Spend your free time outdoors and keep fit. Adopt a more sustainable lifestyle and get closer to nature. Relocate to the countryside, enjoy the satisfaction of eating food from your own land rather than from a supermarket. Save on groceries, eat healthier, live entirely (or almost) on what you can grow yourself.
The reasons for creating your own vegetable patch are many and varied. But there is a major practical consideration to take into account, especially if you are a novice grower: what do you need? In this article we will see what essential tools you need to tend your own vegetable patch.
Growing isn't just about tools
Rather than rushing straight into talking about tools, let's start with the design of your vegetable patch. Before trying your hand at creating a vegetable patch, assess your needs and limitations:
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How big will it be: in addition to objective constraints (available land), it depends on your goals (are you growing a few vegetables or aiming for total self-sufficiency?), how many people you are producing food for (to ensure a good degree of autonomy, set aside 30-40 m2 of land per head), and the time you have available.
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How do you want to cultivate: using traditional, organic, synergistic or permaculture methods, etc.
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What is the current situation and are there any critical issues: do you have space in the garden or on your property? Can you rent a plot of land in the country, or an allotment in the city? Does it have good sun exposure? What characteristics does the soil have? Is there a nearby water source? How much do you intend to invest in it (as a minimum, consider the costs of tools, fertilisers, seeds and seedlings, an irrigation system, water and all the maintenance involved)?
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How do you want to organise it in practice: to get the most out of the available area and organise your workload, taking into account your tastes, the type of soil, crop rotation, companion planting, the possibility of cultivating all year round (summer vegetables and winter vegetables) and so on.
Even if you have a large vegetable patch in mind, it's worth starting with a small area and a few easy-to-manage vegetables (such as lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes, pumpkins and courgettes). That will help you learn how it works, understand whether it is sufficient for your needs and give you some concrete experience, without having to jump in at the deep end. You can expand the size and range of your crop at any time.
Tools for the vegetable patch: the essentials
Once you have identified the area that you will turn into a vegetable patch (good sun exposure, not overshadowed by trees and buildings), plan the beds with a north-south orientation and the paths between them. At this point, it's time to till the soil to make it looser, more permeable and more hospitable to plants. This step also includes applying fertiliser (organic or synthetic) to nourish the soil, conditioners to improve its structure and, if necessary, amendments to modify its pH. Finally you can lay down materials for mulching, whether natural (dry grass or other), biodegradable or plastic sheeting.
Which tools are useful for tilling soil on the vegetable patch? For hand tools, the following should suffice:
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Spade, to break compacted earth into clods and, if necessary, turn them over.
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Pitchfork, as an alternative to the spade.
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Hoe, to break up the clods and mix in the fertiliser and other substances that the soil needs. This is also a tool that lends itself to other jobs in the vegetable patch (which we will talk about later).
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Rake, to level the soil so that it is ready for sowing seeds or planting seedlings.
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Wheelbarrow, to transport soil, bags of fertiliser, tools for the vegetable patch and so on (alternatively, for anything heavy or bulky you can use a transporter).
To help you prepare the vegetable patch for using hand tools, you can opt for motorised equipment such as a rotary tiller or a two wheel tractor. These are small agricultural vehicles that can till a vegetable patch with little or no effort. On the subject of rotary tillers, here's how to select one.
Here you can read in detail when and how to prepare soil on the vegetable patch and carry out sowing or transplanting. Also on the subject of tillage, here is an article focusing on how to till with a rotary tiller. What should you do when the soil is clay-rich? Read more about tilling hard soil.
Before setting up your vegetable patch, you may need to tidy it up by clearing the area of grass, vegetation, roots and stones. Depending on the situation, you can use:
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Lawnmower: for mowing tough, wiry grass and weeds.
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Brushcutter: to cut down grass, tall and tough weeds, brushwood, small shrubs, trees and reed beds.
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Wheeled brushcutters and flail mower: for cutting tall, stubborn grass, shrubs, brambles, brushwood, saplings and reeds. On that subject, here's when to use a flail mower for mowing grass.
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Chainsaw: for sawing through shrub stems and tree trunks.
Which is best — sowing or transplanting? Planting young seedlings bought from a nursery is more practical, especially if you are just starting out. You could also grow your own by germinating the seeds in a protected environment (seedbed). Use a trowel, which is a tool with a concave blade for planting vegetables, by digging holes for the seedlings to be inserted in (it can also be used for weeding and hilling, see the next paragraphs). If you have a large plot of land, the fastest solution is a bulb planter, which enables you to work without stooping or bending your knees.
After sowing or transplanting it’s time to cultivate the vegetables, which entails a whole series of activities that need to be repeated more or less regularly. Let's see what tools you will need:
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Planting stakes and binding those plants that need extra support.
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Watering, which you can do simply with a water hose or watering can, or by installing a sprinkler or drip irrigation system. If you don't have a water source nearby, you need to have an alternative supply system, perhaps one that reuses rainwater: evaluate whether a motor pump could be useful (here you can learn more about how to use one for irrigation).
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Weeding, for which you can use a hoe, rake or weeder, which are all tools for uprooting weeds and displacing soil to break up the surface crust and help it retain moisture.
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Covering fertilisation, i.e. to stimulate vegetable growth after sowing or transplanting. It can be adjusted to meet the needs of each variety.
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Defence against parasites and diseases thanks to prevention (avoid standing water, wet leaves, etc.), constant monitoring, removal of affected parts (by hand or with pruning shears) and, if necessary, application of specific products, including with a mistblower. On that subject, here are our tips for taking care of the vegetable patch with natural treatments.
Mulching, watering and weeding are essential ways to protect vegetable patches from drought and heat in the summer: here is what you should do before going on holiday.
Then there are some tasks that you can only perform on certain vegetables, such as topping (typical for tomatoes) or hilling (for potatoes, for example). In the former case, you will need pruning shears, whereas in the latter case, a hoe or specifically designed ridger is recommended.
If you are passionate about gardening and horticulture, we offer you some suggestions on essential gardening tools for pruning, lawn maintenance and plant care.
