When to splurge or save on gardening equipment

After years of trial and error, I have finally learned my lessons on choosing practical equipment for my garden jobs.

At first, these non-glamorous purchases definitely led me to keep the budget as low possible, because art, clothing and delicious dinners out are important to me too. But the constant line up of bottom-of-the-rack secateurs disintegrating within a month, 90-degree bends in trowels on the first dig and the tiresome frustration of flaky hose links that dribble or blow off the tap taught me I needed a new approach.

While there are certainly exceptions to the rule, more often than not, I have found that the concept of “buy once, buy well” has great weight, when purchasing for my garden life. After much pushing of the boundaries, only now do I feel that I have a solid collection of garden artillery that is truly going to last the distance and reliably assist in the way the packaging descriptions promise.

I am positive that every gardener finds their favourite tools, and this is very much based on the type and size of plot and choices in what they grow. Many of my own favourites have come from personal recommendations, so I thought I would share some with those just starting out in this growing adventure in the hope I can help you avoid wasting money. There are times to save and times to splurge.

My garden shed…in tidy posing form to illustrate favourite tools. Normal form is much more chaotic!

SPLURGE

NIWASHI TOOL

A traditional Japanese handheld hoe designed to act as an extension of your arm. This is by far my most versatile and handy tool in the garden. Perfect at spiking out weeds, easily parting soil to pop in seedlings, or going for the mega slash on my decaying dahlia stems. There are many takes on this style, but Niwashi is the brand I personally use.

A QUALITY HOSE AND ATTACHMENTS

I shudder at the summers spent battling it out with a cheapish hose, the temperamental attachments and its iron clad commitment of no less than 50 kinks per use. If you are a regular, hose-based waterer during summer, then I can wholeheartedly support the splurge on a top of the line, non-kinking (really means “less-kinking”) hose that comes with its own retractable reel. Your challenge is to find somewhere to mount it near a tap, but that auto-retracting action is honestly the Rolls Royce of garden experiences. The cherry on the top is a multi-function nozzle that you can control the speed and type of flow with. Life changing.

CUTTING QUIVER

You will discover your unique cutting needs as you work through the jobs that your own garden presents you. I have come to realise that my perfect collection of cutting tools includes a slim-nosed pair of garden snips (with springs) for harvesting and conditioning flowers for the vase and a sturdy, expensive pair of secateurs for all rose pruning and cutting back of perennials. In addition, I have some hedge shears for tidying up topiary and a handy little pruning saw for sorting out trees. Trust me when I say that I have had multiple goes at purchasing many of these and simply found that scaling up my budget has meant I now have a cutting “quiver” that will last me indefinitely.

HAND TROWEL

In short, I have discovered you get what you pay for here. There is nothing more wildly infuriating than your cheapish new trowel buckling at the first bit of force you apply to it. Nothing….

GARDEN SPADE AND FORK

This is a true save or splurge fence-sitter. You could trawl second-hand markets for old, solid garden spades and forks. Made of much sturdier stuff than cheaper, new options, it might just be a case of replacing the decaying wooden handle with a new one, easily picked up from most hardware stores.

Alternatively, if buying new, spend up as much as you can afford. These truly are items that you can buy once and have forever, if you give them a healthy allowance in your garden budget.

Niswashi Tool and gloves

SAVE ON

GARDEN GLOVES AND MASK

I wear garden gloves for 90 per cent of my outside jobs. I have bought low and high on these and have discovered, no matter what, I will wear them out. So, no need to go flash, but trust me when I say they help you get gritty. Equally, I diligently wear gloves and a mask when handling any bagged compost, or potting mix, to protect myself from Legionnaires' disease. I find it easiest to pop an inexpensive, disposable mask in with each purchase I make at the garden centre. Masks get dirty and lost, so having a backup supply of cheap ones means there is no excuse not to use.

STAKES

I have swathes of staking options at my disposal now, both cheap and totally beautiful. I find this is a case of ordering your spending and needs as you grow your tool kit. I have gotten by with entry-level bamboo hoops and stakes very well for years, although having to restock due to their eventual demise is a side effect. This last season. I acquired some beautiful iron stakes and plant supports, which both look great and do the job with no scary snapping. The best part is I know that I will own them for life. Staking plants is a surprising activity for new gardeners, but inescapable, so once you have sorted out your kit, perhaps more permanent options could be purchased in the future. But for now, bamboo or wooden stakes, combined with sturdy prunings from your own trees will do the job.

GARDEN BAG

Some of my most commonly used garden companions are a fleet of tough bags that I drag around, filling as I prune and weed. Once full, they are squashed into the back of my car and taken to the green waste depot. This is the reality for many urban-based gardeners, where largescale composting space isn’t a luxury and having a bag that won’t leak is a must. I have noticed so many options out there on the market and always come back to the very basic and simple function that I need this bag to do requiring it to be tough, have no holes and good stitching around the handles. On my own comparison. I have found that the cheaper ones do just as well as the fancy brand-name ones.

This article was first featured in my Stuff ‘Homed’ gardening column for beginners and The Press on June 3rd 2021
All words are my own and images are my own, photographed in my own Christchurch garden.