Whether you have a natural green thumb or are a novice gardener, having the right tools on hand is essential to having a seamless and pain-free gardening experience. In fact, many tried-and-true basics, like a hand trowel, spade and shovel are designed to reduce the physical strain and effort of watering, planting, pruning, mulching and weeding, says Sasandra Roche, co-owner of The Farm, a nursery and garden center in Orleans, Massachusetts.
Below, we’re sharing a roundup of top-rated garden tools that are ergonomic, versatile, durable and available for purchase right now on Amazon.
SKIP AHEAD How we picked the best gardening tools | Best Amazon gardening tools in 2024 | What to consider when starting a garden | What are the benefits of gardening? | Why trust NBC Select?
How we picked the best gardening tools
Roche’s family has operated The Farm since 1974, and through the years she has seen traditional gadgets evolve to be more adjustable, multifunctional, lighter in weight and more durable and ergonomic — all of which aim to help both you and your garden stay healthy and strong. We asked Roche what to look for when shopping for essential gardening tools and rounded up a list of highly rated options on Amazon based on the following factors:
- Durability: Gardening tools should typically last at least 10 years with constant use, according to Roche. Ideally, they should be rust-resistant, easy to clean and made of strong materials, like steel and hardwood.
- Weight: Gardening is time consuming, so lugging around a heavy hose or shovel will ultimately cause fatigue and strain your muscles and back, says Roche. She recommends looking for tools that are lightweight without sacrificing durability.
- Comfort: Gone are the days when you have to crouch, reach and strain now that there are so many ergonomic products on the market, says Roche. She recommends looking for gloves that are thick and have a long sleeve to avoid cuts and scratches when pruning, knee pads with extra-thick padding, tools that have a long reach to avoid straining your back and hand tools with a comfortable, more ergonomic grip.
- Versatility: Any tool that’s multifunctional is ideal, says Roche. For example, she recommends purchasing a hand trowel that comes with a serrated edge so you can also cut roots.
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The best Amazon gardening tools in 2024
All of our picks are highly rated for durability, strength and comfort. Some come recommended by NBC Select editors with gardening experience, and others were chosen based on Roche’s expert guidance.
Handlandy Pruning Gloves
- Machine washable
- Breathable material
- Extra finger padding
- Nothing to note at this time
4.6-star average rating from 9,614 Amazon reviews
The most important gardening tool is your gloves, according to Roche. “Gloves make for a more pleasant experience and protect your hands from blisters, rashes, cuts and bites.” She recommends a washable glove that has a long sleeve to keep your forearm safe when cutting things like roses and evergreens. These elbow-length pruning gloves are breathable and made of 100% natural pigskin, with extra padding on the palm and fingertips to avoid punctures, according to the brand. Plus, they are also machine washable.
Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears
- Won't easily rust
- Non-stick coating
- Comfortable handles
- Nothing to note at this time
4.7-star average rating from 45,155 Amazon reviews
A bypass pruner has two blades that glide past each other to cleanly cut soft branches and leaves. Roche recommends looking for rust-resistant shears that have a coated, comfortable grip. The Fiskars Bypass Pruning Shears are made of steel, so they won’t rust easily, and can cut through stems and small branches up to 5/8 inch thick, according to the brand. The blades are also coated so sap won’t stick to them, according to Fiskars.
SE Dual-Serrated Hand Trowel
- Multipurpose use
- Nonslip handle
- Sheath included
- May need sharpening over time
4.7-star average rating from 7,245 Amazon reviews
Garden tools with a multipurpose design are always a plus, says Roche. This hand trowel not only turns over soil, but also has a dual-sided serrated edge to cut through hard patches, rocky clay and tough roots. It has a 12-inch blade made of carbon steel, so it won’t break or bend while digging, according to the brand. Additionally, its nonslip rubber handle is oversized for comfort, and it comes with a carrying sheath that you can clip onto your belt, as detailed on the brand’s website.
Radius Garden Root Slayer Shovel
- Scratch-resistant
- Lifetime warranty
- May be heavy
4.8-star average rating from 7,342 Amazon reviews
Like the hand trowel above, this digging shovel is also a multipurpose tool. Its inverted V-shaped blade makes it easy to dig through hard-packed rocky soil, while the serrated edges tear through tough roots. Its ergonomic circular handle is designed to reduce stress on your hands and wrist too, according to the brand. Additionally, the carbon-steel, shock-, scratch- and impact-resistant blade is powder coated to protect it from corrosion, according to Radius Garden. Plus, it also comes with a lifetime warranty in the continental U.S.
Fiskars Garden Spade
- Extra-large handle
- Foothold for easy use
- Lightweight
- Nothing to note at this time
4.7-star average rating from 4,235 Amazon reviews
Spades have a flat edge and are ideal for creating border edges or transporting soil, says Roche, who recommends one with a long shaft so you can dig deep without straining your back. At less than 5 pounds, the Fiskars Garden Spade is quite lightweight. It has a weather- and corrosion-resistant steel blade and shaft that can accommodate even tall gardeners. An extra-large handle offers two-handed control when digging, and it has a foot platform so you can step on it to help force the blade into hard-packed soil, according to the brand
Grampa’s Weeder
4.5-star average rating from over 54,810 Amazon reviews
This bamboo weeder has a 45-inch shaft so gardeners can pull weeds without bending, kneeling and pulling with their hands. It works by thrusting the metal claw into the center of a weed and pulling. You can use it on most softer soil types, especially after a rainfall, according to the brand.
Garden Guru Hand Rake
- Ergonomic handle
- Easy to store
- Multi-functional
- Nothing to note at this time
4.6-star average rating from 733 Amazon reviews
A hand rake is ideal for tight spaces and for removing debris and leaves from delicate plants, says Roche. You can also use it to cultivate, turn and loosen soil when preparing to plant flowers and vegetables. This Garden Guru rake weighs less than a pound and has stainless-steel prongs that gently remove sticks, leaves and other debris from around plants without damaging them. Its ergonomic handle is designed to alleviate pressure on the palm and fingers and reduce hand and wrist fatigue, according to the brand. It also has a hole on the handle so you can hang it up when not in use.
Flexzilla Garden Hose
- Kink-free
- Very long
- Resistant to crushing
- May be heavy
4.4-star average rating from 85,327 Amazon reviews
“Nothing is more frustrating than carrying around a heavy hose that always kinks when you’re trying to water,” says Roche, adding that the ideal weight for any standard hose is under 15 pounds. This 100-foot hose — the longest in the Flexzilla lineup — is 14.4 pounds and featured in our guide to the best garden hoses. It won’t kink under pressure, coils easily and lays flat, according to the brand. Its outer cover is abrasion-resistant while its aluminum fittings are crush-resistant, according to Flexzilla.
Orbit Single-Dial Hose Watering Timer
- Easy to use
- Water conservation feature
- Batteries not included
4.4-star average rating from 6,210 Amazon reviews
If you don’t have a sprinkler system, or just want to place your watering needs on autopilot, a timer can be your best friend. This single-dial, battery-powered timer has an easy-to-read oversized display and attaches directly on to your hose. Screw one end of your hose to your faucet and the other end to a sprinkler and set your desired runtime. It can run up to four hours at a time and you can program it to go off starting every six hours to once every seven days. It also has a manual turnoff button so you can use your hose without removing the timer.
Green Mount Watering Wand
- Clip for continuous spraying
- Lightweight material
- Nothing to note at this time
4.5-star average rating from 4,490 Amazon reviews
Like a garden nozzle, a watering wand also has adjustable pressure settings which you can use to water your lawn, shrubs and flowers. This wand, available in both 16 inches and 24 inches, is made of lightweight aluminum, and can reach high overhead hanging baskets and window boxes. It has generous holes and curves to mimic a shower head and has a clip that keeps the nozzle open so you can spray continuously without tiring your hand.
Home & Garden Trends Garden Kneeler and Seat
- Handy pouches included
- Lightweight
- May be bulky to carry
4.6-star average rating from 5,165 Amazon reviews
Kneeling pads are great for taking pressure off the body when gardening, says Roche. You can kneel on this multifunctional model directly or use it as a garden seat. It comes with a tool pouch that attaches to the chair so you can have your must-have items right by your side when you need them. The cushion is made of foam, and because the kneeler seat weighs just 5.7 pounds, it’s not too difficult to carry around the yard.
Fiskars Garden Harvest Basket
- Durable
- Large but easy to carry
- Compartmentalized
- Nothing to note at this time
4.9-star average rating from 1,427 Amazon reviews
If you have a vegetable garden, this basket makes it easy to not only collect your harvest, but to clean it too. One side is a colander for washing your produce (it has drain holes so the water can fall through); the other is for your clean tools or just-cleaned produce to sit or soak.
Hydrofarm Natural Bamboo Stakes — Pack of 25
- Eco-friendly
- Lightweight
- Store during winter
NBC Select SEO editor Nikki Brown uses these stakes to prop up her tomato vines, and has been able to reuse about half of them over multiple growing seasons. They give her “more freedom than the circular plastic stakes you see in a lot of home improvement stores,” and because they break easily, she uses them to support shorter plants as well. The stakes are made from natural bamboo and range in diameter from 13 to 17 mm, according to the brand.
Mr. Pen Plastic Growing Trays
- Multifunctional
- Can hold multiple seedlings
- Plastic is thin and fragile
4.6-star average rating from 1,090 Amazon reviews
When she needs to carry seedling pots from her apartment to her backyard, Brown uses these growing trays from Mr. Pen. She says they make staying organized easier — “I throw seed packets in them too when I’m in a rush and want to at least get everything into one contained pile,” she says. These trays come in a pack of five and can be used for germinating seeds or growing sprouts, according to the brand.
Land Guard Galvanized Raised Garden Bed Kit
- Easy assembly
- Lightweight
- Thin edges
- Nothing to note at this time
4.5-star average rating from 8,881 Amazon reviews
Brown has two of these heavy-duty raised garden beds in her yard, and says they’re lightweight and easy to assemble. They’re made from an anti-corrosion metal, which Brown says has held up “beautifully” through two growing seasons. She also likes that the thin ridges are ideal for attaching pest-proof netting around her crops.
Incikiti Biodegradeable Plant Seedling Starter Kit
- Larger than standard pots
- Biodegradable
- Sensitive to overwatering
4.4-star average rating from 659 Amazon reviews
As Brown’s gardening skills have grown over the years, so has the type of starter pots she uses. This kit comes with 40 pots and 10 plant labels to help you cultivate your seeds indoors before moving them to your garden. Since these pots are on the bigger side, she likes that she can wait longer to transplant her seedlings without feeling too rushed. She also likes that they’re biodegradable, so she doesn’t have to “disturb any roots” when moving them outside.
Coohorn Grip Safety Work Gloves
- Affordable
- Great for gripping
- Snug fit
- Air dry to extend use
4.5-star average rating from 181 Amazon reviews
Brown hasn’t stopped using these gardening gloves since receiving them as a gift from her landlord a few years ago. “They’re snug and not too thick so I can still feel the soil and plants I’m working with,” she says. She likes that the anti-slip dots make gripping things easier. These gloves are also machine washable but she recommends air-drying them to keep the grippy dots intact longer.
Potey Galvanized Raised Garden Bed
- Sturdy
- Gloves and labels included
- Versatile growing
- Nothing to note at this time
4.6-star average rating from 817 Amazon reviews
When NBC Select associate updates editor Zoe Malin went through an outdoor gardening phase, she used this metal bed to garden in her parents’ backyard. She likes that the bed was “super sturdy and withstood bad weather well,” so it was able to be kept over multiple growing seasons.
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What to consider when starting a garden
When planning a garden for the first time, Roche says the following five considerations are key:
- Choose the proper location. Determining the location of your garden is a crucial first step, according to Roche. You’ll want to consider how much sunlight your plants need and make sure your location is near a water source.
- Consider sunlight. Plants that require “full sun” need at least six hours of direct sunlight a day; plants that require partial sun, also referred to as partial shade, require three to six hours of sun a day, and those that thrive in full shade require less than three hours of direct sunlight a day. Vegetable gardens tend to need bright sunny spots, while ferns and certain varieties of hosta, also called a plantain lily, thrive in shade.
- Be realistic about your time commitment. Sometimes people take on too big of a project and don’t have success, according to Roche. “Starting out with a pot or a window box is a great first step, especially if you’re not home to water and maintain a garden.” she says. “A garden needs an hour of your time each day, nothing less; hanging baskets need just 15 minutes.”
- Don’t overwater. The best practice is to water directly on the root zone, according to Roche. “If you have a sunny spot, make sure you water really well, let it dry out and then water again,” she says.
- Focus on one area at a time. Roche recommends starting with the area at the edge of your driveway or, if you work from home, the area just outside the window where you look out.
- Tap available resources. The National Gardening Association website offers tips on how to get started and how to improve your skills, and also helps gardeners connect and share ideas with each other. They also have a database of over 700,000 plants, detailing sun requirements, water needs and more.
What are the biggest benefits of gardening?
Gardening is like therapy and can be a great stress reducer, says Roche. “Gardening affects so many senses — feel, touch, smell,” she says. It also increases physical activity and fuels social connections: “During Covid especially, parents are teaching their kids to garden, and that will be passed on.”
Meet our experts
At NBC Select, we work with experts who have specialized knowledge and authority based on relevant training and/or experience. We also take steps to ensure all expert advice and recommendations are made independently and without undisclosed financial conflicts of interest.
- Sasandra Roche is co-owner of The Farm, a family-operated nursery and garden center in Orleans, Massachusetts, that’s been operating since 1974.
Why trust NBC Select?
Barbara Booth has written a number of guides on bestselling and highly rated products you can buy on Amazon that simplify your life, including the best organizational products for your home, best car accessories and the best travel accessories. Ashley Morris is an associate SEO reporter at NBC Select, who has written about weeding tools, pet-safe plants and more.
For this piece, Booth interviewed a gardening expert and researched dozens of top-rated essential tools on Amazon that align with expert guidance. Morris also researched top-rated tools and contributed editor recommendations to this list.
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