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When we introduced our customers to the Hori Hori Knife, and shortly after the Maruyoshi Flax Cutter, we couldn’t believe the response. These quality, yet affordable cultivating tools sold out within hours - our customers know a good thing when they see it! Well, there’s one more handy little number we want to share - the Maruyoshi Garden Hoe. Also known as a grubber or Nejiri scraper, this light-weight hoe with a sharp point and razor edge is a super effective tool for slicing weeds, breaking up the crust of the soil and working in between seedlings and small spaces. But don’t just take it from us, we had it put to the test! Put to the test! We’ve followed Liz (@tiny_farmstead ) on Instagram for quite some time, and as well as being wowed by her amazing fruit and veggie crops, thought she’d be the perfect tester to give these tools a whiz. At the time of writing this blog, Liz had just cracked 40,000 followers - keen garden and DIY lifestyle-grow-your-own enthusiasts who really love her down-to-earth and honest approach to crop gardening and tips for harvesting, fermenting and much more. Liz had a large overgrown pumpkin patch to tackle and decided to test out both the Hori Hori Knife and Maruyoshi Hoe. The outcome? They made light work of the arduous task. She’s given them the thumbs-up for ease-of-use, value for money and effectiveness. If you’re on Instagram, you can find us at @buggthestorenz and watch Liz in action by clicking the "Reviews" story highlight on our page, and follow us and Liz @tiny_farmstead while you’re there! Or if Instagram isn’t for you, we’ve made a video of Liz’s review below. Click here buy the Maruyoshi Right-Handed Garden Hoe Click here to buy the Maruyoshi Left-Handed Garden Hoe

Flax, cabbage trees, yuccas and kikuyu grass make regular appearances in Kiwi backyards. And while for the most part they look lovely and/or are suitable to the harsh coastal climate conditions in NZ, they are quite tough and can be difficult to maintain. Cue the Nisaku Flax Cutter, otherwise known as a flax knife or a serrated sickle harvest knife. While it’s called "Flax" cutter, the blade is really ideal for cutting and trimming many different fibrous plants. Flaxes, Toe Toe, Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia), ivy and other vines, invasive clumping grasses, cabbage trees, yuccas and it could even be used to harvest lavender. Basically anything tough that simple pruners simply won’t cut through the fibrous strands. It’s all in the motion! The main thing to note is the flax cutter is not a sawing or hacking tool, it’s a pulling tool. The seriously sharp blade features very fine teeth and is made from top-quality Japanese stainless steel that’s tempered for extra strength. The Nisaku cutter also features a special back bar to make the blade even stronger. Instead of sawing or hacking, the teeth work with the use of a smooth pulling motion. Simply place the blade at the base of the leaf blade or clump of grass and pull around and slightly twist. Super lightweight, the knife weighs a tiny 100 grams so it’s easy for anyone to use and won’t fatigue your hands and arms as loppers can. And with practice, it’s a swift and effortless tool for tackling these jobs. There’s a community of bugg® gardeners that already know and appreciate the value of this marvellous tool. Add one to your garden tool kit and you’ll take to your maintenance tasks with great gusto. Click here to buy the Nisaku Flax Cutter now or... Watch the pull stroke in action below. This video was filmed with the previous Maruyoshi model we stocked, and the technique is exactly the same:

What’s a Hori Hori? Great question! It’s a multi-purpose hand tool that can be used as a trowel, a weeder, a knife, a pruner and the list goes on. Without a doubt, it’s one of the handiest additions you could make to your tool kit.Let’s just start by saying that when you first see the Hori Hori there’s an element of “whoa that’s a serious tool” combined with a “wow that’s pretty cool”. There was definitely more of the “wow that’s cool” by the guys in our office when we unpacked our first shipment of these tools.Hori Hori - it’s all in the nameLegend has it that the Hori Hori originated in the mountainous regions of Japan and while you could be mistaken that it looks more like a weapon (channelling Crocodile Dundee “That’s not a knife, this is a knife!”), it was actually used for harvesting vegetables. The name is derived from the Japanese verb "to dig" - Hori. The classic Hori Hori knife features a strong, razor-sharp blade that’s serrated on one side, a strong wooden handle, and a tough stainless steel blade that is often polished to a mirror finish. The blade lengths can vary but in general, are around 17cms or 7 inches. There are many makes and brands available these days, but Japanese-made knives, like the Nisaku in our range, are as close to the original form of the blade as you’ll get. What is a Hori Hori knife used for?Certainly the main attraction of this hand tool for gardeners is its multi-purpose uses. If you just had a Hori Hori knife in your tool belt and nothing else, you’d be able to achieve most tasks. But it’s not limited to the garden. Essentially it’s a fabulous tool to have on hand for fishing, hunting and camping too - or anywhere that you need a super sharp and reliable blade for cutting and digging.In the garden, the Hori Hori combines the best elements of several tools. The concave blade serves as a slim trowel, ideal for digging holes, transplanting, potting plants and marking out seed rows. The serrated blade edge makes light work of digging into tough or rocky soils. The Nisaku 170mm blade available in our store also features mm and inch markings for measuring planting depths.As a weeder, the sharp, strong blade deftly gets into tricky places to pry out weeds and slices through roots with ease. Look out dock weed, this little beauty will quickly deal with you!As a cutting tool, the Hori Hori is ideal for splicing plants, dividing bulbs or perennials, pruning or sawing smaller branches, and can even serve as a small hand axe or machete if you need to hack at a particularly tough weed.Features:When it comes to quality stainless steel garden tools, Japanese steel is some of the best. In our range, you’ll find the Nisaku 170mm Hori Hori Knife featuring a wooden handle, a handy drill hole for hanging on the pegboard, and a sheath to protect the blade - and you from the blade - when it’s not in use. These are not cheap and cheerful tools, they are top-quality, purpose-designed, and built to last through the toughest of garden jobs, where cheaper and lesser quality tools would easily break.The slightly smaller and lighter Nisaku Hori Hori Weeder Knife 110mm is more portable than the larger blade, and more maneuverable in tighter spaces. Still manufactured from the finest quality stainless steel, the blade is scratch and rust-resistant. Easy to clean and with proper care will stay razor-sharp for years to come.Convinced that you need one, or at least that you want one? Time to shop...- Nisaku Hori Hori Knife 170cm Blade- Nisaku Hori Hori Weeder Knife 110mmShop the collectionHori Hori Knives

In this article: The original Gubba Garden Bag, Giant Garden Bag, Utility Bag, The All-Rounder Bag, Jumbo Garden Bag, Big Garden Cleanup Bag with Tie In gardens big or small garden maintenance can be a tough job if you don't have the right equipment. One of the biggest pain points can be organic waste removal - lawn clippings, prunings, fallen leaves and other garden debris, and transporting it around the garden or storing it ready for collection or recycling. The original Gubba Garden Bag Kick-starting the Gubba Garden Bag range is the original stand-open bag - a firm favourite amongst Kiwi gardeners for over 20 years! A clever Kiwi invention designed and manufactured by the founder of Gubba, the original Gubba Garden Bag is made in New Zealand from top-quality and very tough woven material with comfortable strong handles, and it folds away flat after use! The smartest thing about the design is the plastic rods that hold the bag open by itself, making dealing with green waste easy and more efficient without it flopping over and the contents spilling out. This garden bag is a square-shaped bag roughly 700 x 700mm and 400mm high - approximately 196 litres in volume. Large enough to hold quite a bit of garden debris, yet still easy to carry to the green waste recycling bin. These bags are great value for money and will last for years! Big jobs need a bigger bag - Giant Garden Bag If you need something larger for a super-sized backyard clean up, then the Giant Garden Bag may be the bag for you. Based on the original bag, the Giant Garden Bag also stands open by itself but with extra capacity for bigger tidy-up jobs. Featuring the same super-tough material and comfortable woven handles it also folds away flat for simple storage after use. Again this is a square-shaped bag 700x700mm and 600mm high with a capacity of roughly 294 litres. The Utility Bag - handy around the home! The Gubba Utility Bag is a handy little indoor-outdoor bag ideal to use anywhere and anyhow you like. It's excellent as a re-usable shopping bag and is lightweight, tough and easily folds away after use. Made from waterproof and wipe-clean material, pop a couple in your car for spur-of-the-moment supermarket visits or have one stashed by the back door for bringing in the firewood. The Utility Bag is also very sturdy so perfect for smaller garden clean up jobs when you're tackling weeds, small amounts of prunings, leaves or lawn clippings. This bag is made in New Zealand and is 400mm x 400mm x 400mm in size - approximately 64 litres capacity. The All-Rounder Bag - extra handle for easy tipping! Gubba's cleverly designed All-Rounder is a practical garden bag with an extra handle. The large and sturdy cylindrical-shaped 'stand-open bag features an extra handle on the side to allow for easy tipping and emptying. The large capacity carries and stores quite a lot of grass clippings, garden pruning and other waste or it could even be used for creating leaf mulch and compost! The bag features strong and comfortable webbing handles, is made from tough, waterproof material and collapses down for easy storage when not in use. This bag is made in New Zealand and is 580mm diameter x 650mm high - approximately 171 litres in capacity. Love your home-grown vegies? The All-Rounder would also be an excellent, transportable option as a potato growing bag! Fill up with soil, pop in your seed potatoes and watch them grow! What do our customers have to say about Gubba Garden Bags? "Thought I'd drop a note to let you know I've just replaced all our old Gubba garden bags with new ones. Our old bags were over 15 years old and had been used regularly for commercial (landscaping and nursery) work. Well done on an excellent and durable product!" - Andrew, Twining Valley Nurseries "My parents gave me a Gubba Bag 18 years ago. It's been a terrific home gardening aid for our gardening endeavours and only now needs replacing. I highly recommend for all gardeners. I'm hoping Santa will bring me a new one." - Pauline If you're a landscaper or just have a large section with plenty of garden and lawn, you may need to super-size your garden bag to collect all your green waste. Our range of extra large bags that can be fitted over a garden bag stand are perfect for these jobs. The Jumbo Garden Bag This garden waste bag is very big and very tough. Made from a recycled wool pack, it makes an ideal garden waste container for a lot of grass clippings, large prunings and can also be used for storing compost, firewood and a whole range of other applications. Re-usable and long-lasting, these bags feature four side-panel flaps on the top that can be folded over to secure the bag shut or folded over the top of a garden bag stand. The Jumbo Garden Bag is 700mm x 700mm and 820mm high in size - approximately 400 litres in capacity. The Big Garden Cleanup Bag with Tie Made from a super-strong, woven PVC material, this large garden bag is designed to fit securely over the top of a garden bag stand. Naturally it can be used without the stand too, but its large capacity makes it perfect for big cleanups or commercial landscaping jobs and is often used by green waste collection services. Used with the garden bag stand, the bag stands open to be filled while the sturdy drawstring holds it in place over the frame. The drawstring also comes in handy for drawing tight when the bag is filled so the contents remain in the bag and not all over your driveway! The Big Garden Cleanup Bag with Tie is 1500mm high x 1200mm wide. You can purchase this bag on it's own, or with the Garden Cleanup Bag Stand to hold it up & open. Or purchase the combo: Garden Clean Bag with Tie and Stand.

When it comes to handy garden items the “must have” list is longer than you'd think, and it can be a daunting task deciding what you need for each job. But there are a few key things that every gardener really should have in their kit, and here are our top 5 picks to get you started… Essential item number 1 has to be a trowel. Generally a multi-use hand tool, trowels are perfect for digging, planting, scooping, transferring plants, mixing and more. They come in all shapes and sizes – some have deeper scoops to allow for lifting more soil, some have marked measurements for accurate digging depths, and some are narrower for transplanting young plants and delicate work! Shop Trowels One of the most useful tools in your garden kit has to be the hoe. Long or short handled, these handy tools are exceptional for preparing the soil for planting and easily and effectively dealing to nasty weeds. Again, these tools come in different shapes and sizes for different tasks, so you may need more than one in your tool kit! Shop Hoes Save yourself from filthy hands, torn nails, cuts and scrapes with a quality pair of gardening gloves. Your hands tend to bear the brunt of most gardening work, so it’s a smart idea to set yourself up with the right gloves for the job. Lightweight gloves are great for delicate planting, weeding and general work, heavy duty and long-sleeved gloves are great for pruning, thorn resistance and rougher tasks. Don’t forget about little hands – we have a range of kids gloves for eager garden helpers! Shop Garden Gloves When you notice a stray branch poking out or a plant that needs a tidy up you reach for a pair of pruners. Blade quality and ease-of-use are two important factors to consider when choosing the right pair, but so is knowing which type you need. Bypass pruners work like scissors and are great for trimming green, soft wood and making cuts close to the bud, whereas Anvil pruners are the tool you need for cutting back dead wood. Shop Pruners Not often top of mind when thinking about essential garden tools, but a quality watering system is a must in any NZ garden. Hozelock, a well-established and respected supplier of top quality garden hoses and accessories, have a good range of everything you need to set yourself up…or replace your old and tired hose system. Or if worry-free watering when you’re away is what you need, check out the Iriso drip-feed irrigation systems. Simple, affordable and extremely efficient they save you time and money and minimise water waste. Shop Watering Accessories