What gardening tools are essentials for a novice?

[PL59]

Hi All, 

I am a novice in gardening having lived in an apartment. 

The sides of my house are landscaped, however weeds still grows through as shown in the picture below.

In addition, I have a small front lawn of approx 4x2m.

What are the tools I should buy to maintain my garden and to remove the weeds? I do not own any gardening tools at the moment.

I am thinking :

- Ryobi blower

-Ryobi lawn mower

- Whipper snapper? 

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks!

[Jewelleryrescue]

Hi  @PL59 

I would  by a  whipper snipper and  also use it to mow the  lawn as it is  such a small area.  So no need to store a  lawn mower.

You are better off putting the pulled  weeds into a  bucket as you pull them out a blower will also blow stones around and possible spread weed seeds.

I am hoping there is a  plastic liner under your stone path.

Typically weeds in stones will pull out by hand if you  grab there stem down low and pull them out without too much  effort and disturbace of the stone path especially the smaller they are.

However  a Weeding tool  will make short work of them eg by levering them out once you stick the forked into the ground  with the weed in

between the forked  bit.

Try to tackle the weeds often  as it will be easier each time while they are  smaller.  Big weeds will try to pull more  dirt up making a mess on your  path just hose the dirt back down if it happens.

So  to start your  collection.

Bucket

A whipper snipper

and a weeding tool

Have fun

[MitchellMc]

Some great advice from @Jewelleryrescue there @PL59. I thought I’d add that you might want to consider using a path weeder once a year to help keep your stone and pebble areas weed-free. These products contain a residual herbicide that can prevent weed regrowth for up to a year, making maintenance much easier.

For the grass at the front, while a whipper snipper can be used to cut the lawn, it does take some practice to achieve a neat, level finish. If you’d like a more consistent cut with less effort, a push cylinder mower could be a great alternative. They’re easy to use, require minimal storage space, and as long as you mow regularly during the growing season, they’ll keep your lawn looking tidy without much hassle. 

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Jason]

Hi @PL59,

Just wanted to add to the replies that we have a helpful guide Essential garden tools for beginners and beyond that should be really helpful for you.  

Jason