Seeds have sprouted, clean up has commenced, and the countdown to the last frost date has begun. But as you plan and prepare for the gardening season, consider the ways that you can make your vegetable beds more abundant and easier to tend this year. To help you sort through the good, bad, and simply unnecessary veggie garden gadgets available today, we asked award-winning author Niki Jabbour to share her tried-and-tested tools for increased garden efficiency and enjoyment. From a cold frame that will help you get a jump start on your growing season to a food dehydrator that will allow you to utilize more of your harvest in a fraction of the time, there is a helpful tool on this list for every kind of kitchen gardener. So roll up your sleeves, turn over that soil, and equip yourself with the tools that will set your vegetable garden up for success.
Everyone needs a soil knife, and this one is reliable and long-lasting
A garden knife is a classic multi-use tool, letting you tackle a wide variety of tough jobs including planting, digging, weeding, and dividing. Having such a versatile device at hand saves valuable time when I’m working and have a bunch of different tasks on my to-do list for the day. My favorite is the Lee Valley Garden Knife. It comes in two different sizes that are sold separately or in a set; both have trowel-like blades with one serrated edge for slicing through tough plant material. The pointed, narrow blade easily slips into soil to quickly remove deep-rooted or mature weeds that grow around perennial vegetables and in the pathways between my beds. The larger knife is roughly 14 inches long, and the smaller is almost 11 inches long. Both versions come with a sturdy sheath you can attach to your belt so you’re never without your trusty new sidekick.
Lee Valley Garden Knife
A well-constructed soaker hose delivers slow and even irrigation
Using a soaker hose is an effective way to conserve water when irrigating garden plants, but it also offers another benefit: it saves valuable time. I snake a soaker hose along the base of long-season vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, corn, and celery. When I turn on the tap, a steady stream of water gently weeps from the hose. This reduces water lost to evaporation and also results in deep, even irrigation. But it can be hard to find a model that is built to last. The Gilmour Soaker is a heavy-duty option made from weather-resistant vinyl. It’s flexible, efficient, and resistant to kinking. I use a 50-foot-long model, but it also comes in a shorter 25-foot length for smaller gardens.
Gilmour 5/8" x 25' Round Weeper Soaker Hose
Use this cold frame to harvest veggies almost all year long
A cold frame is the ultimate small-space season extender, allowing you to harvest weeks, if not months, earlier than you otherwise would. The VegTrug Classic Cold Frame is designed to fit on top of a VegTrug raised bed, but it can also be laid on other raised or in-ground garden beds. Cold frames create a microclimate around crops, and I use them to jump-start my spring garden, extend the autumn harvest, and enjoy cold-hardy vegetables throughout winter. This affordable frame is 18 inches tall, 40½ inches wide, and 31 inches deep, although a larger size is available. Made from wood and polycarbonate, it will help you maximize the harvest from your garden.
VegTrug Classic Cold Frame
Uproot weeds of all kinds in a snap with this interchangeable hoe kit
Removing weeds from garden beds is essential for promoting healthy crop growth and large harvests, but it’s a tedious chore that can take a lot of time. To make weeding quicker and easier, I rely on the Connecta Cultivation Kit from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. This interchangeable tool system has four different hoe heads: two collinear heads for crops 4 and 7 inches apart, and two wire heads for crops 4 and 6 inches apart. Swapping out the heads takes just seconds. I base my choice on the distance between garden rows and the growth stage of the weeds. The collinear hoes sweep across the soil surface, slicing weeds off at ground level. The wire heads are perfect for just-sprouted weeds, removing entire plants in an instant. As a bonus, the tool heads are made from corrosion-resistant materials, so they’ll help keep your garden weed-free for many years to come.
Johnny’s Selected Seeds Connecta® Cultivation Kit
Make cleaner and quicker cuts with these small snips
I rarely venture into the vegetable garden without a pair of mini garden shears tucked into my pocket. These pint-sized pruners are just right for harvesting crops like cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, and peppers, since pulling off the fruits with your fingers can sometimes cause serious damage to the plants. They’re also useful for removing tomato suckers, harvesting herbs, training vines, pinching back basil, and much more. Using snips is far quicker than hand pinching, but it also results in cleaner cuts to reduce the occurrence of plant diseases. The Set of 2 Mini Garden Shears from Lee Valley offers two blade options: round-nose shears for general pruning and needle-nose shears for more precise snipping. The mini shears fit comfortably in my hand, with a unique finger rest that boosts grip and maneuverability.
Lee Valley Mini Garden Shear Set
This simple fabric can have a big impact, season after season
A row cover may not be a common vegetable garden tool, but don’t underestimate this lightweight fabric. It saves me a ridiculous amount of time, work, and frustration in every veggie-growing season. I use it to block pests from my crops, which means there’s no need to spend hours handpicking Japanese beetles, cabbage worms, or Colorado potato beetles off my plants. It also offers early-season insurance against cold temperatures and frost so I don’t have to babysit just-planted seeds and seedlings. I like to float row covers over my raised beds on wire hoops, as this helps trap heat and extend the season into fall. I’ve found Gardener’s Supply Company’s Summerweight Garden Fabric, which comes in two sizes, to be a reliable and affordable option that’s valuable far past summer.
Gardener's Supply Company Summerweight Fabric Plant Cover
Haul your harvest around minus the mess with this easy-to-clean basket
Collecting homegrown vegetables, herbs, and fruits in a container prevents damage and bruising, helping crops to last longer post-harvest. When it comes to harvest baskets, you’ve got a lot of options. I love the look, but those wood and metal-mesh contraptions are heavy and relatively narrow. A traditional woven basket does the trick, but I find that soil settles into the crevices and moisture can damage the wood. That’s why I’ve come to appreciate the Large Gardener’s Wash Basket. It’s made from rust-resistant steel and is lightweight and durable. It also makes cleanup a snap because, as the name suggests, you can rinse soil from your veggies in the basket before bringing them indoors.
Lee Valley Large Gardener's Wash Basket
Give your crops some space to grow with a support that doubles as garden art
Growing vining crops vertically not only allows you to maximize your growing space, it also reduces the risk of common plant diseases. I use a variety of trellises for vegetables like pole beans, indeterminate tomatoes, cucumbers, and peas. One of my favorite more aesthetically pleasing supports is the Garden Obelisk from Lee Valley. It has a sturdy structure and an elegant shape. Because it’s both tall and narrow at 68½ inches tall and 9½ inches wide, it’s easy to sneak into a garden bed or large container to boost food production. Made from steel tubing coated in UV-resistant plastic to resist fading, it takes just a few minutes to assemble.
Lee Valley Garden Obelisks
No veggie garden is complete without this multi-use workhorse
One of the best ways to save time in the vegetable garden is to use tools that can handle multiple tasks, and this is where a Tubtrug shines. Made from durable polyethylene, this garden tub is lightweight and flexible, and comes in bright colors and a variety of sizes, from 3½ gallons all the way up to 20 gallons. I have several and use them for hauling compost, manure, and leaves; collecting weeds and garden clippings; and holding just-harvested potatoes, carrots, and other root crops. They’re also perfect for blending homemade potting mixes and holding an assortment of tools when I’m puttering around in the garden. My Tubtrugs have become indispensable!
Gardener's Supply Company Large Garden Tubtrug
Do weeks’ worth of work in a few hours with this handy kitchen gadget
For years I resisted the idea of getting a food dehydrator as I didn’t want another appliance cluttering up my kitchen. Little did I realize how much time it would save in preserving my homegrown harvest. Now it takes me just a few hours to dry big bundles of culinary herbs like oregano, basil, rosemary, and parsley, instead of a week or two. I use my Nesco Dehydrator almost continuously from midsummer through autumn and have quadrupled the number of herbs I dry. This gives me plenty to share with friends and family. I also use my dehydrator to dry vegetables like hot peppers and tomatoes, as well as fruits and berries like peaches and strawberries. It’s a great way to reduce food waste and extend your garden bounty.
Nesco Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator
Niki Jabbour is the award-winning author of Growing Under Cover and The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener. She lives and gardens in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
All photos courtesy of Niki Jabbour unless noted otherwise.
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