Should You Buy Garden Tools At Walmart?

Buying garden equipment in the lead-up to spring is an exciting time. Homeowners may be in the market for a new hose or rake or simply looking to round out a garden bed during the growing season. Equipment, tools, plants, and growing supplies (for example, mulch, gravel, soil, fertilizer, and other amendments) are all essential requirements of a thriving garden. Finding great prices and high-quality supplies can make for a booming year of color and growth. But lackluster plant additions or low-quality tool purchases may hinder your capacity for enjoyment and your crop yield.

One question that many homeowners face is whether shopping at Walmart is the best option for gardening tools. For years, Walmart has offered bargain pricing on virtually anything a shopper might want. The core strategy of the Walmart corporation is a dedication to offering the "lowest prices anytime, anywhere," according to Walmart. The retailer provides unbeatable pricing across its lineup of products, including in the gardening section. Still, when making purchases here, it's worth comparison shopping in order to get the best gear for your needs. Walmart may be the perfect outlet for your garden, or its offerings might fall flat for your particular requirements.

Cheapism reports that Walmart offers the cheapest products across all but four of the 17 garden necessities selected for comparison. Bell pepper seeds (but not tomato or cucumber seed packets) were cheaper elsewhere — specifically, at Home Depot. Similarly, potting soil, a garden hoe, and a particular type of hose sprayer nozzle could be found for less at both Lowe's and Home Depot. Other than these specific items, Walmart was head and shoulders above the competition when comparing prices. Cheapism found that for all these items, a buyer could save about $10 over the next lowest cost.

Savings may be an essential part of the equation for many shoppers looking to revitalize their gardens this year. Spending a lot of money here may not be high on the list of priorities, especially if you've suffered from recent natural hazards like drought conditions or hurricane season. Walmart can be a saving grace in this regard. The low prices offered by the outlet make gardening easy to start. Beginning your gardening journey at Walmart might be the perfect opportunity for many hoping to restart the lawn and flower beds or install a fresh look in their yard for the first time.

However, it's important to remember one crucial caveat: Walmart isn't a home improvement outlet. Therefore, selections may be limited, and Cheapism notes that not all Walmart stores include a garden center. If you are looking for specialized products or a secondary broom or shovel that offers a different dimension than your first tool (for instance, a water broom or a snow shovel), you'll almost certainly have better luck at Lowe's, Home Depot, or another home improvement store that focuses on these kinds of tools.

A limited selection can be troublesome for a shopper dealing with time constraints. However, this shouldn't dissuade the casual gardener from frequenting their local Walmart (if it includes the garden center, of course). Walmart can be a source for many of your basic gardening needs, and there's little to no difference in the quality and craftsmanship of entry-level tools. This means you'd be paying a premium for the store's name rather than the item itself when purchasing basic additions to your shed from other stores. You might not be able to find advanced irrigation tools or PVC piping to repair the sprinkler system at Walmart. But within the range that the store carries, many of the items available provide ample functionality for the standard gardening needs of everyday homeowners.