With holiday gift shopping season upon us, I am sharing my top gardening gear picks for the gardeners in your life — the tools, accessories and books that you may also want to pick up for yourself.
Joe Lamp’l
340-My Favorite Gardening Gear and Gadgets Update
In a nutshell, these are the items that I consider to be the must-have gardening gear — just to make your gardening life easier and more enjoyable. I’ve narrowed down the list to 12 to call extra attention to, but if you are looking for even more ideas, you can download my comprehensive gift guide, The Best of the Must-Haves™, updated for 2023-2024, with 30 recommendations.
Let’s face it: There are some garden chores that we don’t particularly love, but when you have the right tool, it really can make it more tolerable or even enjoyable. In addition to gardening gear, I’m also going to share with you a few book recommendations for the upcoming winter reading season when we’re spending more time inside.
Unifork
The Unifork has been the longest-running item on my annual list of must-haves. It is one of my all-time favorite items.
What is a Unifork? Think of it as part garden fork, part shovel, with a long shaft and a D-shaped handle. It’s made from super-durable plastic. You can’t break it or wear it out. In fact, I have been using the same Unifork since 2007. I leave it outside all year, 24/7, often by the compost bin or leaf mulch pile, and other than some sun-fading, it is in the same condition as when I got it.
A Unifork is one of those tools that just makes any job less taxing or more fun. I look forward to using it. Whenever I have an opportunity, it makes me smile. I like it so much, I bought a second one so I can have one nearby wherever I am working. It’s unique, and I’ve gotten lots of messages and emails over the years from people thanking me for making that recommendation because they wouldn’t have known about it otherwise.
I’ve been using the same Unifork since 2007. Other than a bit of fading, it works as well now as the day I got it. This fork is great for turning and scooping compost and many other uses around the garden. (Photo credit: Nancy Suttles)
Soil Knife & Sheath
A stainless steel soil knife is like a hori-hori knife with a few tweaks. The one I prefer to use has a plastic handle rather than wood. It’s orange, so it’s hard to lose, and the handle is ergonomic. Whatever style you choose, you want something that is high-quality stainless steel, so it will never rust, and is comfortable in your hand.
My issue with the true hori-hori knife is that the wooden, squared-off handle is not that comfortable. Plus, it’s a brown handle. You put that down in the garden, good luck finding it again.
If you’ve watched my videos on YouTube, you’ve probably seen me with the same soil knife I am recommending here. I keep it in a sheath worn on my hip. It’s a safe place to keep it and ensures that the soil knife is always at my side when I need it.
You can purchase the same 6-inch soil knife with the sheath included. However, I can’t imagine being without my pruners in the garden, so I recommend getting a dual soil knife and pruner sheath. Having your soil knife and your pruners on your belt in one sheath will bring joy to your gardening life. When people see me wearing my dual sheath on television or YouTube, they reach out to ask: Where did you get that?
These products are really well made and will last a lifetime.
Folding Pruning Saw
Pruners will only cut up to a certain diameter — maybe a quarter of an inch or an inch. For anything bigger, you need something more robust, and that’s where a folding pruning saw comes in.
You won’t need a pruner nearly as often as you use pruners, but when you do need to cut a branch, you need the right tool for the job. I like a folding pruning saw because it’s compact when not in use. The saw part folds into the handle, making the tool small enough that it can be worn on my hip in its own sheath next to my soil knife and pruners. I can go out for the day and get a lot of work done with the tools right there at the ready.
I use a Corona Tools 10-Inch RazorTOOTH folding saw. It’s a nice size, super convenient and not expensive. It works on the push and the pull, and when you’re done, you just fold it into the handle and stick it in the sheath.
As an alternative to a pruning saw, you can use loppers, which are like long-handled pruners. Depending on the model, loppers can cut up to 2 inches in diameter or even 3 inches. For anything bigger than your loppers are designed for, you’ll need a saw.
