Gardening is a fantastic hobby, but it does cause a lot of wear and tear on the knees. Kneeling and moving around can be painful. That’s true across all ages, but we’ve noticed it a lot more as we’ve gotten a bit older!
A garden stool makes life a bit easier. It’s far more comfortable to sit than it is to kneel for extended periods! It will also keep your knees or pants cleaner.
Are you in the market to buy a garden stool? We’ve got everything you should know about them – and some recommendations for the best ones currently on the market!
What To Consider In A Gardening Stool
Let’s look at some of the most important factors when picking the best gardening stool for your chores. We’ve listed them in order from most to least important.
Size
Gardening stools and benches come in different sizes and shapes. They’re all low to the ground to let you reach over to weed, dig, or pick vegetables. But “low” can be relative – we’ve seen anywhere from 10 inches to 18 inches high.
At the tall end, they match the height of a dining room chair. At the low end, they’re the size of a kindergarten chair. The low height can make it tough to get up from – but of course, it’s also important so you can reach your plants and soil.
How comfortable are you with sitting on low seats? Lower seems better since it means you don’t have to reach as far. But you also have to get back up again. There’s no right answer here, but it’s a key consideration!
Strength
The weight limit of the seat is also essential. You don’t want it to go crashing down with you sitting on it!
It can be hard to find stools that will support larger people. Be sure to check – and respect – the bench’s rated limits!
Materials
Gardening stools come in a variety of materials. But most consist of either plastic or an aluminum frame with a fabric seat and back.
Either can be a good alternative. They are both weather-resistant, but plastic might stand out a bit more in this area. They’re also both durable and should hold up for years to come with basic care.
Storage
Some gardening stools and benches even offer storage space for your small tools! You can keep your trowel, garden fork, trimmers, and more close at hand and organized.
Among these, we prefer the fabric chairs. They often have pockets on the side to slide the tools into. That makes them accessible while you’re seated.
Other stools have a storage space under the seat. That’s great for carrying them back and forth, although you have to get them out before you sit down.
Storable
Gardening stools are small, so they’re not hard to store. But some can be folded to take up even less space! You can even slide them into tiny spaces that would otherwise go to waste.
Wheeled
Wheels are a handy feature, too – sometimes. Some stools have wheels on them. That may make it easier to move around the garden, but usually, we found it just as hard (or harder) to move around on these.
On the other hand, some have wheels for the storage compartment that are a big help. We think those are worth considering!
Need a pair of knee pads to help with gardening tasks? Check these out!
Reviews of the Best Gardening Stools
Now let’s dive into a close-up look at some of the top gardening stools you can choose from!
Finnhomy 10-Piece all-in-one Garden Tool Set Garden Folding Stool
This metal and fabric seat also includes a tool bag and a set of accessories! You get five garden tools, a foam kneeling pad, and gloves to provide a good start for your gardening work!
The stool measures 15.35 inches high. We couldn’t find a weight limit on it, but we’d estimate that it can hold a person up to about 180 pounds. That’s not super-sturdy, but at least it provides needed support.
Overall, the design is great. It’s in the mid-range for height, it’s lightweight, and it’s loaded with extras.
It’s about 13 inches square and can be folded down to just about 4 inches wide. The tool bag can hang underneath when it’s open, or you can detach it to keep it handy by your side.
The included tools include pruning shears, two trowels, a weed root cutter, a miniature hoe, and a garden fork. The gloves are decent, although nothing to write home about.
The knee pad is 11.4 by 5 by about 0.7 inches.
It comes at a great price, too. No one piece stands out as excellent, but altogether, you can’t beat the deal.
Miracle-Gro 4-in-1 Garden Stool
It’s only natural that a lawn fertilizer company would expand its product line. They did good work with this garden stool and storage combo. It can also serve as a small tool wagon and a kneeler.
This is an example of when wheels can make sense on a garden stool. Here, they serve more for the storage/wagon than they do for actually scooting around while you sit on it.
You can take the seat off to use the wheeled section alone or keep the two together. If you want to kneel, take the seat off and flip it over – a pad is affixed on the underside so you can kneel comfortably. In that case, though, the sides are kind of close, which could be uncomfortable for some people.
Overall, the unit measures 23.2 by 9.6 by 10.6 inches high. That’s on the low end of stool heights; you might struggle to get up and down.
This stool is not recommended for use by people over 225 pounds. The unit itself weighs 4.4 pounds.
LEMY Garden Kneeler Seat Multiuse Portable Garden Bench
This two-in-one unit offers a quality bench that converts to a kneeler with just a flip! It’s also got a handy tool caddy on the side.
The seat doubles as a kneeler with no effort; you only have to turn the unit upside down (or upside-right?). As a kneeler, it’s still a couple of inches above the ground. It can feel a little tight because the legs become sides, but it’s a perfectly serviceable configuration.
The tool caddy has slots for three garden tools.
The overall height of the stool is over 19 inches, but the seat is around 17 inches above the ground.
It’s durable and should serve you well. The weight capacity is 250 pounds.
California Picnic Garden Tool Seat with Organizer
Unlike most garden stools, this one looks more like a traditional folding chair with a back and seat.
It measures 10 by 10, with the seat being 12 inches high and the backrest 24 inches from the ground. No weight limit was listed, but it seemed fine with a 210-pound person on it.
It also includes a small tool bag.
If you don’t need a knee pad, this is a good choice. It’s relatively stable and low enough that you can get the job done without leaning too far.
Garden Kneeler and Seat with EVA Foam Kneeling Pad
This model has a similar design to the LEMY above. It can be flipped over for use as either a bench or a seat.
It’s one of the sturdiest models we’ve seen, though. The company rates it as tough enough to hold 330 pounds.
It’s 23.5 inches wide, 10.9 inches deep, and 19.3 inches high, with the actual seat being about 17 inches high.
The sides can seem pretty tight when you use this as a kneeler. It’s reasonably comfortable on the knees, though.
There are two tool pouches with this stool – one for either side.
Conclusion
Spare yourself some knee stress when gardening – use a stool instead of kneeling all the time! There are a few different designs and styles to choose from. Many also double as kneelers. You’ll even find some great accessories!
