Mine Were Stolen. Here’s What I’m Starting to Replace Them With
Someone stole all of my gardening tools and I need to replace them. I’m researching what I’m going to get now. And I want to tell you about what I find and what I recommend for the best 7 garden tools for 2020.
We have a little gardening shed in the back of the property.
It’s nothing special. It’s behind the shop, alongside the garden area on the back of the property.
I keep my gardening tools in there.
The shovels and rakes hang along the wall.
All the hand gardening tools stay in three white buckets to the right of the door.
We keep the gloves piled in one of the wheelbarrows, so they’re dry and ready to go.
The lawnmowers and the edger all go in there after their work is done.
The shed smells like dirt, grass, garden, plants. And I love it!
Someone Broke In!
Last week, I noticed the lock was broken and the door was ajar. Someone had actually broken into the shed!
The burglars had rummaged around in the shed. They had moved totes off of shelves and removed the lids, looking for whatever would be good to take. I’m not sure if they actually took anything from the totes but it was a mess.
Taking inventory, the first thing I saw was the gloves all dumped on the floor, jumbled in a pile.
Then I saw that the chainsaw was missing from its place on the shelf built especially for it.
My husband loved his chainsaw and has had it for several years. They have had quite a few adventures together, and he’ll really miss it.
The burglars left the chain tool and three spare chains on the shelf. Maybe they didn’t see them sitting there right by the chainsaw.
I spotted the corner where the white buckets and tools were stored was empty. All three of my white buckets were gone! I looked at all of the corners of the shed to see if I had moved them but no. They were gone, along with the tools too.
We just discovered that there are a couple of hammers missing too. I wonder what else we will find, or not find, in the coming days.
What To Do Now? Start Over!
Since I have a large working garden, I’m going to have to rebuild my gardening tool collection.
While I do that, I’ll review the tools that I’m getting and why. You can see what the tools are used for and perhaps decide on some tools that you want too.
I’ll include the links for the best 7 garden tools for 2020 on Amazon so if you decide you want something you can easily find it and get it ordered.
The Absolute Tool Necessities
Here are the first few things I started with. These are just the basics that I need for everyday gardening chores.
I’m sure I’ll find more that I need or am missing as time passes, but here we go!
Galvanized Steel Utility Bucket
I love galvanized buckets! They are so useful around the property and come in several shapes and sizes.
I’ll use this one for storing my hand tools and for transporting them around the gardens with me.
You can also use a metal bucket to collect the weeds and rocks into that you collect. You can discard them later and put your tools back into it.
Or better yet, get two or three of these buckets! They’ll last longer than plastic buckets will and can carry more rocks too.
This Behrens Galvanized Steel Utility bucket is a 10-quart size. There are other sizes available.
- It’s the perfect size for me to carry but not too big or heavy when filled.
- It’s durable, made to last, and is made with hot-dipped galvanized steel.
- This process gives the bucket a zinc coating which provides a watertight seal and textured finish.
- The zinc on steel provides protection from rust and corrosion.
- It has an offset bottom to keep the pail off the ground and prevents sticking when stacked or nested together.
- The top rim is wire-reinforced and the handle is made from solid steel.
- This bucket is made in the USA with 100% sustainable products.
- It’s available in 2-quart, 5-quart, 8-quart, and 10-quart sizes.
Hand Trowel
I use a trowel for just about everything and always have one with me!
Use it for planting, transplanting, weeding, moving plants, and smoothing the soil when I’m done. I’ve even been known to use my trusty trowel to pick up a slug or snail.
I really like this Ames trowel. It is 13 ½” long, the perfect size for use in almost any space.
- The trowel head is stainless steel and will last forever.
- The ergonomic handle grip is made with gel not wood.
- The handle has a gel insert that cushions my hand and provides good comfort when I’m digging.
- The handle has a hole at the end for hanging when in storage.
Hand Cultivator
The hand cultivar is the companion to the trowel.
Use it to loosen packed soil, dislodge small weeds, smooth the soil after working it, and cover roots if needed.
This Ames hand cultivator is 11 ½” long.
- The ergonomic handle grip is made with gel, not wood.
- I like the feel of the gel handle compared with a wood handle which can get hard after holding it for a while.
- The handle has a gel insert that cushions my hand and provides good comfort when I’m using it.
- You can hang the cultivator up by the hole at the end of the handle for storage.
Multipurpose Gardening Tool
This Fiskars gardening knife tool is truly multi-purpose and definitely belongs in your garden bag!
You can use it for almost everything, from opening bags to digging to transplanting to sawing small sticks to weeding.
- It has a sharp knife edge along one side.
- There is a serrated edge along the other side that makes it easy to carve into hard ground.
- Plus, it has a forked tip that you can use to remove weeds!
- The padded, oversized handle has a good grip to it.
- The chrome-plated steel head will resist rust. It’s very strong so it won’t break or bend while you’re digging.
- The handle has a hang hole in it for easy storage.
- And it has a lifetime warranty!
Micro-tip Pruning Snips
These are definitely one of the recommended best 7 garden tools for 2020! I use the micro-tip pruning snips a lot in the garden and on my houseplants. They are so precise!
The blades are very small and can get into small places. They cut all the way to the tip for clean, healthy cuts even if you’re in tight spaces.
These Fiskars Micro-tip soft-touch pruners are my favorite. I have two pairs of them. One for the shed, one for the house.
- The blades are non-stick, stainless steel, and not coated. They are fully hardened and will remain sharp even through heavy use.
- There is a spring between the handles that will gently open the blades after each cut. They say it cuts fatigue when cutting is repetitive.
- These ships have been awarded the Arthritis Foundation’s Ease of Use Commendation for their design that is ideal for those with arthritis of limited hand strength.
- They have a rubber guard to protect the sharp tips.
- Plus, they have a full lifetime warranty.
By-Pass Pruning Shears
Use by-pass pruning shears for cutting live, green growth stems and light branches.
The two blades pass closely to each other while cutting, similar to scissors. That’s why they are called bypass!
Bypass pruners will cause almost no damage to the stems they are cutting if they are used correctly.
Don’t use these pruners for dry, dead branches. They can jam between the blades and bend them.
These old-fashioned Fiskars forged pruners with a bypass blade style are the ones I got.
- They have an angled cutting head that works to reduce wrist fatigue while allowing me to easily prune at awkward angles.
- The blades are made with drop-forged steel for strength and continued sharpness.
- This pair has a 5/8” cutting capacity.
- Plus, they have a full lifetime warranty.
Pruners
Another recommended garden tool for you. I got a larger pair of bypass pruners from Gonicc too. These Gonicc bypass pruners are 8″ long and have a ¾”-cut capacity.
They use a gearing technology which increases the leverage used to make each cut easier to do. There is an interesting rolling handle that that moves with my hand and should reduce fatigue while increasing the cutting efficiency.
- The blades are made with fully hardened steel. They remain sharp even with heavy use.
- The blades are coated with titanium. This will help resist rust.
- The low-friction coating also prevents the blades from gumming up with sap and allows them to glide through the wood.
- The blades lock for safety.
- And of course, they have a full lifetime warranty.
The Best 7 Garden Tools For 2020
I am sad. Someone broke into the shed and we lost the tools. I’m also sad that this is happening in our small, rural town.
We’ll start over with new tools and a chainsaw. I found the best 7 garden tools for 2020 for you.
We can reinforce the little shed and no one will be able to easily break into it again.
We’ll be sure to lock everything and install cameras so we can see who else wants to wander onto our property. Maybe even catch the ones who did last week.
Small Town Support
But, I do want to say that once I posted the burglary news on the town’s Facebook page, many people came forward to express their support, dismay, and disbelief. Several had ideas about where the burglars are hanging out.
Townspeople offered to share their tools with me to help replace the ones I had lost. Several also offered to let me go through their collections of seeds, and there were even some heirlooms. I made several new neighbor friends I did not know before.
Did you find some tools that you would like to add to your collection?
Would you like for me to review more tools? Let me know in the comments below.
If you want more ideas for ideal garden tools, here’s a post that I wrote for Father’s Day gift ideas for the gardener.