, dividing herbs, and more. I found it especially useful when transplanting into my straw bale garden, which required a bit more cutting power than my trowel.

I will warn you that it’s sharp! Once when harvesting I accidentally cut my finger and it sliced through my fingernail. I now use garden gloves whenever I use this knife for any kind of cutting…just to be on the safe side.

Fabric Pots

As I grow more vegetables and herbs in containers, I’ve especially enjoyed using fabric pots. Although their benefits are many, here are a few I’ve noticed:

  • lightweight; easy to move plants from one place to another
  • the roots “air prune,” so they don’t circle endlessly around the pot, becoming stressed
  • well-drained; never have to worry about “root rot” that comes from over-saturated soil
  • easy to store at the end of the season — they lay flat if you decide to empty and store for the winter
Spinach growing in fabric pots in front of raised bed and greenhouse
Spinach grows in these fabric pots in front of the raised bed.

Photo Box for Seed Storage

I can’t recall where I saw this idea, but several years ago I bought a photo box and transformed it into a seed package storage container. This little change made storing seeds immensely easier and more organized.

Photo Box for Seed Storage

The only seeds I don’t use this for are large seeds I save myself that won’t fit into small packets. For example, I usually save large quantities of okra, green bean, and black-eyed pea seeds. For those, I usually use mason jars. But for all other seeds in seed packets, or small seeds I store myself in small envelopes, this makes seed storage a breeze.

Soil Block Tool

Over the past two years I have transitioned to starting most of my seeds indoors using soil blocks. This was one of those methods I didn’t know if I would stick with, and the soil blocker isn’t a cheap investment. But now that I know I prefer using soil blocking over other typical seed starting methods, I’m glad I made the investment.

Soil blocking tool

Though they come in different sizes, I recommend starting out with the mini soil blocker. You can read more about the pros and cons of soil blocking here.

Organic Fertilizer

Maybe this isn’t a tool, but I’ve found that choosing organic fertilizers stumps a lot of gardeners. It stumped me, too. Do I even need it? If so, then what do I choose with the myriad of options available?

While I personally rely more on compost, there are three organic fertilizers I find myself reaching for season after season:

  • Garden Tone or Plant Tone — this all-purpose organic fertilizer is one I add to the soil at planting time for a slow-release supplement during the growing season.
  • Fish Emulsion — many plants can use a quick burst of nitrogen, and fish emulsion always fits the bill. I usually add this to tomatoes and peppers every couple of weeks until they begin flowering.
  • Organic REV — This new-to-me amendment has impressed me in what I’ve tried it with so far. Unlike organic fertilizers, this increases the soil biological activity, which is crucial for an organic garden. (Learn more here and use the code JILL10 to get 10% off.)

Camp Chef for Home Canning

Over the last few years, I’ve shifted almost all of my home canning to outdoors. By using this propane stove (meant more for camping), my water bath canning comes to a boil faster, and my pressure canning comes to pressure faster. Plus, having an electric glass stovetop, I knew I was taking a chance every time I chose to do my canning on it.

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Another plus is not heating my house with canning in the middle of a hot summer. By canning outside on my patio in the cool of the morning or evening, my canning experience has become much more enjoyable.

NEW Complete Garden Planner and Journal

For the past few years I’ve used a printable garden planner and journal that I created myself.

I loved it so much that I decided to tweak it further and hire a graphic designer to make it that much more useful and attractive. I can’t wait to use this new-and-improved version of the Complete Garden Planner and Journal next season. It will take me from “planning to canning” and everything in between.

One thing I love about the printable planner and journal is that I can print only the pages I need and I can print multiples of what I may need more of.

This printable garden planner and journal is now available here!

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Filed Under: Garden Planning, Gardening Tips & How-to's, Gift Guides, In the Garden, The Beginner's Garden Podcast

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Hi! I'm Jill McSheehy and I'm so glad you stopped by! If you're a beginning gardener needing help getting started or an everyday gardener looking for new ideas, you're in the right place!

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Notice a difference between the cabbage seedlings Notice a difference between the cabbage seedlings on the left and the ones on the right?
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I just love testing different things in my garden, and for these seedlings I tested two treatments I’ve never tried before: foliage feeding and a “root dip” using the plant growth product, Organic REV.
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The plants on the left were untreated; the ones on the right were treated.
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A few weeks ago I filled a spray bottle with a diluted Organic REV mixture (per their instructions) and I sprayed the young seedlings on the right. They responded well and began to outpace the untreated group slightly — it was small but definitely noticeable.
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Then last Friday I transferred the seedlings into these larger pots, but before I did it, for the plants on the right, I dipped the root ball in a 50/50 REV/water mixture, saturating the soil and roots before transplanting. Again, the plants on the right were the only ones that got this root dip.
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The soil all plants are growing in is the same: a potting mix plus some Plant Tone organic fertilizer.
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It was after this root dip and transplant that the seedlings on the right started pacing much more ahead of the ones in the untreated group.
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While all the seedlings (treated and untreated) are growing in this fertile soil medium, what Organic REV is supposed to do is appearing to prove true — at least in this test. It helps plants more efficiently take up and use the nutrients that are present in the soil.
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Organic REV is now a brand partner of the Beginner’s Garden. They sent me their product to try first, and I’m continuing to test it in different ways.
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But what I’m sharing with you is my own experience and results. If you’re interested in their product, look them up here: @buyorganicrev Use my affiliate code JILL10 to get 10% off if you want to try it for yourself.
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#organicrev #foliarfeed #foliarfeeding #indoorseedstarting #indoorseedlings #pottingup #cabbage #cabbageseedlings #organicgardening #organicfertilizers
I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to harvesti I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to harvesting from my garden in the winter. It snowed today, even! (Okay, just a dusting, and it already melted, but in central Arkansas, any snow is worth celebrating! 😂)
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Although I’ve grown cabbage in the spring before, this is my first time harvesting a fall crop. (My last two attempts were thwarted by hungry rabbits or rogue hens 😡.)
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I have several more plants that I’m hoping to harvest from now that the days are getting longer and maybe the heads will start growing again. And I also have a new crop started in my grow room.
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Four-season gardening may sound daunting but I assure you, fall and winter gardening is almost a hands-off endeavor. The only thing it really takes is a little planning (and some nurturing in the beginning).
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And the reward of picking from your garden in the winter (when your climate allows) can’t be overstated. It’s fabulous!!
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If you’re interested in learning how to incorporate more seasons in your garden growing, I have several exciting new resources coming up, starting with tomorrow’s first podcast of the new year on deciding if indoor seed starting is right for you!
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As much as I’m enjoying this winter harvest, I’ve already got one eye in spring! You, too? 😊
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#cabbage #growingcabbage #wintergarden #winterharvest #zone7b #arkansasgarden #zone7gardening #gardenplanning
This fall-planted parsley 🌱 has done really wel This fall-planted parsley 🌱 has done really well in my Greenstalk Vertical planter. I recently harvested the lower leaves and dried them for use in the kitchen. But the rest of the plant is still growing well, and I expect to harvest from it for months to come.
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I planted the parsley along with other plants in the Greenstalk planter in September. Although the lettuce is done and I harvested the celery, the herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, and oregano are going strong!
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I LOVE that I don’t have to buy almost all herbs from the store, even in the winter.
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#herbs #parsley #herbgardening #greenstalkplanter #greenstalkverticalplanter #containergarden #containergardening #containerherbgardening #wintergarden #winterharvest #winterherbs #zone7b #zone7gardening
I’ve spent the better part of two days selecting I’ve spent the better part of two days selecting and ordering seeds for this year. My husband thinks my intensive research is a bit over the top. Maybe.... 🤔
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But here’s what I do:
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1️⃣ Select the seed companies I’ll purchase from. Most of my orders were from @southernexposureseed because I’m in the SE US and the varieties there fit my climate well. Next, I placed a large order from @territorialseedcompany (great selection, informative catalog, and some of the best prices). From there, I supplemented with seeds from @bakercreekseeds (high quality heirloom seeds, highly dependable, free shipping), @johnnys_seeds (unique varieties for different needs than I can get elsewhere), and @seed_savers_exchange (heirloom seeds with a great mission).
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2️⃣ I went through my top 3 catalogs, circling varieties I was interested in.
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3️⃣ I entered each variety in my Seed & Plant Research sheet from my Complete Garden Planner, noting unique characteristics, days to maturity, and price. (Not all seed packets are equal in quantity so it pays to be a savvy shopper.)
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4️⃣ I chose which seeds to purchase.
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I usually plan my entire garden before ordering seeds, but I was a bit nervous about the seed supply (thankfully only a few varieties were sold out), so I did my best in choosing what I’d need.
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The process was LONG but a great way to spend the last two days of 2020 — with HOPE for the 2021 garden season! 💕
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Have you ordered seeds yet? Where do you like to order from?
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(My printable Complete Garden Planner is available in my shop, link in profile.)
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#seedshopping #orderingseeds #gardenseeds #garden2021
#gardenplanning #gardenplans #seedcatalog #seedcatalogs #wheretobuyseeds #gardening #gardeningtips #gardentips
My greenhouse lettuce is coming along! 🥬 I expe My greenhouse lettuce is coming along! 🥬 I expect now that the day length ☀️ will be increasing, the growth will accelerate in the next couple of months.
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I think I planted these in early October, so you can see how slow they grow this time of year, even in the warmth of the greenhouse. But it’s so nice to see signs of growth and hope for future lettuce harvests! 🥬
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I’m almost to the end of my main fall lettuce, so I’ll be glad when these are ready to eat!
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#lettuce #greenhouse #greenhousegardening #wintergarden #wintergardening #greenhouselettuce #falllettuce #growbag #growbags #greenhousegardener #containergardening #containergarden #containerlettuce
Would love to hear your personal experience using Would love to hear your personal experience using shredded leaves as mulch! 🍂
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🌲 The trees on my property are mainly pine trees, so I’ve never had fallen leaves to collect and use as mulch. (That’s mainly why I use wood chips.) But when my dad offered to collect and bag up his leaves and give them to me, of course I said yes!
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Twenty-five bags later I realized I needed to figure out how to best use them. I knew they’d blow away if I just dumped them on the garden and they’d take forever to break down if I threw them in the compost pile. So I watched a few YouTube videos and settled on a leaf shredder.
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(A lot of people use lawn mowers to mulch their leaves but we don’t have a mower like that. I also tried the weed-eater as an immersion blender in a trash can idea once and it was a disaster.)
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I LOVED this leaf shredder! It was really easy to use and I shredded 25 bags in just a couple of hours. Most people shred the leaves into bags but I created a simple wired bin to collect mine, and I shredded the leaves directly into it. I applied the leaves to several beds already but I have half of them still in the bin to use later.
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How do you use fall leaves in your garden? I’m excited to try this method that I have enviously watched so many gardeners use over the years!
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#leafshredder #leafmulch #leafmulching #leafmulcher #fallenleaves #autumnleaves #mulch #gardentips #fallgardening #gardenchores #compost #leavesasmulch #fallgardencleanup @worxtools
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