As someone who gardens in a plot removed from my house, I use the tools I can find at my community garden. I love my community garden, don’t get me wrong, but the tools are in pretty poor condition. There is no protection from the elements for the large garden tools, and the smaller tools that fit inside our gazebo’s bench seat, well, they never find their way home.

When I visit my local garden center, I stand in front of the tool section and long for one of everything. Too bad, I have no place to put them.

If you have your own garden, or you’re thinking about gardening at home, here are 10 essential garden tools you should own:

1. Garden Tool Storage

Garden tools need to be protected from the elements. Most of them have metal parts, some of them that move. Rain is a no-no for these items. A waterproof garage, shed, or box will keep them nice and dry.

2. Handheld bypass pruners

I have never bought a pair of pruners I like. That’s because I have bought pair after pair of cheap pruners. Invest in a quality brand with a comfortable grip and a one- to two-inch cutting capacity. These will allow you to trim everything from peppers off a bush to the thick, woody stems.

3. Saw

When pruners won’t work, a small saw usually gets the job done.

4. Long-handled spade

One that is slightly lipped on the sides will not only help you divide big perennials (like the jumbo rhubarb I excavated from my garden last week), it’ll help you move soil around as you see fit.

5. Long-handled rake

As you prepare new seed and planting beds, there’s nothing that can level a plot and help remove large soil clumps like a long-handled rake. One with a rubber grip at the end is good. I have a tendency to push mine a little too vigorously, and the grip helps it stop from flying out of my hand.

6. Hand trowels

Notice I said the plural, and that’s so you can enlist friends or family when it comes time to plant. At least one trowel should be more narrow than wide. Sometimes a narrow trowel is just right for wedging soil away to create a delicate hole for delicate plants. Again, a comfortable grip and a quality-forged tool will be worth the investment.

7. Long and short-handled hoes

Long-handled hoes are for seriously large, seriously weedy gardens. Plus, this garden tool will allow you to go after weeds without too much bending. A short-handled hoe or some sort of handheld weeding device helps you get at specific weeds in hard-to-reach places. Be sure to have at least one weed destroyer that has a viciously pointy end to remove weeds from between cracks.

8. Wheelbarrow

These are perfect for moving piles of weeds, compost, brush, mulch, squashes, what have you, from place to place. And they are fun to give rides to kids, too!

9. Buckets

Another plural, because everyone needs more than one bucket and in more than one size. A small one is nice by your side when doing spot weeding, a large one when you need to spread out compost or carry around water.

10. Garden Tool Tote bag

Well, at least I have that!