Time-Saving Veggie Garden Tools

germ have shoot , clean up has commenced , and the countdown to the last frost day of the month has begun . But as you plan and fix for the gardening season , consider the ways that you’re able to make your veg beds more abundant and easier to tend this twelvemonth . To help you assort through the well , bad , and plainly unnecessary veg garden convenience available today , we asked award - make headway author Niki Jabbour to share her essay - and - tested putz for increase garden efficiency and use . From a cold frame that will help you get a start protrude on your grow season to a food dehydrator that will allow you to utilize more of your harvest in a fraction of the time , there is a helpful tool on this list for every sort of kitchen nurseryman . So roll up your sleeve , twist over that soil , and equip yourself with the pecker that will coiffe your vegetable garden up for success .

Everyone needs a soil knife, and this one is reliable and long-lasting

A garden tongue is a classic multi - use prick , let you undertake a wide variety of tough Job include planting , digging , weeding , and dividing . Having such a versatile twist at hand saves valuable time when I ’m working and have a caboodle of unlike tasks on my to - do inclination for the day . My front-runner is the Lee Valley Garden Knife . It come in two different size that are sold separately or in a set ; both have trowel - like blades with one serrated edge for slice up through tough plant life cloth . The pointed , narrow blade well slips into soil to rapidly dispatch deeply - rootle or mature sens that grow around recurrent veggie and in the pathways between my beds . The larger knife is roughly 14 inches long , and the smaller is almost 11 in long . Both versions total with a sturdy sheath you could seize to your knock so you ’re never without your trustworthy fresh sidekick .

Lee Valley Garden Knife

A well-constructed soaker hose delivers slow and even irrigation

Using a soaker hose is an good way to husband water when irrigating garden plants , but it also offer another welfare : it saves valuable clip . I snake a soaker hosepipe along the base of long - time of year vegetables like tomatoes , peppers , corn , and celery . When I flex on the pat , a steady stream of water gently weeps from the hose . This cut water lost to evaporation and also leave in deep , even irrigation . But it can be hard to find a model that is built to last . The Gilmour Soaker is a heavy - obligation choice made from weather - resistant vinyl group . It ’s flexible , efficient , and resistant to kinking . I use a 50 - pes - long model , but it also comes in a shorter 25 - foot distance for smaller garden .

Gilmour 5/8 " x 25 ' Round Weeper Soaker Hose

Use this cold frame to harvest veggies almost all year long

A cold frame is the ultimate small - space time of year extender , allow you to harvest week , if not month , earlier than you otherwise would . The VegTrug Classic Cold Frame is designed to fit on top of a VegTrug raise layer , but it can also be laid on other raised or in - ground garden beds . Cold frame make a microclimate around crops , and I use them to leap - commence my spring garden , extend the autumn harvest , and savour cold - hardy vegetable throughout winter . This low-priced bod is 18 inch tall , 40½ inch wide , and 31 inches deep , although a larger sizing is available . Made from wood and polycarbonate , it will help you maximise the harvest from your garden .

VegTrug Classic Cold Frame

Uproot weeds of all kinds in a snap with this interchangeable hoe kit

bump off widow’s weeds from garden beds is essential for promoting sizeable crop growth and large harvests , but it ’s a windy task that can take a lot of time . To make weeding quicker and gentle , I bank on the Connecta Cultivation Kit from Johnny ’s Selected Seeds . This interchangeable dick system has four different hoe heads : two collinear head for crops 4 and 7 inch asunder , and two wire head for crops 4 and 6 in apart . Swapping out the head takes just seconds . I found my selection on the distance between garden rows and the growth leg of the weeds . The collinear hoe sweep across the soil open , slicing weed off at flat coat story . The wire heads are double-dyed for just - sprout pot , slay integral plant life in an minute . As a fillip , the prick head are made from corrosion - resistant materials , so they ’ll help keep your garden locoweed - free for many years to amount .

Johnny ’s Selected Seeds Connecta ® Cultivation Kit

Make cleaner and quicker cuts with these small snips

I rarely venture into the vegetable garden without a pair of mini garden shears tuck into my pouch . These dry pint - sized pruning hook are just ripe for harvest crops like cucumbers , squash , tomato , and peppers , since pulling off the yield with your finger’s breadth can sometimes cause serious damage to the plants . They ’re also useful for remove tomato suckers , harvesting herbs , training vines , pinching back basil , and much more . Using snips is far quicker than hand pinching , but it also result in cleaner cut to quash the occurrence of plant disease . The Set of 2 Mini Garden Shears from Lee Valley offers two blade options : round - nose shears for general pruning and needle - nose shears for more accurate snippet . The mini shears fit well in my hand , with a unique finger residual that advance hold and maneuverability .

Lee Valley Mini Garden Shear Set

This simple fabric can have a big impact, season after season

A row cover may not be a coarse vegetable garden tool , but do n’t underestimate this lightweight fabric . It saves me a ridiculous amount of metre , work , and frustration in every veggie - growing season . I use it to block pests from my harvest , which mean there ’s no need to spend hour handpicking Nipponese beetles , moolah worm , or Colorado potato beetles off my works . It also offers early - season insurance against cold temperature and frost so I do n’t have to babysit just - planted seeds and seedlings . I care to float row covers over my raised beds on telegram hoops , as this helps immobilize heat and stretch out the season into fall . I ’ve chance Gardener ’s Supply Company ’s Summerweight Garden Fabric , which do in two size , to be a reliable and affordable selection that ’s worthful far retiring summertime .

Gardener ’s Supply Company Summerweight Fabric Plant Cover

Haul your harvest around minus the mess with this easy-to-clean basket

Collecting homegrown veg , herb , and fruit in a container prevents damage and bruising , help crops to last longer post - harvesting . When it come in to harvest baskets , you ’ve got a lot of options . I lie with the smell , but those wood and metal - mesh contraptions are heavy and comparatively narrow . A traditional woven field goal does the trick , but I get that grunge settle into the crevice and moisture can damage the wood . That ’s why I ’ve occur to apprize the Large Gardener ’s Wash Basket . It ’s made from rusting - resistant steel and is lightweight and durable . It also makes cleanup a catch because , as the name hint , you’re able to rinse off soil from your veggie in the basket before get them indoors .

Lee Valley Large Gardener ’s Wash Basket

Give your crops some space to grow with a support that doubles as garden art

Growing vining crop vertically not only permit you to maximise your grow space , it also reduces the risk of exposure of common plant disease . I use a kind of trellises for vegetables like pole edible bean , indeterminate tomato plant , cucumbers , and peas . One of my preferred more aesthetically pleasing support is the Garden Obelisk from Lee Valley . It has a sturdy structure and an elegant bod . Because it ’s both improbable and narrow at 68½ in improbable and 9½ inches wide , it ’s easy to abstract into a garden bed or large container to boost food production . Made from brand tubing coated in UV - resistant charge plate to resist fading , it takes just a few minute to assemble .

Lee Valley Garden Obelisks

No veggie garden is complete without this multi-use workhorse

One of the good ways to save time in the vegetable garden is to employ tools that can handle multiple tasks , and this is where a Tubtrug shines . Made from durable polyethylene , this garden tubful is lightweight and compromising , and comes in smart color and a variety of size , from 3½ gallon all the style up to 20 gallons . I have several and use them for hauling compost , manure , and leave-taking ; collecting weed and garden press clipping ; and holding just - harvested potatoes , carrots , and other root crop . They ’re also everlasting for blending homemade potting mixes and holding an mixture of tools when I ’m tinker around in the garden . My Tubtrugs have become indispensable !

Gardener ’s Supply Company Large Garden Tubtrug

Do weeks’ worth of work in a few hours with this handy kitchen gadget

For years I stand firm the approximation of getting a solid food dehydrator as I did n’t want another appliance cluttering up my kitchen . lilliputian did I bring in how much time it would save in preserving my homegrown harvest . Now it take away me just a few hours to dry out big bundle of culinary herbs like oregano , basil , rosemary , and parsley , instead of a week or two . I utilize my Nesco Dehydrator almost continuously from midsummer through fall and have quadrupled the bit of herbs I dry out . This give me plenty to partake in with friends and kinsfolk . I also apply my dehydrator to dry vegetables like hot peppers and tomato , as well as fruits and Berry like peaches and strawberries . It ’s a expectant way to trim back food permissive waste and extend your garden bounty .

Nesco Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator

Niki Jabbour is the award - win source ofGrowing Under CoverandThe Year - Round Vegetable Gardener . She lives and gardens in Halifax , Nova Scotia .

All exposure courtesy ofNiki Jabbour unless mention otherwise .

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veggie garden tools