We all understand that shopping for someone these days is getting harder as anyone can go online and purchase items at the click of a button. At the same time, in areas like gardening, the options are endless, so where do you start - what do people actually want or need?

Whether they’re an avid gardener or just starting out with a small garden bed, I focused on practical, everyday items that they can use to get started on their hobby or to upgrade what they currently own. I’ve learned gardening and yard work relies heavily on having the right tools. Gardening is a hobby that can span your entire life on this earth, but it is, or can be, hard labor. With poor or outdated tools, one can put extra, unnecessary strain or burden on your muscles and joints. Therefore, many of these items (not all), will help to optimize your efforts.

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Hori Hori Knife

Gorilla Cart

Grasshopper Pot Hugger

Electric Canner

Aerogarden

Kneeling Pad

Root Slayer Shovel

Flexible Tub/Bucket

Colored Mason Jars

Watering Wand

No more dumping over the wheelbarrow or hurting yourself trying to balance it… bring on the Gorilla Cart! This thing is awesome! After seeing mine years ago, nearly every family member of mine has bought one of their own. It rolls easily, it swivels on a dime, and you can haul so much in it. The cart bin itself releases too (kinda like a dump truck), to easily dump any mulch, soil, or debris you may be hauling. Washes out easily with a hose. Great gift!

This tool is the BEST! Don’t be scared by the looks of it - it is a work horse. The term “hori hori” in Japanese just means “dig dig,” but it does so much more than that. It comes with a serrated edge that is great for cutting open those bags of soil or chopping down some unruly plant growth. It has a ruler going down the blade which is super helpful for planting as many plants indicate to plant at specific depths and certain inches apart. I also use it for weeding. You can really get down to the root to remove, thereby avoiding having the weed return. Hands down, great tool!

When it comes to watering vegetable plants, there’s more to it than just spraying them down with water from the hose. One has to be a bit more precise than that, because if you spray willy-nilly, your plant could become infected with disease. See, when you overhead spray, it can cause soil-borne pathogens and fungi to splash onto the leaves. You ideally want to keep the leaves dry. So a watering wand is a great tool to allow someone to water at the base of the plant without straining their back to bend over with a regular hose.

While most avid gardeners probably already have a cupboard full of glass jars that have been handed down from their parents or grandparents, sometimes it’s fun to have a few special colored jars. These are great to then display any dried herbs or teas, store seeds in, use as a vase, or to serve fun drinks!

While this plastic bucket may not look exciting, I use mine nearly every time I’m outside working on a project. It flexes nicely, meaning you can squeeze both handles together and carry it with one hand - which is perfect since I’m usually carrying my hori hori knife and kneeling pad in the other hand as I head out for weeding. Plus, it’s light weight, so you’re not adding any additional load to the weeds, debris, or soil you might be carrying in it. Another key work horse!

This shovel means business! It’s more narrow than a typical shovel, and the edges of the blade are serrated, making it excellent for cutting through any roots or clay. It also has a nice top edge to the blade, making it easy to push the blade down with your foot. It just makes digging anything out substantially easier.

A good kneeling pad is a gardener’s basic essential, and yet overlooked by many beginner gardeners. And for those of us that have been gardening for years, and that may even have one of these already, let’s be honest, even the good ones only last a few years and then need replacing. So even if I already owned one, and someone gifted this to me, I’d be super grateful for it.

Since many of us can’t plant year round in the cold and snow, an Aerogarden is a great way to get some fresh produce year-round. I’ve found various lettuces, kale, chard, and basil to thrive quite well this way. While it typically comes with some seed options, you can also buy some cheap grow sponges to plant your own seeds. A fun way to keep the hobby alive year-round!

This is the only item in the list that I don’t own a version of, but it is on my wish list. Canning has a science to it and can be a bit intimidating at first. This electric canner helps to automate the process and alleviate the constant monitoring of the stove. Aside from just being a water-bath canner, it can also be used for steaming, blanching, soups, stews, etc.

So this item may not fall into the “practical” gifts category like the rest, but I can’t get over how cute this metal grasshopper pot hugger is. It hooks on nicely to most planters or trellises. It’s a good size, with bright colors. Great add-on to any gift - simply hook it to the bow on the present. I’ve even used it as part of a hostess gift by bringing a bottle of wine, tying a bow around it, and hooking it to the bow around the wine. It gets a joyful response every time.

Final thought, if you’re looking for a another fun way to present some of these gifts, you can buy the bucket, fill the bottom with some tissue, and in it you can put the knee pad, the hori hori knife, and link the grasshopper to the edge - or whatever other items fit your fancy. Here’s an example from years ago of a gift basket that I made for a family member using the bucket as the base of the gift. It wasn’t gardening themed, but you can still see how it made a great base to the gift ‘bucket’. Happy Gift Giving!