Your best and worst garden tools?

[biscuitbadger]

What are the gardening tools you could never be without?

And what is the most useless thing you've ever bought for your garden?

I'm having a bit of a tool shed sort out :)

I Kondoed and got rid of everything (dozens of spades, hoes, rakes, scoops) apart from a narrow bulb planter hand tool (which doubles as a trowel and a scoop) and the most useful tool for absolutely everything- A Sarah Raven heart shaped hand tool. Both sides are sharp to cut through pot bound plants and it's useful if your ground is stony as the point of the heart is very sharp.

I moved from a 70foot garden plus an allotment to a potted terrace. But even when I had my allotment I still used the two hand tools above more than any long ones - I always preferred weeding and planting on my hands and knees rather than bending over a longer tool.

Useless tools are the shoe type lawn aerators. They don't stay on and get stuck. Need a roller one.
I use regularly garden spade and fork. Trowel and hand fork. Pruning shears and secateurs. A little hand saw for pruning thick branches. Lawn rake. Dustpan and brush. Scoop for compost etc. Then electric lawnmower and hedge trimmer essential.
Depends on your garden though. I have a lot of hedges.

Best are a long handled fork - comes up to shoulder height and gives great leverage, a long daisy grubber thing for getting out tap roots, ratchet secateurs and any hand fork. I'd say I use hand forks more than all my other tools put together. Also my cordless strimmer .

Worst is a long handled cultivation tool, not sure what it's called, it has a flat plate with several angled prongs supposedly you twist it in the soil to break it up, no use at all. Long handled edging shears, found them very hard to work with, they quickly gave me backache.

There are some tools it's worth having even if you only use them occasionally, eg leaf rake, just because they are perfect for one particular job.

Best are sharp secateurs, long handle loppers and a little trowel that was part of an indoor gardening set (! a gift). It's great for potting on and getting out little weeds with long roots.
Worst, anything advertised as ' what every gardener needs!'

JT05, would those Japanese hori hori knives come under 'advertised as 'what every gardener needs''? I keep seeing them and feeling tempted! LaurieFairyCake is the hand tool you describe similar to one of those?

Mines is this one

A couple of tools I couldn't be without are these Jakoti hand shears - which are invaluable for cutting back herbaceous plants and dead heading - I have small hands but these are a pleasure to use.
The other recommendation is for the Weed slice hoe which is also excellent to use, especially of you have rows of veg to hoe (I don't), but is perfect for flower beds and borders as it is so precise, and gets in between plants very easily.

My favourite tool is a daisy grubber. It's brilliant for getting out hindered roots and white root, weeding in small spaces and on tap roots. I've never used it on daisies though.......

The crappest tool is a plastic lawn rake. I much prefer a metal spring one.

My favourite is DHs small trowel! Excellent for weeding between plants

Secateurs, small spade and kneeling pad are a must here

Worst - retractable lawn rake - the bugger doesn't stay in place and is most annoying

Nan, I can't open the link to the weed slice hoe. Does anyone use a hoe? I thought I needed one, but maybe not!

Does this link work lazysummer?

Yes- thanks. It does look good.

Lawnmower, secateurs and trowel are essential.
Useful - spade, fork, loppers, rake, hedge shears.
I could do with a blade sharpening tool.

Also useful but I'm not sure if they are tools@ Watering can, stool/stepladder for tall tasks, disposable gloves, thornproof gloves.

The snips look great.

Useless - anything you see on a gardener's gift guide or you see in the gift shop at the sort of garden centre that people go to for coffee and cake.

I have quite a few tools from Wilko, some from the cheapest yellow functional range. I've yet to have a dud!

Agree with secateurs, loppers, shears and hand trowel, decent kneeling pad and gloves (medium and heavy duty). I use my border fork quite a bit and the lawn rake.

Cheap secateurs don't seem to last for me. I've got things from Wilko and they're fine. Look out for end of season bargains. I used to get things from Woolworths. Still got 'em.

Wilko own brand seeds are generally fine and the prices are great. The only ones I've struggled with are the seed mats. It might be me.

Knee pads. A good quality strap-on type.
V heavy duty gloves for thorns. Not used often, but there is no substitute.

Felco secateurs
Daisy grubber
Deep wheelbarrow
Stainless steel border fork

Years of travelling from job to job helps fine tune the essential kit to only the best bits.

I'd forgotten about my hoe, I don't use one at home but it's essential at the allotment. Also a memory foam kneeler has been a great buy.