Finding the right gardening tools can be as exhausting as actually working in your plot, especially if you’re giving your green thumb a test run. Here are 10 tools that every gardener should have tucked away in their tool belt.

Hand Rake – Perfect for picking up piles of leaves and ridding your garden of trash and debris, a hand rake with a wooden or a coated-metal handle is an absolute must-have.

Hand Weeder – Removing shallow-rooted weeds is a cinch with the sharp, thin blade of a hand weeder.

Japanese Gardeners Knife (hori-hori) – The Japanese Gardeners Knife is a favorite among horticulturists because, well, it does it all. This serrated soil knife is the ideal tool for weeding, planting seeds, making rows, loosening soil and removing stubborn stumps and roots.

Shears – Avid gardeners always have a pair of sharp shears on hand to trim and shape plants, edge beds and paths, deadhead flora and cut back perennials. A high-quality pair of scissors is great for cutting and pruning more delicate plants.

Washable Synthetic Gloves – Garden gloves are just as imperative to crafting a gorgeous garden as a rake or shovel. The thin synthetic fabric allows your fingers to move with ease while still being protected.

Bow Rake – When you need to level soil or spread mulch, gravel, sand and compost look no further than a sturdy bow rake to get the job done.

Digging Fork – Another important long-handled gardening tool, a digging fork is used for loosening, lifting and turning over soil. Not to mention, it’s great for removing debris.

Leave Rake – Not a new tool, raking leaves, twigs, grass clippings and other light debris from your lawn is best done with the prongs of a leave rake.

Round-Headed Shovel – This type of shovel is a necessity for digging holes to plant trees or shrubs and moving around loose materials like soil or compost.

Transplant Spade – Add a transplant spade to your gardening repertoire to easily dig holes in a confined plant bed.