Garden Tool Sets – A Great Present for the Gardener in Your Life

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 7:49 am

: Image by programwitch via Flickr

Garden tool sets can be a great gift, or just an easy way to get started gardening on your own. There are a lot of options in considering a tool set, but here are some of the more typical tools that you will want to have in your tool collection.

Gardening tool sets are a popular gift for the gardener in your life. These tool sets are a good way to get a starter set of tools for your own garden. Garden tool sets come in a number of different packages that will cover a range of needs for the gardener. Here are some things to look for when buying garden tools.

The number of tools can vary a bit. Some simple starter sets have the bare minimum of three tools, while the high end offering is often a set of more than twelve to fifteen different tools. You’ll find the price will vary some with the number of tools, but if you start with a price target it will help you narrow the selection quickly.

Look at the handles of the tools. This will give you a good idea of the overall quality of the set. Tools with plastic handles will often be cheaper, and unfortunately the construction of the rest of the tool will sometimes cut corners as well, for example using stamped tines instead of cast. Wooden handle tools are a favorite because they wear well and feel good in your hands. There are also some with high tech ergonomic handles, which may be a good choice if you think you will be using these a lot, or if you have arthritis or some other discomfort in your hands.

The tools that come with a garden set vary, but there are a few included in almost all sets. A favorite is the garden trowel. These resemble a small spade or shovel, and is used for many chores like transplanting a small vegetable set, adding fertilizer to the area, or harvesting onions and garlic. Check that this in not made from thin stamped steel, as it will easily bend and break if used under a decent amount of pressure.

A bulb planter looks like a narrow trowel, and is used in much the same way as a trowel, but is used to plant items that are smaller but still need a deep hole like flower bulbs.

A garden fork, sometimes known as a cultivator, has hooked tines on it and is used to work the surface of the soil. Good for cultivating or weeding a smaller area, they are good for preparing a smaller bed area for smaller seeds like carrots and radishes.

Pruners are popular in garden tool sets. Usually a set will have a bypass pruner, since these are smaller and more useful for things like trimming flowers and some vegetables such as cucumbers.

A garden tool set will come with a variety of holders. Some are simple plastic holders, others included a leather holster, and some included a carrying case. Cases sometimes have plastic molded inserts for the tools, or the very high end cases will be made of wood themselves.

Finally, a garden cart can be a good gift. These are a good choice for grandma or grandpa, who may have trouble with all the bending and lugging associated with gardening. One favorite feature on some carts is a seat formed in the top to allow the gardener to sit and work.