What tools and gear does Natasha Nicholes recommend for community gardening?

Hi there! I’m Natasha Nicholes. I love keeping tools simple and accessible, especially for community gardening where lots of different bodies and abilities are in the mix.

From my own gardening and our #WeSowWeGrow community garden work, here are a few things I recommend and use:

• Your hands – truly my favorite “tool.” I use them for weeding, planting, harvesting, plucking, watering, and generally nurturing everything in the beds.
• A stand-up weeder like the Weed Zinger – it lets you pull weeds without kneeling, which is huge when you’re out there for hours. I’ve used it and loved that it “saves backs” and makes clearing plots faster.
• Sturdy gardening gloves – especially when you’re managing rocky or neglected lots; they’re also great for kids who are a little squeamish about bugs or worms.
• Seed trays, cups, and containers for indoor seed starting – community gardens usually mean starting a lot of plants at once, and having trays take over sunny rooms (like my kitchen) is normal.
• A good watering setup – hoses with adjustable nozzles or watering cans that kids can handle so everyone can help.
• Compost or vermicomposting bin gear – I use a worm bin at home, and it doubles as a teaching tool in the garden for how we turn scraps into soil.

What kind of community garden are you working with—school, neighborhood, church, or something else?