Contributed by Denise McGill, Catalogs.com Info Guru

It’s everyone’s favorite time of year when the fresh scent of flower blossoms or freshly tilled dirt hangs in the air.

Old man winter has left and the earth is waking up to thrill us with vibrant colors and produce juicy, ripe tomatoes, green beans, or a variety of peppers for the kitchen table. It seems everyone these days is growing their own garden and if their home or apartment doesn’t have access to a garden plot, community gardens are popping up everywhere.

But to assure you have a green thumb, there are some basic essential garden tools every avid gardener must have in their possession to be successful. After all, a prize rose bed or a kettle full of sweet corn needs the utmost care.

These top ten basic, inexpensive garden tools will get you started on the right foot.

10. Watering can

A watering can is a must. For seedlings and young starts, a gentle source of water will make sure tender stems aren’t broken or snapped. A well-meaning long, cool drink from the garden hose can drown out seedlings or break off young buds.

9. Clay pots

For those of you who can’t wait until winter finally gives it up, clay pots let you start your flowers or vegetables indoors. You can later transplant once the ground has warmed to support the plants. These pots are also great for mini windowsill gardens to grow herbs for home cooked meals or put an extra kick to store bought prepared meals!

8. Gardening gloves

These aren’t necessarily essential garden tools, but essential gear for the gardener. A pair of gloves protects your hands from a variety of elements. There are always creepy, crawly things such as spiders in a garden. Gloves keep you from being bitten while rooting around in the dirt. Gloves also protect you from blisters when using garden tools such as hoes and rakes. As an added plus – fingernails stay clean.

7. Rake

And now we get to the essential garden tools that maintain that pristine flower bed or vegetable garden. (Yes, there is some work involved) A garden rake is the perfect choice for keeping your area free of leaves and debris to give any manicured garden a healthy look.

6. Hoe

A basic garden hoe chops out those unsightly weeds that are sure to pop up seemingly overnight. The hoe is also a great tool for scratching out a shallow, uniform trench for planting seeds.

5. Hand spade

A hand spade turns the dirt and digs the hole for transplanting your young starts. Why a spade instead of a shovel? They are lightweight, user friendly and get into those tight places in the garden without destroying neighboring plants.

4. Pruners

Pruners are an essential garden tool as they keep your vegetable plants or flower beds from growing wild and overtaking neighboring plant life. They are light enough to snip delicate flower blossoms for a kitchen vase, yet sturdy enough to trim thorny bushes such as raspberries.

3. Garden claw

The garden claw isn’t as sinister as it looks. In fact, this 3-pronged garden tool loosens the soil so water and moisture can seep through to water the plants roots. Watering an area that has a hard clay-like surface will puddle or run like a rampant river through your plants never reaching root systems. The claw keeps your garden from becoming a hard-packed Saharan desert.

2. Seeds

Seeds are one of the final ingredients to grow an incredible garden. Whether growing Heirloom tomatoes, cool cukes, butter leaf lettuce or fresh herbs, nothing happens without the initial seed. This basket of goodies wouldn’t be possible without quality, premium seeds to guarantee a full bounty.

1. Garden hose

Once your garden or flowerbed is established and has some size to it, the watering can just won’t cut it anymore and that’s where the garden hose with attachable sprinkler head comes to play. The most basic of essential garden tools, yet often taken for granted. The garden hose should be able to handle the volume of water you need for your area. Dragging a hose through the middle of a prize flowerbed because of a “low flow” garden hose is never pretty.