Over the years, I have to admit, we have spent more money on gardening than we have ever reaped in an actual harvest. We don’t try to be spendy, trust me, but starting a garden from the dirt up can get expensive, and buying the best gardening gear for women is one of my priorities.
The actual tools I’ve used for gardening have ended up being the least expensive because I tracked down the best quality I could afford, and those tools and gear have lasted for years. In addition to tools, I always have a plan for improving my garden in one way or another. You can see how I do that in my free, printable Gardening Self-Assessment that you can get here.
Table of contents
The Best Gardening Gear for Women
In no particular order, these are the tools I consider to be most essential.
A Composting System
Any successful garden begins with the soil. There’s no way to get around it. The good news, though, is that you can work on developing your soil year-round by composting.
Start with some type of container with a lid in your kitchen. Keep it right by the sink or stovetop, and that’s where you’ll put all your food scraps. When that container is full, dump those scraps in a larger composter or compost pile outside.
Something like the one pictured above is very simple, but effective. A tumbling composter is another good option.
You can also make your own as a DIY project, if you wanted. It’s as simple as filling a bin with a combination of dirt, leaves, food scraps, crushed eggshells, and coffee grounds — the beauty of developing your own compost is that you’re recycling “trash” into something truly useful.
Use this composting guide for invaluable information about developing well-balanced compost.
Compost Bin TIP: I have squirrels, possums, feral cats, hogs, and raccoons that venture into my yard, so for me, using a closed compost system works best. Keep that in mind when deciding whether or not you want an open-air system in a back corner of your yard or a closed bin, like the one pictured.
Get a Soil Testing Kit
If you haven’t had much success in the past with your garden, you may need to know more about your soil. Even with good compost, it’s good to know if you are dealing with soil that is clay, sandy, or loamy.
A soil-testing kit is easy to use and provides invaluable information about the health of your soil.
Once you know more about your soil, you’ll know what soil amendments, if any, should be added, how to schedule your watering, and what plants will do best in whatever soil you’ve got. I found this article about soil types and soil testing to be very helpful.
Select Great Seeds
Do you get as confused when browsing through racks of seeds at the local nursery? I do, too! I now prefer to buy my seeds from catalogs because they typically contain more information about the varieties. Each year we like to try our hand at growing something that is new and unusual for us.
The seed catalogs we prefer to purchase from are Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, and Fedco Seeds. I browse through the Burpee website to see what they have to offer, and I have purchased many great seeds and sprouting equipment from True Leaf Market, also.
One reason I’m hesitant to purchase seeds from the garden centers and big box stores near me is that I have no idea how those seeds have been treated during the days and weeks that they’ve been on display.
Have they been out in the heat and humidity? Has a watering system sprinkled the packets with water? I trust the seed companies mentioned above to be pros when it comes to properly storing seeds until they’re ready to sell.
Protect Your Hands
It’s too early in the season for blisters, splinters, and dried-out hands! If you don’t have a pair of gardening gloves, then that should be your next purchase.
If your garden has prickly berry bushes and rose bushes, you’ll need gloves that protect your arms as well as your hands, as pictured above. However, I find it easier to get to the work when wearing gloves. Gloves mean I’m ready to REALLY work.
Get to digging!
Do you prefer to plant your seeds directly in the ground? Growing in pots or raised beds? Whatever the case, a set of heavy-duty hand tools are necessary. The set pictured above has a lifetime warranty and their manufacturer, Fiskars, makes my favorite set of gardening shears.
If you’re buying tools like this in person, look for something very good quality. I’ve had frustrating experiences with tools falling apart and wooden handles drying out after a couple of seasons.
You’ll be using these tools to aerate the soil, dig up weeds, and plant seeds and seedlings — so invest in a solid set of tools any gal would envy!
Choose a bucket — nothing fancy!
Are you one of those people that sets their garden tools down and then is always searching for them? If you have 5-gallon plastic buckets sitting around, meant for food storage, you have the answer.
These buskets are ideal for carrying around your tools as well as holding weeds, seedlings, and who knows what! Since you’ll be lugging it around a lot, find something lightweight with a comfortable handle.
One inexpensive way to double the versatility of this bucket is a tool organizer that carries all your tools on the outside of the bucket, leaving the bucket empty for use. Pretty handy and not too expensive.
Give your body a break!
I keep getting older and older every year! How about you? Nothing cuts a gardening session short quite like physical pain. Bending over to pull weeds, spending a lot of time on your knees weeding/planting — it all takes its toll.
Here are a few products that make this a lot easier and will help you spend the amount of time you need out with your precious garden!
- Kneeling pad — Yes! My poor, bony knees really take a beating and just add to my discomfort when I’m bending over my garden beds to plant or weed.
- Knee pads are another good option and have the advantage of being one less thing to carry in your hands or bucket.
- For not much more money than a good set of knee pads is a really handy invention that combines kneeling comfort with a seat. These run about $25-$35 or so, and if you get one that is heavy-duty and high quality, it will last for years. The one pictured above also has pockets for the tools you use most.
Is there anything I’ve left off this list of must-have high-quality garden gear and tools for women? What do you rely on to help you get the best gardening results possible? And, get this free, printable Gardening Self-Assessment for even more tips and insights to make your next garden your best garden!
Check Out These Related Gardening Articles from The Survival Mom
- 27 Tips from a Master Gardener
- 7 Things to Do Now to Get Ready for a Fabulous Summer Garden
- The Shoestring Budget Garden
- Herb Gardening for Preppers: How to Get Started
- 25 Different Ways to Start Seeds
What do you think is the best gardening gear for women?
Updated 5/28/22.
Digging tools, gloves… everything all important.
shovel
I really like that kneeling pad….but my lower back would love the garden beds that are raised up a couple of feet off the ground. Best garden tool? Good seeds.
I would have to say a good pruner/cutting tool. Most things can be done without a “tool”, but my hands certainly aren’t strong enough to break things off whether it’s thick vines, sticks, metal support cages, etc.
Some sort of twine!
5 gallon bucket
A good pair of gardening gloves are really important to me.
I have a garden tool that I use for weeding that I just love. I haven’t found one exactly like it and am not sure what it is called but I couldn’t garden without it. It is similar to a Cobra garden tool.
Gloves, got to keep my fingernails clean 🙂
My most useful garden tool is plant markers. They help me remember what went where.
You can contact your local extension agent also. They can do more in depth soil tests for a small fee.
I think a ph test kit is super handy to measure your soil ph before plan your garden. however, I do my soil test at home even without these fancy meters.
Most of the time I use baking soda and vinegar to measure alkalinity.
Wear kneepads so you get down when ever need to. Don’t bend your back to much and protect your knees. Secateurs always keep with you when in the garden. Keep them sharp and clean then. sun hat and sun cream.