13 High-End Garden Tools You Don’t Actually Need
This post may contain affiliate links.
While a lush, thriving garden is a badge of honor, the number of tools out there to help you achieve that can be overwhelming. It’s easy to believe, thanks to fancy catalogs and Instagram ads, that you need a gadget to do every single gardening task. Spoiler alert: You don’t.
Keeping things simple has a charm. Your great grandparents probably grew spectacular tomatoes with nothing more than a spade and their bare hands, after all. So, let’s go for a stroll, through the garden shed, and call out the tools you can absolutely live without.
Wi-Fi Enabled Self Watering Planters
This one’s got that space ship sound to it. These planters have a high tech feel thanks to features such as moisture sensors and Wi-Fi updates. But here’s the truth: Your plants will be just as happy with a good old fashioned watering routine. And there’s something about reconnecting to nature that gardening provides.
Ergonomic Weeding Scooters
Yes, they exist. If scooting along at ground level is your thing, these scooters let you weed while doing it. It may sound good for folks with mobility issues, but a sturdy kneeling pad and hand weeder work just as well. Besides, scooting through a flower bed could leave you tangled in vines as fast as a toddler in a toy store.
Solar-Powered Garden Owl
The shiny decoy promises to scare off pests but most critters catch on to fake predators very quickly. Far less costly in battery replacements, a real owl, or even some good fencing will do the job much better.
Bluetooth-Enabled Hose Timers
Who really needs an app to tell their hose when to turn on? They’re a pain in the neck to set up and are prone to malfunction. Things are kept much simpler and more reliable with a classic manual timer or even your trusty watch.
Copper Gardening Trowels
Copper trowels can look like heirlooms that belong in a museum, but they aren’t going to confer magical gardening powers. The standard stainless steel trowel does the same job, digging dirt, for the price of a weekend getaway. Save your money for something more exciting.
Motorized Weed Wackers
Motorized weed wackers are an overkill, like using a chainsaw to slice bread. Hand weeding or hoeing is a more precise and gives you control. The plus side is that the gentle workout keeps you connected to your plants instead of treating them like enemies in a video game.
Plant Growth Accelerators
These machines say they increase plant growth with vibration or electromagnetic pulses. Science hasn’t backed up their claims, but the claims are intriguing. Good soil, sunlight and water are what plants need to thrive, not sci-fi gimmicks.
Built-In Coolers in Rolling Tool Carts
Yes, it is nice to have a drink handy, but do you need a rolling cart with a cooler attached to it? Your tools will fit just fine in a simple bucket or a garden tote. Your fridge isn’t far away if you need refreshments.
Gold-Plated Pruners
Who thinks a pair of pruners needs to be golden?” They are undeniably shiny, but they don’t cut any better than a normal pair. When they do get scratched, and they will, you’ll be sorry you didn’t just buy a practical piece of jewelry.
Heated Gardening Gloves
This feels excessive unless you’re planting bulbs in the Arctic. Regular gloves will help keep your hands warm, even on a cold spring morning. Gloves which are heated are much more likely to make your palms sweat than save your plants.
Professional Soil Analysis Kits
While it is important to understand your soil is important, instead of buying a professional soil test kit, sending a sample to a local extension service provides you accurate results for a fraction of the cost. Local experts who can help for less are all you need when it comes to those pricey kits with overcomplicated instructions.
Robotic Lawn Edgers
These little robots will edge your lawn while you sit back and relax. The reality? They’re slow, glitchy and usually miss spots. Without the tech drama, you’ll get clean lines from a traditional edger or even a sharp spade.
Customizable Spectrums Adjustable LED Grow Lights
Standard grow lights are just fine unless you’re growing rare orchids in a basement. These high end versions are sold as if they would turn your plants into award winners, but the difference in growth is negligible if you aren’t a professional botanist.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
Affordable Home Entertainment: 11 Must-Have Finds For Enhancing Your Family Movie Nights
Affordable Home Entertainment: 11 Must-Have Finds For Enhancing Your Family Movie Nights
How to Clean Your Smoker Grill Combo Like a Pro
How to Clean Your Smoker Grill Combo Like a Pro
15 Common Mistakes That Unknowingly Make
15 Common Mistakes That Unknowingly Make Your Home Look Bad