Top 10 Garden Tools to Buy

Need an extra hand in the garden? Slip on this combination apron/smock with a pouch that carries small tools, seed packets, work gloves and more. The Roo Apron also holds harvested veggies or pulled weeds. When the bag is full, open it at the bottom and let vegetables slide out onto your table, or dump weeds into the compost pile. Aprons come in charcoal gray, leaf green, pink peony and purple orchid.

Unleash your inner Wolverine with gloves that feature built-in "claws." Made of waterproof materials, Genie Garden gloves let you dig in beds and borders without getting dirty and help protect your hands from thorns and briars. One size fits most men or women. The gloves are also available with claws on only one hand.

A great garden knife can handle a lot of chores, from digging to slicing through roots and chopping weeds. The Hori Hori is a lightweight tool with a stainless-steel blade and a full tang (that is, the stainless steel extends into the handle so the blade won't bend or break). One edge of the blade is serrated for sawing, and the other is razor-sharp for cutting. It even comes with a leather sheath for storage.

The Burro Buddy, a garden tray that sits over your wheelbarrow, organizes all your garden tools in one easily-accessible place. It features long-handled tool holders, short-handled tool holders, a drink holder and even a water-resistant compartment to keep your cellphone safe. It prevents you from running back and forth to move items around the garden, so you can focus on what you love best — digging and planting.

Just as the sun takes a toll on unprotected skin, it can damage your garden hose, too. Hoses left in the yard eventually become brittle and prone to kinking, so when you try to water your plants, you have to wrestle them back into shape. Flexzilla's hose is made from a hybrid polymer that stays flat and flexible and coils easily for storage.

A watering can with two handles — one fixed and one hinged — eases the strain on your wrists and helps you give thirsty plants a quick sprinkle or a big gulp. This can has an offset filling hole, so it's easy to fill from a faucet or garden hose. It holds 2.6 gallons and has a rotating spout to help control the flow.

Swiss-made Felco pruners keep your landscape on the cutting edge. The long-lasting steel blade can be re-sharpened or replaced, and other replacement parts are widely available. The pruners make clean, smooth cuts up to one inch in diameter. Try the Felco F-6 if you have small hands and prefer a more lightweight tool.

Hoeing in hard soil is tough on your back. This hoe has a six-foot handle, so you can stand straighter when you work, and the sharp edge slices weeds just below the soil surface.

If your landscape requires heavy-duty labor, a steel cart is a must. This cart carries up to 1,000 pounds and can easily convert into a flatbed cart with its removable sides. You can even attach the handle to a riding mower or ATV to make gardening and landscaping much less labor-intensive.

You aren't completely out of the woods in spring when it comes to overnight frost. In many areas of the country, cold nights are still possible, so it's important to protect your budding plants. This tunnel cover is made of UV-stabilized polyethylene and has drawstrings on each end so you can control the ventilation.