Borrowing Gardening Tools: A Beginner's Guide for Australian Gardens

The easiest way to start gardening on a budget is to buy a few basic hand tools you'll use every week, and borrow the bigger, pricier ones you'll only need a few times a year. Hedge trimmers, whipper snippers, specialist tools and wheelbarrows are ideal to borrow from friends and neighbours.

Starting a garden can feel expensive. Walk down the tool aisle and it's tempting to fill a trolley with everything you might need. The good news is that most gardeners only use a handful of tools regularly, and the rest can be shared.

Which garden tools should you own?

These are the everyday basics, used often enough to be worth buying. With these, you can handle most weekly jobs in a typical backyard, courtyard or balcony garden.

• Secateurs

• Gardening gloves

• A hand trowel and fork

• A spade or shovel

• A rake

• A hose and watering can

Which garden tools are best to borrow?

The tools worth borrowing are those that are bulky, expensive or seasonal:

• Hedge trimmer: for keeping hedges and screening plants tidy a few times a year

• Whipper snipper and edger: for neat lawn edges before a gathering or inspection

• Pole saw or pole pruner: for reaching higher branches without a ladder

• Wheelbarrow: for moving soil, mulch and rocks

• Rotary hoe: for breaking up ground when starting a new veggie patch

• Post-hole digger: for fencing, trellises or a new letterbox

• Leaf blower: for autumn leaf drop

Many of these can cost a few hundred dollars each and spend most of the year in the shed. Sharing them makes a lot of sense.

When will you need them? A seasonal guide

Garden jobs follow the seasons, so it pays to plan your borrowing. This guide suits most temperate parts of Australia. If you're in the tropical north, you'll plan around the wet and dry seasons instead.

Spring (September to November)

This is peak gardening season. Lawns wake up, weeds take off and everyone wants to get outside. It's a great time to borrow an aerator or scarifier to refresh your lawn, a rotary hoe to prepare veggie beds, and a wheelbarrow for spreading mulch before summer.

Summer (December to February)

Growth is fast and hedges get shaggy. You'll likely want a hedge trimmer and whipper snipper, especially before Christmas gatherings.

Autumn (March to May)

It's leaf-drop season in many gardens, which makes it the time for a leaf blower.

Winter (June to August)

It's the season for pruning roses, fruit trees and deciduous plants. A pole pruner or pole saw helps with taller branches.

How to borrow garden tools safely

• Ask for a quick demo

• Check the fuel

• Have your own safety gear

• Know your limits and when a professional is required

• Inspect before you start

  
  

Return tools clean, and why it matters

Cleaning tools before returning them is more than good manners. Soil, sap and plant material can carry weed seeds, pests and plant diseases from one garden to another. Before you return a tool:

• Brush or hose off soil and grass clippings, then let it dry to prevent rust.

• Wipe blades clean of plant material.

• Refill the fuel or recharge the battery.

• Return all accessories, such as spare line and chargers.

  
  

Start a garden tool share with your neighbours

If you live on a street full of gardeners, there's a good chance you collectively own every tool you'll ever need. Sharing them saves everyone money, frees up shed space and is a great way to get to know your neighbours.

The easiest way to start is to keep a simple shared list of who has what. ThingLibrary lets you and your neighbours add the garden tools you're happy to lend, so the next time you need a hedge trimmer, you can find one just down the road.