Having a yard was on my “must-have” list when I was purchasing my house. This spring and summer, I have spent almost every spare minute digging in the dirt. The following phrase has been the anthem of my yard: “Having the right tool makes the job easier.”
As someone who didn’t own a single yard tool when I bought my house, I want to share some of my favorite lawn and garden tools that have made the job easier.
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Garden Tools
Not sure where to start? Garden tools are the most accessible place to start when building your yard tool arsenal. These tools are smaller, so easier to store, and are reasonably inexpensive. Below are all the items I currently own and use regularly! (Tip: To help stay organized, pick up a Home Depot Bucket.)
Gloves: Digz Gloves
I went through so many pairs of gloves until I found this pair! This pair provides more flexibility in the fingers, doesn’t make your hands extra hot, and is great for everyday maintentace to hauling yard debris.
Pruners & Lopers: Fiskars Pruner | Fiskars Loper
I have both pruners and lopers because my yard was/is a mix of bushes and smaller trees. Pruners are great for detail trimming, but loppers make the job easier when you have thicker branches or a lot of cutting.
Does your yard have a lot of boxwoods or evergreens that need to keep a specific shape? Then I would add this pair of shears to your shopping cart as well.
Trowel & Cultivator: Fiskars Hand Tool Set
Are you planning to do a lot of weed cleaning and/or new planting? Then this tool set is the one for you. It comes with a trowel, transplanter, and cultivator. I love this transplanter because it has the measurements listed on the body of the shovel.
Grass Shears: Fiskars Shears
My yard has a ton of monkey grass, so to keep it under control these shears help me give it a “haircut” without me having to take the mower into my flower beds.
Hatchet: Fiskars Hatchet
This hatchet came in handy when I was trying to remove smaller tree stumps and unnecessary privets from my yard.
Outdoor Power Tools
Lawn Mower: Ryobi 40V Mower with Battery | Ryobi 40V Mower without Battery
One of the things I know I can’t do is start a gas mower. Those pull cords can be a beast! When looking to buy my mower, I opted for a battery powered for this very reason! All I have to do is charge the battery and push a button – easy peasy!
The other reason I opted for this particular brand and mower, is Ryobi makes a series (see below) or power tools that interchange with this batter system. So, one battery works on all my outdoor power tools.
String Trimmer: Ryobi 40v Trimmer with Battery | Ryobi 40V Trimmer withut Battery
I love this trimmer! It not only works with my mower but it also is lighweight and easy to manuver for someone who is short! I can easily swap out the battery and edge my yard and knock out the english ivy in my yeard.
If your yard is severly out of control, I suggest adding this extra strength pre-cut line to your cart. It’s easy to interchange and definitely gets the job done!
Leaf Blower: Ryobi 40V Blower with Battery | Ryobi 40V Blower without Battery
With six oak trees, leaf management is a full-time job in the fall at my house. This battery powered blower works just as well a gas powered blower and helps to cut the raking time in half!
Bonus: Know you want a blower and trimmer? Check out this combo kit! Also, I have four batteries for my whole system, so I encourage you to pick up an extra battery!
Leaf Mulcher & Vaccuum: Worx Mulcher (Currently Sold Out at Home Depot) | Ryobi 40V Leaf Vaccuum with Battery | Ryobi 40V Leaf Vaccuum without Battery
These two tools with my blower have made keep my yard leaf-free a little easier. I added a new tool with each Fall, I experienced and it definitely has helped make it not seem so overwhelming.
If you purchase the Mulcher, I highly recommend purchasing a extra pack of twine depending on your leaf situation.
Lawn Care
This next section is dedicated to Southern lawns as I do live in Georgia! But I recommend the line of products I use and encourage you to find the product that works for you. Also, if your yard is out of shape give it time. It can take up to 3 years of continuous maintence to get your yard to where you want it, but I promise the hard work will pay off!
Grass Seed: Scotts Sun & Shade Mix
When I bought my house, I had the worst yard on the street and I was determined not to be that house. So, my second spring in the house I overseeded my lawn with Scotts Sun & Shade mix. I picked this mix because my yard has intense afternoon sun and full shade, and I wanted my front and back yards to match. I also applied Scotts Starter Food for New Lawns to help the new seeds grow more quickly before summer arrived.
Weed & Feed: Scotts Weed and Feed
This general weed and feed fertiziler is a great place to start if you are not sure where to begin. Have a lot of crabbgrass like me? Then this is your product! I apply this in the Fall so that I can overseed in the spring again if I need to!
Broadcast Spreader: Scotts Spreader
I apply all of these products with this spreader!
Hoses & Sprinklers: Premium Water Hose | Oscilating Sprinkler | Impact Sprinker | Timer
After several busted hoses, this is the water hose I swear by! I own several to work with my sprinkers and absolutely love it! Also, speaking of sprinklers, slurge on metal ones – as the plastic will break and then you are back at the store. And finally, if you are going to do the work of setting up a sprinkler system, be sure you add the timer so it’s one less thing for you to remember!
