3 Ryobi Gardening Tools You Probably Didn't Realize Existed

People often say that the month of March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but the reality for much of the U.S. is a roller coaster of weather: warm and spring-like one day and cold and snowy the next. This transitional month, however, is a great time to start preparing for spring gardening with new smart gadgets and power tools, especially if you like another old adage: April showers bring May flowers!

Depending on where you live, it might not be time to plant quite yet, but you can start cleaning up those flower beds and making plans for your spring and summer gardens. You may even be able to plant hardier trees and shrubs if your soil is workable. You can also inventory your tools and supplies and make a shopping list. If you like to garden, you almost certainly have the basics in your garage or shed, including trowels, rakes, pruning shears, and gloves, but there's a vast array of gardening tools, both power and hand, that you may want to add to your arsenal before the winter finally lets go of its icy grip. Whether you already own a few signature-green Ryobi tools or this is your first time exploring the brand, here are three gardening tools that you may not know existed.

You may have used a manual earth auger before to plant a tree or drill holes for a new fence, but Ryobi also offers powerful battery-powered augers that you should definitely consider if you're planning some serious planting. They can also be used to help you install a new mailbox, build a new deck, or for patio supports.

At the time of this writing, the 40V HP Brushless 8-inch Earth Auger is available for $369 for just the tool or for $449 for the tool along with a battery and charger. Interested buyers should note that it does require a Ryobi 40V 4Ah battery. The Ryobi auger is more powerful than a 52cc gas auger, and can dig up to 30 holes per charge with both forward and reverse capabilities. It's also lighter, at just over 40 pounds, and vibrates less than most gas augers. Ryobi provides a five-year limited warranty.

This tool currently has a 4.8 out of five-star rating on Ryobi's website. While advertised for gardening, one reviewer used it as an ice auger in the winter. Many other reviewers used it to dig holes for fence and gate installation. A few did note that it stopped working after only a few uses, and several had difficult customer service experiences.

The Ryobi 18V One+ 1/6 Telescoping Pole Pump Kit may not seem like an obvious gardening tool, but it could be a lifesaver if you have a pond, cistern, or rain barrel. It uses Ryobi's 18V One+ 2Ah lithium battery, which you may already have in your arsenal if you own other Ryobi products, and it has up to 26 minutes of runtime. Rather than manually pumping water, this tool has a ⅙ horsepower motor that can transfer 15 gallons of water per minute, pumping it up to 23 feet above the source level. It has a 3.5-foot telescoping pole, allowing users to move water from rain barrels, ponds, and even a flooded yard.

Users can set an automatic shutdown timer for five, ten, or 15 minutes, and it also has an automatic shutdown that will trigger when it no longer detects any water. There's an LED light for those dark workspaces, and you can also use it inside for flooded basements or crawl spaces. This kit, currently priced at $189, comes with the telescoping pole pump, the battery, battery charger, a garden hose adapter, a water barrel hook, a removable sediment strainer, a discharge hose, and more.

As you're shopping, it can be helpful to know the difference between Ryobi's pole pump and its submersible pump. If you're looking for something that you can also use in your pool or spa, Ryobi's submersible pump might be the better choice. 

If you have more than a few small flower beds to prepare now that spring is on the horizon, you may want to consider an electric cultivator. This gardening tool can be used for weeding and to loosen or turn over the soil to prepare it for planting or to mix in compost. It's not as heavy-duty as a rototiller, the tool of choice to create new garden beds, but it's a good option to aerate the soil and help you maintain your beds.

Ryobi advertises this cultivator as perfect for flower beds and raised gardens. Currently priced at $189 for the tool only or $279 for the tool plus battery and charger, the cultivator has four steel tines that can adjust your tilling width from six to eight inches. It has low, medium, and high settings, and is compact and easy to store. Compatible with the Ryobi 18V One+ platform of tools, batteries, and chargers, this cultivator has a three-year limited warranty. Reviewers mostly offer positive reviews for use in their home gardens, and like that the battery is compatible with other Ryobi tools. A few users did complain that the cultivator is not made for hard use, but it has a 4.7 out of five stars at the time of writing.