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First aid kit for the garden and gardener

Let’s face it, things happen in the garden and we all need a first aid kit, for both the gardener and the garden. Here’s what you should plan to have in your kit for any situation.

gardener's first aid kit

14 tools you need in your gardener’s first aid kit for the best and worst moments.

Between pests, weeds, and simply planting there’s a handful of tools that will save you and support you in the best and worst moments. Sometimes we forget if we planted squash or zucchini there, or if that’s a weed or a sprout.

Plant markers/labels

Like I just said, sometimes we forget what we planted…right? I do! I have a few plant markers that I’m just now planning to use in my garden. I’ve added these items to my gardener’s first aid kit because it just hurts to know if I’m letting a weed thrive or a sprout.

A good pair of gardening gloves

Every gardener needs a good pair of gloves in their first aid kit. I have a simple pair of gloves that I carry with me at all times. Living in Florida, we get some pretty crazy weeds in our yard, some of which have little thorns or just prickly ‘skin’. It’s not a problem because I own a quality pair of gloves!

An even better paid of no-prick gloves

I don’t own these…YET. A good pair of no-prick gloves, also called rose gloves, are on my wish-list. I have an area where wild blackberries grow and, although they taste yummy, they are SPIKY. I’m forced to pull some of them up to keep a clear walking bath. This is not fun to do without proper gloves.

Diatomaceous earth

One of the most important tools you can have in your first aid kit, for the gardener’s piece of mind AND then garden is diatomaceous earth. Often referred to as “DE”, this fine powder fights a number of bugs organically in your garden. Remember to reapply after it rains!

Bamboo sticks

We all need a good trellis! I’ve found myself looking around in the garden multiple times thinking this could use a trellis or that could be staked! Having bamboo sticks on hand is a great thing for so many reasons.

SuperThrive

A local farm store told me about SuperThrive – a kelp infused fertilizer for your garden. This stuff WORKS y’all. It takes just a small amount to mix with water since it’s highly concentrated. Read the instructions on how often to fertilize your crops so you don’t ‘overfeed’ them. A key item for every gardener’s first aid kit for those hungry seedlings!

Watering can

Do you have parts of the garden you can’t quite reach with a hose? Or maybe you’re scared to watch your delicate seedlings to forcefully, breaking the stems.

I love having a good watering can on hand for times like these. A watering can is also very helpful when apply concentrated fertilizers that need to be mixed with water! I use a can similar to this one with my SuperThrive fertilizer!

A good set of bypass pruners

If you’ve been homesteading for any length of time and you have had a good set of pruners, TREAT YO’SELF NOW. I’ve had a number of pruners over the years because I used to buy them so cheap. Eventually the spring would fall out and they’d be useless.

I finally invested in a good pair of pruners and I’ve had them for a few years now! I make sure to clean them a few times per season. Next on my wish list is a smaller pair of pruners such as a pair of ergo snips or these mini snips for my smaller, more delicate plants like tomatoes and beans.

A garden wagon

I will never stop telling people about this tool that every gardener and homestead should have, whether you consider a part of your first aid kit or not. This wagon has saved my back more times than I can think of. From hauling dirt to dump in gardens to transporting 6 50# bags of feed to the back of the yard, this wagon has been there for it all.

A gardening journal

For the first few years of our homesteading life, I didn’t really keep track of the plants we were growing. #1 to the gardener’s first aid kit is to know what’s going on so you can ‘first aid’ it in the first place.

I’ve used many planners and programs in the past online and this year I’m testing out a physical, handheld planner called The Green Conspiracy planner. Someone on Instagram recommended this plant tracker to me and I fell in love. Each crop I planted now has it’s own profile where I’ll take notes throughout the season. I even allotted a page to each of my fruit trees!

Claw cultivator

With a strong wooden handle and leather strap for storage, this cultivator will help you claw through any piece of tough soil. If you’ve ever tried to dig up a deeply rooted bunch of grass from your gardens, you know why this is a great gardening tool to have in your first aid kit.

A hand trowel (small shovel)

Everyone needs a hand trowel. While giving first aid to your garden and noticing that maybe your tomato plant has fallen ill and you need to remove it, you want to make sure you get the whole plant – including the roots.

Having a quality hand trowel will make digging around the perimeter of that plant enjoyable for both the garden and the gardener.

Weeding tool/garden guru hand weeder

Another one of my wish list (I just learned about these!) is a little hand weeder. From the folks I’ve talked to, these little hand weeders are the best tool to have when you have deep weeds growing close to your crops. You just slide this little weeder down alongside the weed, hook it and pull it!

Spray bottle and soap

I learned from a fellow blogger, Dash from Bloom Where You’re Planted, that a little bit of soapy water will kill squash bugs! It’s seriously the best thing to know because man squash bugs are the worst! All you need is a spray bottle, some water, and a couple drops of soap.

She did warn to not go spray-crazy on all your crops because Dawn soap can ‘burn’ certain sensitive plants. I like to use a heavier duty spray bottle because I forget it outside pretty often and the sun doesn’t wear it down so quickly!

The bottom line

All of us gardeners need a first aid kit equipped with not only band-aides for scratches but things like DE and a hand weeder to fight against the “boo boos” our gardens get. I plan to add a mailbox to my garden space one day to keep my most important tools in. There’s also a plan to build a sturdy, good lookin’ tool station also! What do you keep in your gardener’s first aid kit?

first aid kit for the gardener

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