Autumn is a delicate balance between keeping your garden as gorgeous as possible, and preparing it for next Spring. A well-maintained outdoor space over Autumn and Winter is the bedrock for beautiful displays, pristine lawns and delicious produce in the year to come.

And as with any job, the importance of having the right tools cannot be overstated, so to help you make your autumnal gardening as easy as possible we have selected 10 essential garden tools you could add to your tool shed this season.

1. Perennial Spade

Buy the Perennial Spade

2. Compact Bypass Secateurs

 

As the leaves change and the garden needs tidying and trimming, these precision-cutting tools come into their own. With their sharp, high-carbon steel blades, they enable gardeners to make clean and precise cuts for the meticulous tasks of pruning, deadheading, and sculpting.

The Professional Compact Bypass Secateurs' ergonomic design ensures comfort during prolonged use, reducing hand fatigue. With their durability and precision, these secateurs are an essential companion for autumn garden tasks, ensuring a well-maintained and thriving garden as the seasons transition.

Buy the Compact Bypass Secateurs

3. Garden Border Fork

 

The trusty garden fork - a stalwart in sheds across the country. What sets our border fork apart is its lightweight nature, making it perfect for those with smaller gardens or a slighter build. Additionally, these are 82% stronger than the British standard, so they even better for heavy-duty jobs or for gardeners who value longevity. 

Some of the ways you might want to use your garden fork this season:

• Soil Aeration: Garden forks are excellent for loosening compacted soil, which can occur over the summer. This aeration helps improve the circulation of air, water, and nutrients to plant roots, enhancing their overall health.
• Preparing Soil: If you plan to sow autumn crops or plant bulbs for spring blooms, a garden fork can break up the soil and remove debris, creating an optimal planting environment.
• Dividing Plants: When splitting or dividing perennials in preparation for winter, a garden fork assists in gently lifting plants from the ground without causing excessive root damage.
• Weed Removal: Autumn weeds are still active, and a garden fork can help you efficiently dig out unwanted plants and their roots.
• Turning Compost: Mixing your compost is a necessary part of the process, as it adds the air needed to speed up the composting.

Buy the Garden Border Fork

4. Leaf Composting Sacks - Set of 2

Don’t let fallen leaves go to waste. Leaf mulch is great for several reasons. Firstly, when applied, it will reduce water evaporation from your soil, this means that you will not have to water your plants as much, especially helpful when it gets warmer. Secondly, it blocks sunlight, which helps to limit the amount of unwanted weeds that sprout out of your beds and borders. Thirdly, leaf mulch helps to insulate your soil, which helps to protect your plants from sharp drops in temperature.

These sacks simplify the gathering and storage of leaves. The jute fabric also allows for breathability, essential for efficient composting. Additionally, the biodegradable, carbon-free mesh ensures that when they are no longer needed, you will not have unnecessary waste to dispose of.

Plus, it’s simply great fun stuffing them as full as possible, if you're looking for some family fun, why not turn it into a friendly competition? Who can cram the most leaves into these wonderful sacks?

Buy Leaf Composting Sacks

5. Mini Bypass Lopper

 

Autumn is a time where more heavy-duty pruning is necessary to tidy up your shrubs and larger plants. The Mini Bypass Lopper is a powerhouse in a compact package. Compact and versatile, this lopper offers exceptional cutting power and precision without being large and unwieldy. Its bypass blade design ensures clean, precise cuts, making it ideal for trimming and shaping beloved shrubs, small trees, and branches.

Buy the Mini Bypass Loppers

6. Hand-Held Bulb Planter

 

Autumn is the ideal time to plant bulbs, allowing them to establish roots before winter sets in.

This little tool is my secret weapon. A hand-held bulb planter proves invaluable in Autumn for gardeners eagerly preparing for spring blooms by planting flower bulbs. This tool streamlines the process, thanks to its ergonomic design and serrated blade that cuts through soil. Its depth markings ensure consistent planting depth, promoting uniform growth.

Buy the Bulb Planter

7. Gold Leaf Soft Touch Gloves

 

Still using those tatty old gloves - the grimy ones with all the holes? Perhaps it’s time for an upgrade. Cheap garden gloves typically lack durability when subjected to thorns, rough soil, or repetitive tasks. Their thin materials offer limited protection, leaving hands susceptible to cuts and blisters.

The Soft Touch Gloves offer a superior alternative. Crafted with resilient leather and Lycra, they provide exceptional durability and dexterity. Their reinforced palms shield against abrasions and sharp objects while maintaining tactile sensitivity. And with £5 off when you buy two pairs, you even have a spare (or a present for a grateful friend!).

Buy the Soft Touch Gloves

8. Gold Leaf Tough Touch Gloves

 

Some jobs need something even tougher than gardening gloves. That's when I turn to my pair of tough touch gloves. They offer distinct advantages over regular garden gloves, particularly when it comes to tackling thorny or prickly tasks. Made from tough, deer grain leather and with extended length, they provide superior forearm protection, shielding against scratches, thorns, and irritants that shorter gloves might allow through. The added defence makes these gloves perfect for dealing with brambles.

Buy the Tough Touch Gloves

9. Royal Sussex Garden Trug

 

A trug so well designed that even Queen Victoria wanted one (yes really). The royal Sussex trug is handmade in the UK and perfect while you're harvesting.

Wooden trugs like this are an elegant way to carry your fruits and vegetables while as your harvesting. The wooden frame is sturdy compared to cheap plastic alternatives and will sit in pride of place in your shed or even indoors, not tucked discreetly in a cupboard.

Buy the Royal Sussex Trug

10. Fruit Collector

 

This ingenious product is a game-changer. Gone are the days when you have to constantly bend over to pick up your windfall. With the fruit collector, the whole process becomes a delightful stroll, and the collector will scoop up your windfall as you go, holding them in the cage.

It's not just for us adults either; it's a fantastic way to get the little ones excited about the garden too. Children adore rolling it around and watching the fruits pile up in the cage.

Even if you have no apples to collect, the fruit collector is helpful if your partial to collecting conkers or chestnuts, again allowing you to pick up loads more than you ever could by hand, with minimal effort!

Buy the Fruit Collector

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Whatever is on your to-do list this season, we hope that you will find at least one of these tools to be a helpful aid! Or perhaps you can find what you need in our Autumn Essentials collection...

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