For those that love nature, there are few careers better than being a professional gardener. This is physical work that allows you to enjoy spending time outside and in nature, getting your hands dirty and creating and maintaining beautiful outdoor areas. In addition to this, gardeners benefit from a flexible schedule, a healthy salary and job security.
What You Need
It is easy to see why so many people eye gardening as a career, but in order to find success as a gardener, you will need much more than just a love of the outdoors. You will also need training and qualifications as well as a range of tools that you can use to maintain gardens whether this is for a private company/residence or a public space.
Key Tools
So, what are a few essential tools that every gardener needs to have in their collection? Here are a few essentials that you cannot be without:
Gloves: Gloves provide important protection while working with your hands
Hand trowel: Hand trowels can be used for digging, smoothing and moving small amounts of soil or other material.
Watering Can: A lot of gardening work involves watering plants and a watering can is the best way to do this.
Spade: A garden spade is an ideal tool for digging, removing plants and transporting – all key tasks in gardening.
Fork: Garden forks can be used to aerate the soil, dig beds, mix compost and much more. It is a workhorse that you will get a tremendous amount of usage out of.
Battery leaf blower: A gardener will be responsible for keeping the lawn and other areas of the garden looking pristine. A battery leaf blower allows you to easily gather and collect leaves and other debris into manageable piles.
Hoe: A garden hoe is another multi-purpose tool that will be used a lot. You can use hoes to cultivate the garden, dislodge weeds and for tilling amounts many other purposes.
Weeder: Weeds are a gardener’s worst enemy and you will need the right tools in your arsenal to combat weeds (an ongoing battle). A weeder is another key tool for weeding the garden that should help you to stay on top.
Safety
In addition to all of the above, a professional gardener also needs PPE and to wear this at appropriate times. This is likely to include goggles, gloves, steel toe boots and other items. This can prevent cuts, infections and more serious issues that can arise when working as a gardener. Having a first aid kit and knowing basic first aid is also important.
It is easy to see why many people look to gardening as a career and it can certainly bring many benefits. It is not an easy job, though, and you need to make sure that you have the right tools at your disposal to perform to a high standard.
