All the tools you need for maintaining your vegetable garden

I know you can’t wait to enjoy those juicy tomatoes, lovely carrots, and herbs with a southern flair in your UK garden!

Before harvesting, I need to prepare and maintain my crops first. And the secret to a successful vegetable garden lies in having the right tools.

In this guide, I asked the most frequently booked gardeners on Yoojo to share their pro tips on how to cultivate a vegetable garden.

Thanks to them, I’ve listed all the tools that will help you grow your veggies: from manual tools to electric equipment, I’m giving you all the useful info, including the purchase price.

So, follow my lead... I promise: I won’t feed you any tall tales!

Summary table of all useful tools for your vegetable garden (with UK prices)

Fellow gardeners, let me help you save time with this complete list of vegetable garden tools. I’ve added essential info so you can see everything at a glance:

The essential manual tools for a healthy vegetable garden

From planting seeds to harvesting, and even pruning: there’s always something to do in the garden.

I suggest you spoil your veggie patch with the right manual tools to make sure you harvest the most flavourful vegetables:

Spade

Functionality: Turn and aerate the soil.

Advantage/Disadvantage: It prepares the soil by loosening it. But it’s heavy and tiring to use over large areas.

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Pitchfork

Functionality: Work the soil and move organic matter.

Advantage/Disadvantage: More effective for clay soils and moving compost. Harder to use on very rocky ground.

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Hoe

Functionality: Weed and work the soil surface.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Ideal for shallow soil work. Less effective for deeply rooted weeds.

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Rake

Functionality: Level the soil and remove debris.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Prepares the soil by smoothing it before planting. Less useful on very heavy or crumbly soil.

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Hand cultivator

Functionality: Aerate soil and break up tough areas.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Perfect for deeper work without flipping soil layers. Very tiring for large surfaces.

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Hand hoe

Functionality: Weed and work soil in tight spaces.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Precise for small areas and borders. Less suited for large gardens or very hard soil.

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Soil tiller (manual)

Functionality: Loosen and prepare soil.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Allows deep work before planting. But requires considerable physical effort.

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Secateurs

Functionality: Prune and harvest plants.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Precise and efficient for pruning. But thicker branches or stems might be challenging.

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Shovel

Functionality: Plant and move soil or compost.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Versatile for digging, moving, and planting. Quickly becomes tiring on large areas.

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Watering can

Functionality: Water plants.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Easy control over how much water each plant gets. Not practical for large areas since it needs multiple refills.

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Gardening gloves

Functionality: Protect hands during tasks.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Essential for safety. But need regular cleaning and checks for wear.

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Plant support stake

Functionality: Support climbing plants or tomatoes.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Encourages vertical growth and saves space. Needs regular adjustment as stems grow.

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All the electric tools to make maintaining your vegetable garden easier

Do you have a large garden?

Then it’s time to move on to more suitable tools. Let me show you the electric tools that will save you time maintaining your veggie patch:

Rotavator

Functionality: Loosen and prepare the soil in depth.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Quick and effective on large areas. Needs enough storage space and can be tricky in tight spots.

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Brush cutter

Functionality: Remove weeds, brush, and tall grass.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Efficient for quickly clearing overgrown areas. But can be noisy and heavy.

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Automatic sprinkler

Functionality: Water the vegetable garden regularly and evenly.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Reduces the need for manual watering. More expensive to purchase.

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Seed drill

Functionality: Sow seeds uniformly and quickly.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Ensures even seed distribution for uniform germination. A bit complex for small areas or very tiny seeds.

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Straw shredder

Functionality: Chop crop residues for compost or mulch.

Advantage/Disadvantage: Allows recycling of plant residues. Can be bulky, costly, and needs regular maintenance.

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Soil thermometer

Functionality: Measure soil temperature to optimise growing conditions.

Advantage/Disadvantage: A very precise gardening tool. But needs regular calibration.

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Want to buy all these tools? Let’s do the maths

You know it: growing your own veggies is more economical than buying them.

Yes, but you must also consider the cost of the essential tools to maintain your crops.

Let me break it down by revisiting the tools table. I’ll give you all the info to help you choose wisely.

How much does it cost to buy these vegetable garden tools?

Here are the figures:

Keep in mind: The care your veggie patch needs depends on the varieties you plant.

Some plants, like potatoes or squash, require little maintenance.

They’re economical in terms of equipment.

But to grow your tomatoes, strawberries, or green beans, you’ll need much more equipment, especially for soil preparation and watering.

I’m clearing the ground by giving you the budget needed to buy the truly essential gear.

Hire a gardener or maintain your veggie patch yourself?

Taking care of your veggie garden can be a real pleasure, but also a challenge.

If you love spending time in your garden and enjoy seeing your hard work pay off, then do it all yourself.

But if you don’t feel like buying all the tools, I’d recommend hiring a gardener.

Lucky for you, on Yoojo, you’ll find thousands of local gardeners throughout the UK who really know their stuff! 

Post your free ad on our site, and choose the gardener who will care for your vegetable garden.

Your veggies will be in good hands, and a gardener available on Yoojo to take care of your vegetables will only cost you £16 per hour on average!

If you do the maths, you’ll see you need to use your tools for about 24 hours to break even on your investment.

Go ahead and relax, and trust a gardener near you.