Gardening can be a rewarding and enjoyable hobby, but it requires a lot of hard work and effort. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced gardener, having the right garden tools can make a big difference in the success of your garden.
Where to find garden tools
Most of the tools listed here are available at gardening supply retailers, hardware stores and even some supermarkets in Zambia; including Builders Warehouse, China Mall, Phoenix Hardware and Farmers Barn.
It is fairly intuitive how you will use these tools and our advice is to take you time determining what you need in your toolkit. With the range of suppliers most of these implements are actually quite affordable. If you can, choose to invest in good craftsmanship, durable brands that will last a longer, metal over plastic, local over imported.
Absolute essentials
When you look at rural farmers when they begin to prepare their land after the first rains you will notice that they have a small range of tools.
Garden hoe: a large l handheld tool used for planting, digging, and weeding.
Pick Axe: At the end of the dry season the soil is usually quite dry and may be too hard to break with any other hand tool.
Maintaining a yard
In the urban yards the demands are a bit higher as we now are dealing with a variety of plants and aesthetics also become important. It would be a challenge to maintain a garden and lawn without this tools set. There are several basic gardening tools that every gardener should have in their arsenal. Tools that are useful in this context would include.
Garden Fork: A garden fork is used for loosening soil, turning compost, and digging up weeds. It is also used for aeration of the lawn.
Garden Spade: A garden spade is a larger version of a hand trowel and is used for digging and planting in larger areas.
Pruning Shears: Pruning shears, also known as secateurs, are used for cutting back shrubs, trees, and other plants. Plants regularly need to be trimmed back from buildings and boundaries. Shears can also be used to shape bushes or even edge lawns.
Garden Hose: A garden hose is essential for watering plants, washing off equipment, and cleaning up the garden. Many people in Lusaka still water using a bucket, however this is an inefficient and time consuming way to water your garden.
Rake: A rake is used for levelling soil, removing debris, and spreading mulch.
Wheelbarrow: A wheelbarrow is used for moving soil, plants, and other heavy materials around the garden. In a garden there can be significant amount of leaf litter and other organic matter that needs to be moved regularly to the compost and wheelbarrow is the most efficient tool to use for this.
Optional accessories:
Hand Trowel: A hand trowel is a small handheld tool used for planting, digging, and weeding. It's useful when planting into containers or planting seedling/small plants individually into the yard.
Soil Knife: A soil knife, also known as a hori hori, is a versatile tool used for digging, cutting, and weeding.
Pruning Saw: A pruning saw is used for cutting larger branches and limbs that pruning shears can't handle.
Kneeling pad: this is more of for your comfort and as the name suggests it protects your knees while working for long periods in the garden.
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