We hope you love our recommendations! Some may have been sent as samples, but all were independently selected by our editors. Just FYI, BuzzFeed and its publishing partners may collect a share of sales and/or other compensation from the links on this page.
1. A pack of Miracle-Gro plant food spikes if your leafy green friends keep dying or aren't showing much growth despite your diligent watering. Just plop these into the soil, and they'll feed each plant with essential nutrients they need to ~thrive~ for up to two months! Watch your struggling plants transform before your eyes like Cinderella before the ball.
You can use these with indoor or outdoor plants!
Promising review: "Must-have for all houseplants! It's the best plant food! I use these for all of my houseplants — I have around 30 or so. Super easy to use and works perfectly for all my plants. Definitely worth the buy!" —Kala H.
"As soon as I inserted a few of these in each of my vegetable plant, my garden took off from there. This is the only product that I use. Now I am actively growing and eating from my vegetable garden thanks to this product." —Kia
Get a pack of 48 from Amazon for $5.69.
2. A standing weeder, which has three steel claws that yank weeds out by the root without you having to bend over for hours pulling them out by hand. Because no one wants to kick off summer with new back problems.
Made with a bamboo handle and powder-coated steel, it uses a simple lever system to made weeding easy.
Grampa's Gardenware Co. is a small, family-owned business based in Oregon making tools for gardening. They've been making this tool since 1913!
Promising review: "I love gardening but I’m getting older now and weeding is backbreaking work…until I bought this product. It works like a charm, it grabs onto the rootstock and you simply leverage it out of the ground, root and all. The other end of the lever works well too, like the claw of a hammer; it grabs onto smaller weeds and lifts them out of the ground. Now I can weed a large area in less than half the time without breaking my back…👍" —Michael D. Kutras
Get it from Amazon for $39.99.
3. A raised garden bed if you're looking to start your above-ground gardening journey — this has over 8 cubic feet of space for growing veggies, flowers, succulents, and more, with six drainage holes at the bottle to help the roots aerate and let excess water escape. And the taller height means less bending over and strain on your back!
Promising review: "Love this product for so many reasons. The raised design keeps our dogs and nature friends out of the garden. It's great for elderly and people with back or knee problems. You can still garden. Easy to put together. We got a 4-foot garden. Possibly overloaded it, but we have four tomato plants, three eggplants, three green peppers, three red peppers, and three strawberries. Highly recommend." —Cybil
Get it from Amazon for $69.99+ (available in three sizes and three finishes).
4. Or a galvanized garden bed designed to last for many, many years without risk of rot. They're easily assembled and a budget-friendly option for container gardeners!
Promising review: "I ordered the raised flower bed because I just couldn't prep my hard ground for a garden. It arrived a week sooner than it said it would be here, and it took me about 20 minutes to put it together. It saved me hours of unnecessary work, and my garden looks great." —Christine Hanaki
Get it from Amazon for $39.99+ (available in three sizes and five colors).
5. A bamboo mason bee house to attract the friendly buzzing pollinators to your garden and give them a spot to hang out safely when they're not fertilizing your flowers, trees, and berry plants. Just look at how happy they look in this photo below. 🥺
Promising review: "I bought this because I wanted to attract more pollinators to my garden, and I honestly didn't expect much for the price. I WAS WRONG! The craftsmanship is amazing! I honestly didn't think I would get bees. I WAS WRONG! They started moving in a few weeks after I put it up. I am so happy with this purchase, and I love watching my little buzzing friends!" —Amazon Customer
Get it from Amazon for $24.99.
6. A soil moisture meter giving you immediate info on your soil's moisture, pH, nutrients, and light conditions so you can decide whether to water and adjust care as needed. Your garden is likely full of many different types of plants, all of which have different needs, so this tool is *essential* for keeping your green fam happy.
This meter has a single-probe design (aka less danger to your precious plant roots!) that must be inserted at least 2.5 inches into the soil. No batteries are required!
Promising review: "We love this little gadget, and it has helped us so much for our gardening needs! Some of our greens were growing yellow leaves, and we knew we needed to adjust the pH level of the soil. We use this reader weekly during growing season, and it’s been working out so great for us!! I highly recommend to all gardeners!!" —Eumie
Get it from Amazon for $15.99.
7. Sticky Stake insect traps designed to attract and trap those annoying gnats, flies, and other insects that swarm your container plants. Once it's caught all the bugs (ugh), just toss it right in the trash.
Promising review: "Holy cow these suckers work! I'm so grossed out by the result, but at the same time, I have a sick sense of satisfaction. I used these in my houseplants that are breeding fungus gnats. I used them in conjunction with beneficial nematodes, and they definitely cut down on the number of gnats in our house. Unfortunately, I added a new houseplant, plus repotted one that had outgrown its prior home, and we are wrapped up in them again. I'm buying another package of sticky traps as soon as I finish this review!" —Megan
Get it from Amazon for $5.99.
8. A Seeding Square kit to make evenly sowing your seeds so easy, even kids can jump in and help! And those perfectly spaced rows will be *so* satisfying to look at every time.
It also comes with a measuring stick called a dibbler that pushes down the dirt to the correct depth for you to drop your seeds. The holes are color coded to let you know exactly where to plant seeds of different varieties.
Promising review: "Love this thing! I have been gardening for a while, and this takes all of the guess work out of spacing. I used this for the first time this spring using the planting chart/guide, and it has worked out perfectly. I have had little to no weeds (I mean come on, you're gonna get some weeds). Planting per the Seed Square will for the most part choke out the weeds, while promoting growth for the plants. I even used this to plant growing plants and not just seeds. Just put the square on the ground, used the stick to mark the spot, and dug a hole where it was marked. Simple enough. Would highly recommend. Super easy!" —Jennifer Geisel
Get it from Amazon for $29.95.
9. Or a back-saving gardening claw that creates 17 evenly spaced holes at once for planting seeds — work smarter, not harder!
Gardinnovations is a Bridgewater, New Jersey-based small biz that specializes in gardening tools and accessories.
Promising review: "Okay, I'm a gadget fan, and this is a GREAT gadget. At 17 inches long, it works for any kind of in ground, container, or raised bed. Good weight, sturdy. Gives nice, straight, easy-to-space rows. The points are 1 inch apart. Nice spacing for easy thinning, or just seed every second or third or fourth divot depending on what you are planting. For those who think it might be too deep, easy enough to adjust that for your needs. Have personally found that even lettuces come up stronger for slightly deeper than recommended planting depth, then again, live in the hot dry desert. All in all, a great idea and good quality tool." —Candace Delaney
Get it from Gardinnovations on Etsy for $24.61 (originally $28.95).
10. A hori hori garden knife you'll wonder how you've ever lived without, since it can be used to pop out weeds, dig small holes, cut roots, and more. It even comes with a sharpening stone *and* a 5-year warranty — so even if you're hard on your gardening tools, this is one that's up to the task.
Promising review: "I rarely leave a review unless I think something is truly an excellent product. This is the BEST hori hori I've ever owned! I've owned several during the last 20 years, and this one stands the test of time. I'm not always easy on some of my gardening tools; this knife has routinely been left outside in the dirt, rain or shine. It's still in excellent shape after seven long years. I decided to buy a second one for my greenhouse. It's comfortable in the hand, strong enough to cut roots with the serrated edge, and long enough to use for planting bulbs, prying up weeds, and digging holes for 6-inch pots. If you only buy one tool, this is it." —nancy thompson
Get it from Amazon for $22.95 (also available with a leather sheath style that includes a sharpener for the serrated edge too).
11. A set of ant bait stakes that'll help you reclaim your garden from the infestation of ants that have made it their home, potentially harming your plants and biting you while you work in your beds. These'll eliminate their colonies without the use of toxic insecticides that may harm bees, butterflies, and outdoor pets.
Promising review: "These really do work! We had a big ant infestation in the garden, with four separate nests. I was worried about using these with the dogs in the yard, so the night before we left on a week's vacation, we set up about 10 of these traps, putting them right beside the nests. As soon as we got home we picked up all the traps (ALL the bait was gone) so the dogs could not get to them, and we noticed that all of the nests were no longer active. It WORKED. We now put them outside our fence line so the dogs cant get to them, and it seemed to keep the ants out of the yard all summer. My only issue is they can get messy. You have to be sure to hold them straight up after you clip off the tab and open the trap, otherwise the liquid bait inside will spill out." —pboy
Get a pack of 12 from Amazon for $11.41.
12. Cloning paste for your house plants that are currently stagnating and seemingly not producing new leaves or blooms — this stuff can help stimulate new growth so your plant bbs can once again ~flourish~. It's made for orchids, but you can use this paste on all sorts of plants, like begonias, string of pearls, and pothos.
Here's how it works: Find a node and peel away the bract to reveal the bud. Apply a small amount of the paste, and in two to eight weeks, a clone will grow out of the node!
Check out the TikTok about this paste for more deets.
Promising review: "This product is just AMAZING!!! I waited a few months before writing this review because I wanted to test the product first. I am just AMAZED! I have to say...depending on the season and the place on the spike where you apply it, you either get a keiki or new flower spike (which is awesome!). Based on my experiments, the lower on the spike, the more chances to get a keiki. The higher on the spike, the more chances to get a new flower spike. If you apply it during winter (tropical area winter), you will more likely get flower spikes. If you apply it during summer (tropical areas), you will more likely get a keiki — at least that's what I observed!" —Anne-Isabelle Bonifassi
Get it from Amazon for $16.97.
13. A nontoxic disposable hanging fly trap with a smelly bait buzzing pests simply can't resist. After the bag fills out, all you have to do is dispose of it! Now you can focus on your weeding and harvesting without constantly swatting around your face.
This non-toxic fly bait attracts flies from a distance of 30-40 feet, and you'll want to position it at least 20 feet away from where you'll be most of the time, as the smell is *not* pleasant for humans.
Promising review: "Great product. In the first few days, I saw more flies in my life than I have ever seen in my garden ever. After a couple of days, the water in the bag started turning black, and hundreds of dead flies in there. Originally I got this product because I have a lime tree that flies laid eggs in the soil. After a couple days I don’t see any more flies emerging from the soil. Smells like week old fish market but a great product, does exactly was advertised." —Chris
Get two bags from Amazon for $14.99 (also available in packs of four and eight).
14. A deer-repelling spray because you love Bambi, but you *don't* want him nibbling around on the flowers and veggies in your garden.
Promising review: "I have bought this twice and am ordering my third bottle now. We live in Maryland, north of DC, and behind a wooded preserve with a high population of deer who are brazen in their approach to eating vegetation. This has saved my hydrangeas, sedum, and even my gorgeous gigantic mums bought from Costco, all of which had been devoured by the deer until I found this product. I put it on once a month. The smell is strong but not offensive." —KSwan
Get it from Amazon for $15.99 (also available in larger sizes and packs).
15. LED grow lights ensuring your seedlings get the proper amount of light needed for them to ~flourish~ — and to help struggling houseplants as well! It has a built-in timer, a flexible gooseneck for angling the light, and a clamp so it can attach to the edge of your table.
The timer function has three options: 4 hours, 8 hours, or 12 hours — and it follows a 24-hour cycle, so you can set it to turn on for eight hours every day, for example.
Promising review: "My favorite time of year is starting seeds for our vegetable garden. I previously relied on sunlight from our windows but decided to try a grow light this year. Our germination rate since using those grow light dramatically improved. I love how the light has different brightness settings and can also be set to a timer. It's also so easy to use that my elementary-aged children turn it on every morning and set the timer as one of their chores. Since it is flexible and stays in place well, I'm able to direct light to two different trays on separate shelves with just this one light. Excellent grow light! Would make a great gift for any gardener!" —Melissa
Get it from Amazon for $22.99+ (available in two wattage levels).
16. Some plant covers to protect your precious garden beds from bugs, cold weather, or strong sun with a lightweight barrier that still allows air and moisture to reach your plants.
Promising review: "This plant cover is thicker than others that I have purchased and lasts a lot longer. I have it covering my Brussels sprouts right now. The temps are getting hotter so I use it to shade my plants. It is also great to cover my squash plants to keep out the squash vine moths and borers." —C. Dryman
Get it from Amazon for $16.99.
17. Or smaller mesh plant covers for protecting single plants like tomatoes, blueberries, and strawberries from insects and other pests that will try to nibble away at your poor plants. These have a drawstring design that lets you secure them at the base.
These help protect them against bad weather as well!
Promising review: "Love the size of these nets. I'm trying my hand at growing tomatoes in pots this year. My friends have told me about their issues with birds, critters and insects, and these nets seem perfect. They fit perfectly over the cages, and I particularly like the drawstring on the bottom to safeguard any invaders. There's no problem watering the plants through the net and plenty of sun and air get through." —Debbie Cetin
Get a pack of two from Amazon for $16.99 (also available in a three-pack).
18. A hose timer because watering is essential, but remembering to turn on the sprinklers when you have a million other things going on is...sometimes difficult. This lets you program your watering schedule so your plants are never left thirsting for moisture, AND you're never hit with a huge water bill because you forgot to turn it off.
Twist it onto your faucet (or faucet splitter), then screw in your hose, and run out your sprinkler. It also has a rain delay button to delay the next watering by 24, 48, or 72 hours so your plants don't get *too* much water.
Promising review: "I have a small garden area that does not get water from my sprinkler system, so I run a soaker hose from the spigot. More than once, I turned it on and forgot about it until the next day, getting a huge water bill. This timer gives me peace of mind that my garden area is watered properly and saves me money. Very easy to program." —Maureen
Get it from Amazon for $29.99.
19. A 10-pack of reusable seed-starting trays letting you create little greenhouses for those tiny seedlings so they can germinate. They have adjustable vents for regulating the temp and humidity, drain holes at the bottom, and a clear top for observing their growth.
Promising review: "This tray is sturdy and the perfect size for new gardeners or for gardeners who have a smaller garden. Even established gardeners can take advantage of this space-saving tray. Seeds all grow at different rates, and you should be planting the seeds at the right timing so they are ready to transplant outside. Once you plant the seeds, you should not take the dome off until about 50% of seeds have germinated or popped through the soil. You also shouldn’t have to water again, if you watered properly when planting, until those sprouts pop out. So this means that anything you plant in a tray should all be expected to pop through the soil at about the same time or you run the risk of overwatering or removing the dome too soon. These smaller trays will help solve all those problems and make things much easier for you. It makes planting the seeds more manageable." —Lexi
Get it from Amazon for $18.99+ (available in three colors).
20. A compact rotating compost bin that'll innovate your gardening process and save money long-term by turning your food scraps and yard waste into rich, high-quality soil your plants and flowers will thrive in. It's also not as much of an eyesore as other composters and will fit neatly in between your garden beds.
Promising review: "I balked at first at how pricey this was, but now I can say it was worth it. I fill it once a week, added some dry twigs and leaves from sweeping the driveway, added a little water, and I've got the start of some really rich soil nutrients. Don't believe the reviews that say you'll have good compost after one month. I've owned this since the beginning of summer (it's now almost fall), live in Denver where the unit gets really hot, and I'm just now getting some good stuff out of the unit. I turn it three full revolutions once a week after adding kitchen waste, and that's it. I feel good knowing I'm being environmentally-friendly while creating great nutrients for my smallish herb and flower garden. The unit is attractive — pretty unobtrusive — so don't worry about it making your yard look ugly. It's the best-looking one I found. If you're serious about composting but don't want to work too hard at it, and don't want to spend hours putting together a cheaper unit, this one's for you." —ETG
Get it from Amazon for $349.99+ (available in two colors and two sizes).
21. An expandable wall gardening system so you can start using your fences and walls as vertical growing space for flowers, herbs, and veggies. This genius system even has a built-in adjustable dripper (when you hook the planters up to a hose) to handle watering for you!
Promising review: "Where have these been all my life?! I have always grown herbs and had a garden the traditional way (in pots or in a garden bed). I love these because my husband and I travel a lot, so we're able to hook these babies up to a water source and timer...and voila!!!! Plants are stayin' alive! I bought three panels, but am going to order more and do a whole wall of the house." —Yee Jensen
Get an eight-pot section from Amazon for $99.
22. And a stackable planter for another vertical gardening solution, with ample room for your flowers, herbs, and small veggies to grow and absorb sunlight. Imagine this with some adorable strawberry plants inside! 😍
Mr. Stacky is a small business that makes vertical plant growing products.
Promising review: "I absolutely love this! I have used it to plant strawberries, lemon balm, English ivy, creeping Jenny, cauliflower on top, lavender, oregano, and parsley. It hooks together easily, and it can be taken apart if you have to move it. It normally stays outside; however, we are having a winter freeze right now, so I had to bring it in. I am constantly sending the link to my friends and family because they love it also." —Cynthia Stoker
Get it from Amazon for $36.95 (available in four colors).
23. A five-pack of potato growing bags if your love for potatoes (and all of their wonderful cooked forms) is so boundless, you're ready to start growing them yourself. If you're NOT ready to start a self-sustainable potato operation, don't worry: You can use these for other vegetables like tomatoes as well as herbs!
Promising review: "We bought the bags to try growing vegetables, herbs, and fruit (tomatoes). We travel full-time so the ease of transportation is terrific. Using new potting soil, and so far, all the plants have grown and produced well. The bags are holding up, and we plan on using them next year." —Paula
Get it from Amazon for $19.99+ (available in two sizes).
24. An AeroGarden indoor herb-growing system, complete with its own automated LED light and water level indicator — no soil needed! Try your hand at growing your own herbs or small vegetables indoors — all you have to do is drop your seeds in, fill the bowl with water and some plant food, and plug it in!
The AeroGarden Sprout comes with a free seed kit to get you started with three herbs (Genovese basil, curly parsley, and dill). You can also pick up one of AeroGarden's Grow Anything kits if you want to use your own seeds in the future! If you're interested in growing more, there are a variety of AeroGardens in bigger sizes as well as seed kits that let you grow cherry tomatoes, petunias, salad greens, and more.
Promising review: "I have three of the AeroGardens in different sizes. This size is perfect for herbs you use use all the time. The compact size fits anywhere. The system comes with fertilizer. You fill the reservoir, add the fertilizer, put the pods in and plug it in. The timer for the correct amount of light is preset, so make sure you put the unit in a place where the light won’t bother you. It also reminds you to add fertilizer. Once the plant is hardy enough, you can plant in soil or leave it on your counter in water. I love it!" —Nicki
Get it from Amazon for $66.68+ (available in two colors).
25. Solar-powered light-up flowers designed to come on as the sun goes down, transforming your garden into a whimsical fairyland. You can arrange them in your garden beds and next to real flowers for a magical effect at night.
Promising review: "Love it! Looks beautiful at night, and guests love them! Planning on ordering more soon! Works in all weather, rain, snow, heat! Just need sunlight! Only con is probably not a con, but they only stay lit at night for approximately two and a half hours. That’s fine because we head to bed, so it’s perfect for us! Highly recommended!" —Damon R. Jackson
Get a six-pack from Amazon for $39.99 (also available in a 10-pack).
26. Or a two-pack of solar-powered garden lights that look like little fireflies so you can enjoy your gorgeous flowers and landscaping at night as well as during the day.
Promising review: "I am totally obsessed with these lights. I bought my first set and had them for about a week and couldn’t get over how lovely they were. So I have now purchased two more sets. They light up my flowers and azalea bushes beautifully. They have a lovely orange glow like little fireflies." —A Lombardo
Get a two-pack from Amazon for $19.98 (available as a four- or six-pack).
27. A Stab-A-Nut if gum balls in your garden are the bane of your existence, especially with how your back feels after an hour of picking them up. This clever tool lets you quickly collect gum balls (along with walnuts, chestnuts, and macadamia nuts) without having to bend over.
Promising review: "Bought this for my dad whose back gets to barking picking up the thousands of sweet gum balls...pokey balls as we call 'em. He's used it a few times now and says it definitely helps his back and doesn't take too much extra time, if any, than doing it by hand. He says you do have to play around a little bit to get used to adjusting the head around as you're picking them up so you can fit as many as possible in the fingers before emptying. But it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. It works picking up from rocks (without picking up the rocks) and in grass as well as hard surfaces. Although these aren't the cheapest items to purchase and don't replace the shoveling of large piles, they do seem to work as advertised when going around picking up the random scattered ones if you can't shell out the $$$ for the larger machines this company makes." —Eric
Get it from Amazon for $64.99 (also available with a collection bag).
28. A pack of Velcro garden ties that are easier to use than basic twine or wire, softer on your plants, and REUSABLE from season to season — so a money-saver, too. You can cut them to whatever length you need!
Promising review: "These straps work pretty well and can be easily expanded since it’s using Velcro to stick together. I use it for my zucchini plant and fruit trees. It holds well and seems to be easier on the plant stems since it’s much wider than the wired alternatives. I recommend giving extra buffer when cutting. This way you can expand as the plants grow. These are much easier to adjust than my old wire setup." —DivideByZero
Get it from Amazon for $3.98+ (available in five sizes).
The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.