Best Garden Tools for Beginners: The Essential Guide

When I started gardening, it took a couple of years to realize that using the best garden tools possible for beginners was the route to a successful season. The tools I invested in have lasted me years, and they continue to provide the quality and reliability I need. 

If you’re new to gardening, you might wonder what tools are worth your money. Or maybe you have a gardening friend or family member who would love to improve their garden, and you’re looking for a guide to figure out which tools are worthwhile. At Epic, we have plenty of options. 

Because we know the holiday season has passed, and you’re probably burnt out on shopping, we’ve developed a handy list of items that give gardeners that extra boost. These are the best garden tools for beginners, and each one has lasting power. 

Seed Starting Kit

The Ultimate Seed Starting Kit

The Ultimate Seed Starting Kit

Our 6-Cell Seed Starting Tray was built with both the ease of gardening in mind. The large finger holes at the bottom of our Seed Starting Trays make it easy to remove plants without tools—just push them out with your finger! In addition, their durability is unmatched.

Buy at Epic Gardening Shop

In gardening, everything starts with a seed, so having a place to sow them is essential! This seed-starting bundle is a complete kit designed to help beginners start their seeds with ease.

The large finger holes at the bottom of our seed starting trays make it easy to remove plants without tools. In addition, their rigid, yet flexible and practically unbreakable structure is meant to last the rest of your life. You can skip the flimsy starter pots and trays that don’t last more than one or two seasons.

The kit comes with a bottom tray that makes it possible to water from the bottom, keeping things clean and simple when you start seeds indoors. Each one holds up to twelve 6-Cell starter trays.

The included grow light gets you ahead of the season. You can sow your plants in a controlled environment where they develop strong stems and supple leaves. It gives you just the right level of lighting to support your tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings as they grow indoors.

If you’re looking for something just as substantial without the bells and whistles, consider the Essential Seed Starting Kit or the Premium Seed Starting Kit, which is somewhere between the two. 

Metal Raised Bed

Medium Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed Kit – 15” Tall

Medium Modular Metal Raised Garden Bed Kit – 15” Tall

Level up your garden setup with these beautiful hard-working beds. They’re built from Alzuinc Steel, an ultra-durable material that’s crafted to withstand the elements and have a structural lifespan of over 20 years. That means decades of better drainage, healthier soil, longer growing seasons, and bountiful harvests.

Buy at Epic Gardening Shop

Once you have seeds ready to go, you need a place to plant them! Level up your garden with a metal raised bed. These Birdies Originals are built from Alzuinc Steel, an ultra-durable material crafted to withstand the elements for over 20 years. 

The Medium Raised Metal Bed is great for urban and suburban gardeners. Choose from six different shape options, ranging from 4’x3’ to 7’x2’. At 15 inches tall, your plants have extra room to grow. It’s the perfect height for kids, and it’s durable, thoughtfully designed, and available in four colors. 

These beds bring style to your garden while putting in serious work season after season. They’re easy to assemble, requiring no tools other than a Phillips head screwdriver. They’re also 100% Food-Safe with non-toxic, USDA-approved paint that adds vibrant color to your garden.

For longer configurations, use the reinforced bracing kit, which adds extra support to keep them sturdy and upright. Whether you’re dreaming of a butterfly garden, herb garden, salad patch, or a veggie haven, a metal raised bed is one of the best garden tools for beginners.

Vertical Planter

GreenStalk 7-Tier Vertical Planter

GreenStalk 7-Tier Vertical Planter

The GreenStalk 7-Tier Vertical Planter makes it easy to grow up to 42 plants. Whether you’re short on space or want to maximize your harvest, this patented, soil-based system helps you turn any patio, balcony, or backyard into a thriving garden.

Buy at Epic Gardening Shop

The GreenStalk 7-Tier Vertical Planter, with its seven tiers, each with six pockets, makes it easy to grow up to 42 plants on a small footprint. Whether you’re short on space or want to maximize your harvest, this patented, soil-based system helps you turn any patio, balcony, or backyard into a thriving garden.

Greenstalks are durable, food-safe, and made in the USA. They’re crafted in East Tennessee from high-quality, food-grade, UV-resistant plastic that’s BPA, BPS, and PVC-free. Each planter is sturdy, built to last outdoors, and backed by a 5-year warranty for peace of mind.

Watering is easy with this planter. Just fill the top water reservoir and let the planter do the rest of the work. This patented irrigation system distributes the right amount of water to each tier to keep every plant hydrated from top to bottom.

With this tool, you’ll have room to grow almost anything. With the seven-inch deep pockets, you can grow a wide variety of plants like herbs, leafy greens, strawberries, peppers, flowers, and even root vegetables. If you don’t need 42 pockets, consider a GreenStalk 5-Tier Vertical Planter instead.

Field Guide to Urban Gardening

Field Guide to Urban Gardening

Field Guide to Urban Gardening

In Field Guide to Urban Gardening, author Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening shares the basics of growing plants, offers tips on how to choose the right urban gardening method, and troubleshoots the most common problems you’ll encounter.

Buy at Epic Gardening Shop

Among the best garden tools for beginners is the right source for information about growing plants to yield epic harvests. In Field Guide to Urban Gardening, author and founder of Epic Gardening, Kevin Espiritu, shares the basics of growing plants, offers tips on how to choose the right methods, and troubleshoots the most common problems gardeners encounter.

But he doesn’t stop there. He also provides in-depth garden plans, from upcycled DIY projects and intensive hydroponic systems to beautiful and functional raised beds. Urban gardening is a real, growing, and important movement in today’s world. This fact-packed book is your roadmap to growing today.

Grow Bags

Epic Grow Bags – Lined

Epic Grow Bags – Lined

Our lined grow bags are great throughout the hot, dry summer months. A lot of sunlight? No problem. The grow bag and liner are UV-treated for long-term use. Each grow bag has a unique retaining strip to keep drip lines organized and neat.

Buy at Epic Gardening Shop

If you don’t have the space for a raised bed, or you’d like to incorporate even more plants into your garden, consider grow bags! Epic’s BPA-free grow bags have a unique liner system that allows the soil to retain moisture while encouraging air-pruned roots, creating a denser, more fibrous rootball. 

Lined grow bags are great throughout the hot, dry summer months. Each grow bag and liner is UV-treated for long-term use, and has a unique retaining strip to keep drip lines organized and neat. 

Crops like lettuce and herbs will thrive in the 5-gallon bags. Grow larger crops such as peppers, eggplant, and tomato in the 10- or 15-gallon sizes. Use the 60-gallon size can to house many smaller plants as a raised bed alternative, or for a large plant such as a young tree or moderate to large shrub. 

Grow bags are great in locations with poor soil, high weed pressure, or a lack of drainage. Epic bags are much thicker than average grow bags, ensuring you can grow for years. Next to a raised bed, grow bags are some of the best garden tools for beginners who want to dip into gardening without taking up a ton of space.

Epic Seeds

You may have noticed a slight change in what we do here at Epic in the last couple of years. That change involves the most essential and best garden tools every beginner needs: seeds! Epic Seeds are beginner-friendly varieties in eco-friendly packaging. 

This new line embodies our commitment to nurturing both plants and people, making gardening approachable, fun, and enriching. Each packet includes a QR code linking to comprehensive online resources, providing ongoing support throughout the gardening process.

With 40 varieties to choose from, there’s certainly at least a few seeds you want to grow in your beginner garden. If you don’t see your favorite plant among this line, check out our sister company, Botanical Interests, for even more high-quality, non-GMO goodness.