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 pair of comfy, waterproof clogs because your shoes will get covered in mud and these are super easy to clean — just spray 'em with your hose or wipe them down. Plus, they come in cute styles and colors!
Promising review: "The insoles are removable so you can use your own insoles in these — added bonus. Also the heel area underneath the 'factory' insole is built up some to provide extra cushion in that area. I bought these to use outside in the garden when it is a little too wet so I don't mess up my better shoes. They are a smooth design that should keep my feet clean for quick times outside, yet are a solid design so as to not allow my feet to get dirty and need a foot bath before coming in the house. As well, these shoes will spray off easily when dirty." —jamieLeigh
Get them from Amazon for $34.99+ (available in women's sizes 6–11 and 29 different colors/patterns).
2. An adjustable gardening bench so you can kneel down without scraping your legs or hurting your back. This bench has soft padding for your knees, handles on the sides to help you stand up, and it can turn into a seat when you flip it over. You can even hang a tool pouch on it for easy access!
BTW, this includes a tool pouch.
Promising review: "This is great for the garden. Keeps my knees out of the stickers and the padding is very comfortable, helps me get up and down — easy to maneuver around the garden and in between the rows. Haven't tried sitting on it but I'm heavy and this feels very sturdy under me. Pockets deep enough for tools and seed packets, easy to remove and wash if necessary." —Cpt Dragon
Get it from Amazon for $32.99.
3. A pair of stainless-steel gardening shears because you'll need them to clip, cut, and trim your plants. Reviewers say they're great for beginners. Plus, they're lightweight.
Promising review: "I needed something sharp and small enough for deadheading smaller blooms but that would also do well with any size of bloom. These are my new favorite pair. They're sharp and easy to use. The small push lock that keeps the blades locked closed is very easy to unlock and relock. I would highly recommend these to any gardener professional or hobbyist like me." —JoJo
Get it from Amazon for $5.99 (available in three colors, two blade types, and various multi-packs).
4. A plant supporter to help your plant that can use a little extra support staying upright (it's what the pros use). And, if you're worried that it'll ruin the whole vibe you're creating with an eyesore, they're powder-coated green to camouflage with your garden.
Promising review: "These plant supports each consist of two semi circles that fit together to encircle the plant. I have two snake plants that are getting taller and needed support. These plant stakes are working perfectly. They can easily be inserted into the soil to the desired height, and the green color obscures their appearance. My plants look prettier and stronger now that they are standing tall." —A.Consumer
Get it from Amazon for $16.99 (also available in an two-pack).
5. And a pack of ringed plant stakes for your indoor or potted plants to prevent them from hunching over. These will keep your plants standing upright and tall.
Promising review: "These fit perfectly around most of my indoor plants that need help growing in an upright position. The green color blends in with the plant and you don't even notice it's there. If you are trying to use these for much bigger plants, the cage may not fit around the trunk of your plant." —Melissa M.
Get a pack of four from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in a eight-pack).
6. A garden colander so you can gather all of your fruits and veggies from your garden and wash them in the same basket. You could even rinse them outside with your hose so you won't get dirt in your kitchen sink.
Promising review: "I have several fruit trees (orange, lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, pomegranate, and persimmons) and so I decided to try out this colander/basket to make the job of collecting fruit a little easier. It does its job well and allows me to easily hose off the fruit after collection. I can’t fill it more than halfway with fruit, though, or else it gets too heavy. It’s also useful to tote the fruits to my workplace and share them with everyone." —Melody R.
Get it from Amazon for $17.56+ (available in four colors and two sizes).
7. A pair of gardening gloves with extra long sleeves to protect you from thorns, mosquito bites, and even poison ivy while you're tending to your garden. And, they come in cute colors and patterns — because who said you couldn't look fashionable while digging in the dirt?
Nompi Glove Company is a woman-run small business based in New Jersey that makes garden gloves with long, pretty sleeves. The idea came to founder Lynne Eichenbaum after she contracted poison ivy while tending to her vegetable garden.
Promising review: "Just as pictured. Made well. Great idea. I don’t need expensive leather things. I will get a lot of use of these picking berries and trimming prickly bushes!" —Amy
Get it from Nompi Glove Company on Etsy for $22.50 (available in three sizes).
8. A pack of seeds that contain 20 of the most popular veggies so you can grow your own produce like beets, cucumbers, cabbage, and tomatoes. Think of all the sauces, salads, and meals you can make using vegetables that you've grown yourself.
Each pack includes 1,300+ seeds consisting of zucchini, eggplant, beet, pumpkin, butternut squash, cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, rapini rabe, celery, cucumber, kohlrabi, radish, bell pepper, cayenne pepper, okra, Brussels sprout, beefsteak tomato, and cherry tomato.
Promising review: "I purchased it for my mother as a gift and I absolutely love the product. Huge variety and very affordable price! The package looks great and each seed bag is individually labeled along with a QR that takes you directly to all the information you need pertaining to that type of vegetables. Love it." —V. G
Get it from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a a variety of 15, 25, and 40 veggie seeds).
9. A "Little Dibby" because it's a two-in-one tool that'll make it easier for you to plant seeds and transplant seedlings. One end helps you make holes that are the right depth for your seeds (it has notches to help you measure), and the other end gently pulls out delicate plants so they can be transferred to bigger pots or outdoors.
Spoken Garden is a small business that sells gardening tools and ebooks.
Promising review: "I love this little tool. It is really good at transferring little seedlings. Very useful." —Nicky Roberts
Get it from Spoken Garden on Etsy for $8.95 (available in five colors).
10. A pack of food spikes if you haven't developed a green thumb quite yet. These will provide food for your plants for up to two months so you won't have to worry too much about forgetting to fertilize them or check the soil for a few days.
For best results, replace spikes every 30 days in spring and summer; replace every 60 days in winter and fall.
Promising review: "I swear by these plant food spikes!!! The package says they are for indoor plants, but I actually use them for all of my outdoor plants, especially my herbs. I first tried these after planting some basil and other herbs that seemed to be taking an eternity to grow. I figured I'd give them a try since they were so inexpensive and wow!!!!! Within just a few days, my plants had grown more than double what they had grown in the previous several weeks!! One of my friends (who also enjoys gardening) came over to my house and was in awe of how big and healthy all of my herbs were. When I told her about these spikes, she went straight from my house to purchase some and had the exact same growth results." —GatorDO17
Get a pack of 48 spikes from Amazon for $10.95 (also available in various packs).
Read our full review of the Miracle Grow plant food spikes.
11. A standing weeder so you won't have to kneel to pluck out weeds — your back and knees will thank you. This genius tool has three steel claws that will help you to remove weeds and roots while standing.
Grampa's Gardenware Co. is a small, family-owned business based in Oregon making tools for gardening.
Promising review: "Oh my god, I friggin' love this tool. I bought this on a whim given we bought our first house and know nothing about caring for a yard. Boy has it come in handy. Our new house had a ton of weeds in the front yard and this tool helped me get most of them out in no time. In fact, the process of yanking out the weed was strangely satisfying! I don't think anyone can say that weeding is fun but this tool made it as close to fun as you can get, especially when you see a long root along with the weed you pulled." —JG
Get it on Amazon for $44.99.
12. A pair of knee pads because reviewers who use them while gardening say "they make a huge difference," and they're really comfortable. Now, you won't have to worry about kneeling on hard or rough surfaces while rearranging borders around your new flowerbed.
Promising review: "These are the best knee pads I have ever used, for sure. Nice and soft feeling. They allow me to stay on my knees for an extended period of time without getting uncomfortable. I have worn them for nine-hour working days without any issues with fit, adjustment, or comfort. If you put them in place they will stay in place. They have great cushioning and are very comfortable, but in my opinion what really makes them better than most other knee pads on the market is the fact that they have two adjustable straps with slip buckles instead of one of the straps being Velcro. You can attach them very easily and because you’re able to tighten them better than Velcro, they will stay in place. The straps are of good elasticity, so they won’t start hurting you even when they are really tight." —Shannon Huett
Get them from Amazon for $29.99+ (available in two versions).
13. A custom sign so no one else can ~stake~ claim to your new garden. I mean, after all that hard work, why not name your new oasis after yourself? Go ahead, take all the credit.
Langley Metal Works is a small biz thats personalizable metal signs and decor.
Promising review: "I can’t wait to gift this! It’s great quality, and exceeds my expectations! Exceptional customer service! She responded to all of my questions in a timely manner! I’d buy this item all over again just from how great this overall experience was!" —Kassie Kotrick
Get it from Langley Metal Works on Etsy for $32.50+ (originally $50+; available in 20 colors and three sizes).
14. A pack of Miracle-Gro water-storing crystals because when you're new to gardening, you can use all the help you can get. These will make sure you won't over or under-water your plants. Just mix it in with your soil and the crystals will work like magic to absorb water and then release it later.
Promising review: "Love this soil additive! But, be careful to add just a little at a time! I have used this product for the last 15 years, as a High School Horticulture teacher. Really comes in handy when school is closed for the holidays! I could come in once over the holidays and water my plants, and they looked great! I always put some crystals in a bowl, about 2 or 3 tablespoons and add water, to expand them before I add them to the soil. (I’ve cracked a couple of nice pots not doing this.) I also add fertilizer to the water, so the crystals take up the fertilizer as they expand. The crystals release their water to the roots as the plant dries out, so you will see the soil level retreat, an easy cue to add more water!" —Roseann R.
Get it from Amazon for $11.99 (also available in a two-pack).
15. A set of vegetable, fruit, and herb markers so you don't make the rookie mistake of forgetting what seeds you planted in each pot. This will come in handy since plants practically look alike in the beginning, but can require different care.
Wood N Sparks Co is a small business based in Montana making wooden garden markers and metal signs.
BTW: If you don't see an option for your fruit, herb, or veggie, there's an option to customize one at no additional cost!
Promising review: "These were great! Perfect size and nice quality. Ordered a variety of different herb and vegetable sticks including some custom and they all came out exactly as ordered and described." —Lauren
Get it from Wood N Sparks Co on Etsy for $1.75 a stick (originally $1.95).
16. The Complete Gardener's Guide by Simon Akeroyd to help you figure out all the basics. This book will help you learn how to sow, plant, and prune. It'll also give you tips on choosing the right plants, how to design borders, and even how to protect your veggie patch.
Promising review: "I bought a new home in the woods and haven’t really gardened before. The previous owners already had a very impressive garden. Me being new to the scene, I wanted to learn as much as possible to keep up my garden beautiful, fresh, and healthy. This book has everything a first-timer like myself could need. From plans, designs, sowing, pruning etc. I was also excited about the fruit and vegetable section, as I plan to grow my own. I definitely recommend the Complete Gardener’s Guide book. It just arrived today and I’ve been flipping through bunny earring pages all night. Excited to prune my rose bushes tomorrow after reading the section on them." —QueenJ
Get the hardcover book from Amazon for $16.59 (also available in a spiral-bound book).
17. A six-piece gardening tool set because you'll need them for all the various tasks ahead like digging, weeding, and planting. Reviewers say it's "great for all your gardening needs, big and small."
This set includes a trowel, a five-teeth rake, a nine-teeth leaf rake, a double hoe with three prongs, a cultivator, and a weeder.
Promising review: "If you are looking for quality in a set of garden hand tools this is the set for you. Every hand tool I can possibly use. Buy the set, you won't be sorry!" —Bobbie
Get a six-piece set from Amazon for $29.99 (also available in a three-piece set in two styles).
18. A garden dump cart that'll make carrying plants, bags of dirt, and tools to your yard so much easier. I hate to break it to ya, but gardening requires a lot of heavy lifting — this will be a lifesaver and your back will thank you. And, it even tips over if you need to unload mulch, rocks, or anything heavy instead of having to shovel it out little by little.
Promising review: "So far it is perfect. I use it for a variety of yard tasks — hauled dirt, cleaned up sticks, cleaned out the chicken coop, cleaned up leaves. Works every time and dump function saves a lot of time." —Aliegha Driver
Get it from Amazon for $139.99+.
19. A set of owl decoys because as one reviewer put it, they'll act as "bouncers" for your garden and will scare away pests like birds, squirrels, and more. They will protect your veggies and fruits from getting eaten or your plants from being destroyed by invaders.
Promising reviews: "Birds are constantly crapping on our concrete patio and eating our plants in the garden. These have helped scare them away! I move them around so birds don't get used to them!" —Sentimental
"We placed these on the ground looking out of the garden and change their locations weekly. We no longer had problems with rabbits eating our crops. They are a little smaller than you would think but effective." —Brenda L.
Get a set of two from Amazon for $19.99 (also available in a set of three).
20. A five-tier pot if you are working with a tiny space but have big dreams about your garden. This is perfect for strawberries, herbs, peppers, and even flowers. It uses vertical space if you're low on room. And, the design even prevents overwatering and root rot.
BTW: These can hold up to 20 plants and can be broken into two separate planters if you don't want it to be stacked all together.
Promising review: "Great for novices. Loving our new strawberry station. We've never done this before, so having a Mr Stacky is awesome." —Melissa Toledo
Get it from Amazon for $32.29.
You, tapping into your inner Edward Scissorhands:
