Gardening requires the proper tools to get the job done right. Whether you have a massive garden or a small, cozy one, you will need a certain set of accessories to make the hobby more enjoyable and efficient.
We’ll set you up for landscaping success with this list of the best gardening hand tools. In the article, we discuss some common hand tools while making helpful recommendations.
Radius Garden 100 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Trowel
Most Effective Gardening Hand Tools!
The Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter is made with an ultra-lightweight die-cast aluminum blade to perform in all soil conditions. It has a comfortable non-latex thermoplastic grip that makes it an ideal garden tool for elderly, and people with limited hand strength.
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If you already have a green thumb or you are new to the world of gardening, this guide offers beneficial insight and knowledge into a plethora of great garden hand tools.
Best Gardening Hand Tools of 2023
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Radius Garden 100 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Trowel | • Award-winning yard maintenance equipment with a unique • Comfortable Natural Radius Grip | |
 | Edward Tools Bend-Proof Garden Trowel | • Most heavy duty garden hand trowel tool on the market • Lifetime warranty | |
 | Fiskars Big Grip Transplanter | • Ideal for transplanting small plants and flowers • Lifetime warranty | |
 | Edward Tools Weeder | • Deep V nose design • Lifetime warranty | |
 | SunJoe Handheld Claw Rake & Cultivator | • Five 1.5-Inch Length Japanese Carbon Stainless Steel Tines • The NJP555 is made by Nisaku using Japanese Carbon Steel | |
 | Fiskars Steel Bypass Pruning Shears | • 5/8 inch cutting diameter • Lifetime warranty | |
 | Ames Stainless Steel Hand Soil Scoop | • Easy Storage • Steel Design | |
 | Corona E-Grip Transplanter | • Cast aluminum head • Ergonomic co-molded grip | |
 | CHRYZTAL Stainless Steel Heavy Duty Gardening Tool Set | • Comfortable and Easy to Store • Premium Garden Tools |
There are many different hand tools that you can use in your garden. Below are some of the most common ones.
#1. Radius Garden 100 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Trowel
Key Features
- Award-winning trowel
- Patented ergonomic radius grip handle
- Lightweight
- Aluminum blade will never rust
When working in your garden, it’s important to have durable, comfortable tools. This garden trowel has a patented ergonomic handle design to make digging and planting easier and more fun!
This lightweight hand trowel features an aluminum blade that will never rust. With over 500 five star reviews, people everywhere love this garden tool! It’s ideal for novice or expert gardeners, and everyone in between.
Customer Review: “Just received this and immediately decimated all the dandelions in my yard. The tool is serrated so it goes into the ground easily and you can twist it into the ground.”
#2. Edward Tools Bend-Proof Garden Trowel
Key Features
- One-piece stainless steel is bend-proof
- Heavy-duty design
- Rubber grip with contoured palm rest
- Lifetime warranty
This garden trowel is especially helpful for digging in rocky or thick, clay soils. The bend-proof design allows you to deal with even the toughest of ground soil. The trowel’s head is oversized to make moving dirt and digging holes easier than before.
To prevent hand fatigue, this Edward Tool’s trowel is constructed with a soft, ergonomic grip, which is contoured to comfortably rest your fingers and palm. We love that this garden hand trowel comes with a lifetime warranty, and it’s highly recommended by other gardeners.
Customer Review: “The blade is just the right width. Not too wide – that would make digging in tough soil difficult. Not too narrow, so I can really move a good amount of soil with each scoop. This is excellent for all common garden tasks – potting up plants, digging in plants, light cultivating, etc.”
#3. Fiskars Big Grip Transplanter
Key Features
- For transplanting small plants and flowers
- Measure depth easily with gradation marks on the blade
- Lifetime warranty
- Sharpened edge assists with digging
If you often find yourself transplanting flowers or small plants, you will definitely need a transplanter as part of your garden hand tools collection. We like this transplanter from Fiskars because it’s heavy-duty yet easy to use and extremely durable.
Built with an aluminum blade with sharpened edge, this transplanter will effortlessly dig into soil and dirt. You will even find gradation marks on the blade, allowing you to see how far you are digging into the earth. The Fisksars Big Grip Transplanter comes with a lifetime warranty, and it’s a must-have gardening hand tool.
Customer Review: “I’ve used this in semi-hard dry clay soil in preparation for my new small plants. It gets the job done with no hint of bending…The larger comfortable grip handle is a nice plus.”
#4. Edward Tools Weeder
Key Features
- Built with a leverage tool to dig out deep weeds
- Deep v-nose design
- Rust-proof stainless steel
- Lifetime warranty
Gardeners will love this weeder from Edward Tools. Not only does it have a sharp, deep v-nose design to dig out weeds, but it’s also built with a leverage tool to help you remove even the strongest of weeds. The curved based makes it possible to create an effective angle for digging out weeds.
The Edward Tools weeder is made with a wooden handle and rust-proof stainless steel. It comes with a no questions asked lifetime warranty.
Customer Review: “The leverage design totally assists in bringing the dastardly weed up and out of its cozy soil home. Good product!”
#5. SunJoe Handheld Claw Rake & Cultivator
Key Features
- Made with rust-free Japanese stainless steel
- Hardwood handle
- Durable and bend resistant
- Easy to clean
You will need a rake or cultivator for loosening and aerating soil when planting in your garden. We like this handheld garden tool from SunJoe because it offers the design benefits of both a rake and cultivator.
Made with Japanese stainless steel, this garden hand rake is rust-resistant. The handle is made with hardwood, and the tool is forged together and reinforced. We like that this rake is easy to clean, durable and versatile.
Customer Review: “Used this for breaking up soil around plantings, and displacing beginning weeds. Effective with a nice grip, wide enough for efficiency, easy to clean.”
#6. Fiskars Steel Bypass Pruning Shears
Key Features
- Easy-open lock for safety
- Steel stays sharp despite heavy use
- 5/8 inch cutting diameter
- Lifetime warranty
Handheld shears should be lightweight, comfortable to use and sharp. Fiskars shears are equipped with everything you need to cut stems and small branches. The sharp blade will glide through wood with the help of a low-friction coating.
Fiskars pruning shears are built with a lock for safety, so gardeners can securely carry or store them. These garden shears are highly affordable, and they even come with a lifetime warranty.
Customer Review: “These are fantastic pruners. They snip through pretty thick branches and cut cleanly and easily.”
#7. Ames Stainless Steel Hand Soil Scoop
Key Features
- Scoop head securely holds soil or dirt
- Grip constructed with gel insert for superior comfort
- Built with a hang-up hole for hook storage
- Made of stainless steel
Although trowels can lift dirt and dig holes, soil scoops are handy for handling substantial amounts of earth. This stainless steel garden scoop securely holds dirt or soil to make gardening and transplanting easier than before.
This scoop is constructed with an ergonomic handle grip made with a gel insert. It’s comfortable to use and convenient to store with a hole for hook storage. A soil scoop will hold fertilizer and dirt better than a trowel, so you will want to add on to your garden tool shed.
Customer Review: “It is stronger than any other trowels that I have used in the past at a reasonable cost. I definitely want to recommend this to anyone who needs it for gardening!”
#8. Corona E-Grip Transplanter
Key Features
- Serrated sides for cutting roots
- Cast aluminum blade
- Unique, comfortable handle
- Engraved inch measurement markers
Transplanting flowers and bushes can be a difficult task, and that’s where transplanters become helpful. This garden hand tool is sharp enough to dig into dirt and cut roots. But don’t worry about your hand slipping – this transplanter has a unique E-Grip to keep your hand from moving forward on the tool.
For those pesky transplant jobs, we highly recommend this tool. Customers have raved about the brilliant design, durability, and comfortability.
Customer Review: “Comfortable, easy to use tool. I do a lot of planting and this tool is a pleasure to use. It even has a ruler on the side so you can see how deep you are planting, if you plant bulbs. Very useful.”
#9. CHRYZTAL Stainless Steel Heavy Duty Gardening Tool Set
Working in a garden requires multiple tools at a time, right from a trowel, weeder, pruner to cultivator. So, if you are serious about your gardening activities and do not want to spend much money on individual tools, this CHRYZTAL gardening toolset is a great option.
The whole package comes with seven tools:
- Soil Scoop
- Trowel
- Cultivator
- Weeder
- Hand Rake
- Pruning Shears
These tools are long-lasting, and you will not have to worry about rust or corrosion because they are made of stainless and heavy-duty steel.
Everything comes in a well-designed tote, ensuring that you can keep all of your tools in one place and avoid losing them. Thanks to the soft TRP handle that fits nicely in hands, these tools are also simple to grasp and use.
Customer Review: “The tote and tools are far more durable than they appear in the description. The instrument handles are ergonomically designed, and the steel is thick and long-lasting.”
Types of Gardening Hand Tools and What they do
There are many different hand tools that you can use in your garden. Below are some of the most common ones.
#1. Trowel
A garden trowel is an absolute must-have in your arsenal of tools. Trowels are used for digging small holes, breaking up dirt, and basic planting and weeding. Some trowels are engraved with inch markers, and they come in a wide array of sizes.
#2. Garden Rake
Small garden rakes can double as a cultivator or tiller. This handy tool can loosen and aerate the soil so nutrients effectively penetrate down to the root. Rakes can also break up hard soil to make it soft for planting.
#3. Shears
Shears are also known as clippers or pruners in the gardening world. You will definitely want to have a pair of shears in your garden tote bag to cut branches, stems, and unruly roots.
#4. Shovel or Scoop
While trowels can be used to move dirt, a hand shovel is much more efficient for scooping soil and larger amounts of earth. Shovels can be used for scooping potting soil, dirt, and fertilizer, as well as for digging.
Your garden hand tools should have comfortable grips and handles, especially if you are using them for extended periods of time. It’s important that your shears, weeder, and other cutting tools have sharp tips.
Always invest in quality garden tools. Purchasing flimsy gardening accessories will end up costing more hassle and money in the end!
Other Helpful Gardening Tools
Along with the hand garden tools that we listed above, you may also want to look into buying some other helpful accessories.
Start by purchasing a garden tool bag for all of your yard work essentials. You will also want gardening gloves to keep your hands clean and protected from potentially harmful components in fertilizer and weed killer.
If you live in a place where gardeners plant bulb flowers, you will need a bulb planter to make the process easier and more efficient.
Then don’t forget a watering can to keep all of your plants and flowers thriving to their maximum potential!
Conclusion
Hand garden tools are necessary for anyone looking to enjoy this rewarding outdoor hobby. Remember to properly store and clean tools when needed, so they see many more gardening seasons to come!