When the temperatures start to dip and the evenings get shorter, I know it’s time to think about putting things away for the winter and knock a few items off my gardening to-do list. As far as the full garden cleanup that used to happen in autumn, I now leave many of my plants in the garden to feed the birds and provide habitat for insects and small mammals, and I don’t clear away all my fall leaves. Rather, they are welcomed in the garden to protect plants and nourish the soil. (You can read more about reasons NOT to clean up the garden in the fall). However, there are still a few items on my list that I need to accomplish before the snow flies, from planting bulbs to emptying and putting pots away so they don’t crack over the winter. These are the garden hand tools that garden with the most.

What to look for when shopping for garden hand tools

Obviously quality is key when you’re looking for any gardening tool. You want this item to be in your gardening toolbox for years to come.

Here are a few things to consider:

• Check for quality materials that will stand the test of time and extensive use, like stainless steel.
• Consider comfortable grips for when you’re spending lots of time on a specific task.
• Look for lifetime manufacturer warranties.
• Read online reviews to compare other gardeners’ experiences using the tool
• Choose tools that are multi-purpose. For example, I use my soil knife for multiple gardening tasks.

Soil knife

I wrote a whole article about why I love my soil knife. It is one of my favorite and most-used garden tools. In autumn, it helps me figure out the soil depth for planting fall bulbs. And digging in garlic cloves is a breeze.

By the end of the gardening season when my pots are all root-bound, my soil knife helps me slice either along the perimeter of the container, or through sections to remove and send to the compost.

Bulb planter

Realistically my soil knife is a useful tool for planting flower bulbs. But, I do love my bulb planter because it easily removes the soil from the hole where the bulb is going to go and provides the correct depth measurements. Then, the soil I’ve put aside from it is simply placed back in the hole to cover up the bulbs for the winter. You can also use this garden hand tool to plant garlic bulbs.

Hand pruners

My sturdy hand pruners trim seed pods off my rose of Sharon (to avoid a spring disaster). They cut down thick stalks as I put them into yard bags or take them to the backyard compost pile. And they help me to harvest thick-stemmed vegetables, like pumpkins and winter squash.

Garden backhoe

A garden backhoe can really come in handy to clear away debris in the garden, but also to help make a new garden. I’ve used it to clear away grass so that I can plant perennials, once I’ve smothered it in cardboard.

Billhook saw

I’ve used this medieval-looking tool in both spring and fall to trim small branches, remove tenacious lilac suckers from around one of my trees, and to cut down thick-stemmed perennials.

More useful gardening tools

• Serious garden gear
• The best tools you didn’t know you needed
• Our favorite pruning shears
• Weeding tools
• The utility of a soil knife