Starting and maintaining a garden rarely has to be an expensive endeavor. There are really only a few essential products for gardening. Surprisingly, many of these are $10 Gardening Products. In other words, you can get what you need for ten dollars or less in each essential category if you’re smart about your purchases. These can all be found on Amazon:

14 Essential Gardening Products

Everyone has their own definition of “essential” when it comes to gardening. That said, here are what I consider the 14 most essential gardening products. Moreover, I’ve included options for each of them at $10 or less.

1. Watering Can or Hose

It’s essential to have a way to water the plants in your garden. If you’re looking for $10 gardening products in this category, here are a few solid options:

Watering Cans:

• Esterno Kids’ Dragon Watering Can. Looking for kids’ watering cans is a great way to get them for under $10. They’re also small and light since they are designed for children to carry. As a result, they are a good option for small gardens as well as for people with weight lifting restrictions.

• The HC Companies 1/2 Gallon Essential Watering Can. Similarly, small capacity adult watering cans are often affordable.

• JDEFEG Hose 12 Ft Bonsai 3L 101oz Long Plants Garden Watering Can. If you’re looking for a larger capacity water can then this is a good option.

Hoses:

It’s a little bit tougher to find hoses in the $10 gardening products section. Consider:

• FHYTGBS Expandable Magic Flexible Garden Hose Pipe, with 7 Function Nozzles, 3 Times Expansion Water Hose. The 25 foot size is under $10. The 175 foot hose is about twice that.
• XCYY brand also has a 25 foot hose for about $10.
• Funjee brand has some 2 foot hoses that are under $10 if you only need a short hose.

Note that if you already have a hose but want a good nozzle, you can find some in the $10 gardening products category. For example, check out the mozeeda brand Garden Hose Sprayer Nozzle for Watering on Amazon.

2. Gardening Gloves

Protect your hands from thorns, prickly plants, and blisters while working in the garden. It’s easy to find good options for gardening gloves under $10 on Amazon. Best picks:

• COOLJOB Gardening Gloves made of foamed latex rubber

• MERTURN Leather Gardening Gloves for Women Thorn Proof Garden Gloves with Touch Screen fingers

• Foamy Claw Gardening Gloves are really unique because they have “claws” on the ends for digging.

• Digz has some really cute designs for gardening gloves.

3. Garden Twine

This is essential for tying up plants, training vines, and providing support to climbing plants. As with gloves, it’s easy to find twine in the $10 gardening products category. In fact, most of the twine you’ll find there, including natural jute as well as synthetic twine, will be under $10.

4. Seed Starting Trays

If you’re going to start plants in the garden from seed, then you’ll find that these are essential. It’s fairly easy to find these under $10. Some options:

• Lawei 30 Pack Seed Starter Tray (for a total of 300 seed starter cells)

• COCONUT & CO. 144 Cells Seedling Starter Trays

• Yuanwovv 40Pcs 3.2″ Peat Pots

• Hanaoyo Reusable Seed Starter Tray (for 24 seed cells per tray)

5. Fertilizer

Fertilizer is an essential component for promoting healthy plant growth. It’s how you provide the necessary nutrients for your garden. You can get many different types of fertilizer. Some good options under $10 on Amazon include:

• Jobe’s Organic 4 lb Fertilizer
• Burpee Natural Purpose 4 Lb Organic Food for Growing Strong Plants
• Scotts All Purpose Flower & Vegetable Continuous Release Plant Food, 3 lb.
• Dr. Earth  1 lb 4-6-3 MINIS Home Grown Tomato, Vegetable and Herb Fertilizer
• Cute Farms Succulent, Cacti, & Aloe Fertilizer, 4 oz.

6. Mulch

Mulch helps maintain soil moisture, regulate temperature, prevent weed growth, and protect the soil. It’s tougher to find mulch than fertilizer in the $10 category but check out:

• SuperMoss Coco Mulch

• Coco Coir Brick for Plants

• Sukh Orchid Potting Mix if you happen to need mulch for orchids

7. Soil pH Testing Kit

This helps you determine the acidity or alkalinity of your soil. With this knowledge, you can choose appropriate plants or make necessary adjustments. Try:

• Viagrow VPHTK pH Kit Drops Complete with Testing Vial, 1.4 oz
• MEASUREMAN 3-in-1 Moisture/Light/pH Soil Tester
• Gain Express Soil pH, Moisture & Light Meter 3 Way Tester Kit
• Luster Leaf Rapitest pH Soil Tester

8. Garden Fork

This is one of several garden tools among our list of essential $10 gardening products. A garden fork, also called a cultivator, is deal for turning and loosening soil, breaking up clumps, and incorporating organic matter. There are many different styles. Examples under $10 include:

• Truper 6″ Floral Garden Tool Fork

• JCBIZ Carbon Steel Garden Weeding Fork

• Fiskars Xact Hand Garden Cultivator

9. Hand Trowel

This is a versatile and essential tool for digging, planting, and transplanting small plants and flowers. There are lots of great affordable hand trowels. Try Fiskars Ergonomic Gardening Hand Trowel or Edwards Heavy Duty Carbon Steel Garden Hand Shovel with Ergonomic Grip.

10. Garden Hoe

This helps control weeds by breaking up the soil’s surface and cultivating around plants. Consider the Elegital Kana Hoe. Amazon also has a lot of generic brand garden hoes under $10.

BONUS: Edward Tools Stainless Steel Hoe and Cultivator is a combination hoe and fork for under $10.

11. Pruning Shears

Use pruning shears to trim and shape plants, remove dead or damaged branches, and harvest herbs and vegetables. It’s easy to find a good pair of small pruning shears on Amazon for under $10. HyleJhJy Pruning Shears with Stainless, VIVOSUN 6.5 Inch Gardening Scissors and WORKPRO 8.5″ Garden Bypass Pruning Shears are some examples.

12. Garden Rake

Use a rake to level soil, remove debris, and prepare the garden bed for planting. Unfortunately, when looking for garden rakes in the $10 gardening products category, you’re mostly going to find hand rakes which are the same things as forks/cultivators.

You want to find a longer, larger rake. One option for a longer handle is Martha Stewart MTS-TEC Telescoping 3-Prong Garden Cultivator with Comfort Grip Handle. That said, for a real leaf-raking rake, you’re going to expect to pay about $20.

13. Sprayer

A garden sprayer allows you to apply liquid fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides evenly and efficiently. Check out Chapin International G390 Lawn Hose End Sprayer for Fertilizer in the 20-Gallon size for a solid option.

14. Seeds or Plants

After all, you can’t have a garden without them. You can find many options in this category, of course.

What do you think are the most essential $10 gardening products?

Read More:

• 5 Cheap Substitutes for Seedling Trays
• Greek Gardening Style on the Cheap
• Cheap Must-Have Tools for Frugal Gardeners

 

Gardening can get expensive if you let it. Personally, I’m not very big on DIY stuff for the garden. My chronic illness makes it difficult to spend too much time tinkering and toiling. Instead, I have to rely on cheap garden tools to make things work. It can take some time before you discover which tools are worth spending money on (even small amounts) and which are worthless. The right tools for the job depend a lot on the kind of gardener you are and what tasks you need help with. Here are some of my favorite cheap garden tools:

Cheap garden tools

These are some of the cheap garden tools I use to make my life easier as a frugal gardener.

• Garden gloves. A good pair of garden gloves is a must-have if you’re digging in the dirt. But the thing is that I almost always end up losing them by the end of the season. If you’re a chronic misplacer of things like me, don’t spend a ton of money on fancy gardening gloves. Gloves from the dollar store are typically sturdy enough to last a season. They also provide adequate protection from potential irritants. And, bonus: They’re usually super cute!

 

• Bamboo sticks. You can get these in bundles for a steal at most hardware stores, and they’re a staple in my garden. I use them solo to support peppers, tomatoes, and eggplants. Need support for cucumbers or pole beans? Tie em’ together, and voila! You’ve got an inexpensive support system that costs you a fraction of what you would have paid for a fancy trellis.

 

• A flexible hose. Water is a vital part of gardening. But until recently, I really hated doing it because I had to lug around an insanely heavy hose. Once I replaced my clunky hose with a flexible one, watering has become a much easier task. Just make sure to bring your hose in for the winter to ensure its longevity.

 

 

• Plastic plant markers. I know that plastic isn’t an ideal choice because it’s not environmentally friendly, but the fact is that I’m still using the same pack of 150 markers that I bought 3 years ago. I just cross out last year’s crop name or write it in a different color. You can also cover up old names with tape. They’re super durable and can be reused over and over again. And, knowing what I planted where is a huge key to my success as a gardener.

 

• Google sheets. Okay, this one is actually free! I used to use a notebook but found that digital recording was a lot faster. I use sheets to record notes about seedlings, plants, and anything other notable garden-related observations about each season. It allows me to look back on previous seasons and see what went right and wrong.

While these cheap garden tools are a staple in my gardening toolbox, your kit might look entirely different. And that’s okay! This is what works for me. Sure, sometimes I’ll splurge on something fancy, but these are the basics that get me through each season.