Getting started in gardening is quite an adventure! And whether you’re a natural gardener or not, it can be difficult to find your way around the wealth of tools and equipment you need to get started.
Whether it’s maintaining your garden, reating a vegetable patch or looking after your hedges, we explain which gardener’s tools are the most relevant to start with.
Gardenening tools to start out
First, here is a list of 10 essential gardening tools and their uses:
- The spade or spade fork: for digging planting holes, mixing layers of soil, loosening the soil but also cutting borders
- Rakes: for refining and aerating the soil, removing moss from lawns. There are also rakes designed to pick up grass and leaves with more flexible, fan-shaped blades
- The rake: an essential and versatile tool for aerating the soil around plants. Available in the form of a blade, claws or both.
- The hoe: the hoe is a tool that is now rarer and yet used throughout the world. It can be used to stir, crumble and break up thick crusts of soil as well as to dig trenches and planting holes.
- The pickaxe: ideal for loosening and digging in hard, stony soil.
- The showel: for moving materials (sand, potting soil, compost) but also for digging or scraping surfaces depending on the model used.
- The claw or the hook: to prepare the soil before planting, to break the surface crust and large thick clods.
- Thee transplanter: to break up soil crusts, mix substrates and fertilizers and dig small planting holes. It is also used to “transplant” plants from one place to another.
- The pruning shears: for cutting and trimming twigs, branches, twigs and stems
- The lawnmower: for easy maintenance of your lawn!
Depending on the size of your garden and your needs, you will need to use some or all of these tools. For further recommendations, visit the garden centre section of your local specialist shop.
What equipment should you choose for safe gardening?
The protective equipment required for your gardening activities is very similar to the protective PPE for landscapers.
First and foremost, you need to find the most suitable pair(s) of gloves for your gardening activities.
This will of course depend on the type of task you are undertaking (planting, soil maintenance, hedge trimming) and how often you garden. Ideally, your protective gloves should meet the requirements of EN420 but also EN388 and EN511 standards (in cold weather).
It is a good idea to choose safety shoes that meet the requirements of EN ISO 20345. For sharp work, footwear should have a P specification to ensure that it is puncture resistant.
If you have to use noisy motorised equipment, then it may be advisable to use earplugs (EN 352-2) or noise-reducing headphones (EN 352-4 and 5).
Of course, the protection of the head (wearing a helmet), eyes (protective glasses) and respiratory tract (use of chemicals or presence of vapours) should not be neglected.
Which ROSTAING gloves for which type of gardening work?
The ROSTAING experts have developed a whole range dedicated to both beginners and experienced gardeners, for young and old alike. Here is a selection of gardening gloves adapted to your specific needs:
ONE4ALL – Common gardening work
Thee ONE4ALL is popular for planting and pruning activities.
The nitrile coating on the palm and fingers makes it suitable for people with latex allergies. In addition, a wear indicator per cell will tell you when to change the gloves. Finally, its comfort and its second skin effect will allow you to gain in dexterity.
FLOWER – VISIBLE – Small gardening works
TRADITION – Planting work
The TRADITION reference is perfectly suited to planting, digging or weeding. The leather glove protects the wrist and is water-repellent to create a moisture barrier and does not harden after drying.
MIDSEASON – All work in cold and wet environments
All midseason work gloves suitable for cold, damp and abrasive environments.
The MIDSEASON is particularly recommended for pruning and garden maintenance work. These gloves are warm, comfortable and have a reinforcement on the first wear area.
To find out more about our range of protective gloves, consult our 2022 catalogue.
Would you like to place an order or become a ROSTAING reseller? Tell us about it on firstname.lastname@example.org
For any other question about our products, our product engineers are at your disposal: email@example.com