A good garden trug should be big enough to hold a sizable amount of harvest from your garden, whether it’s fruits, vegetables or flowers. It should also be easy to carry around in your hand.
And if you plan to use the trug to add a rustic look to your kitchen or living room, look for a design that’s looks great as well.
In this buying guide, I recommend the best and most practical garden trugs you can order online in the UK. I also have a few tips on how to choose the best garden trug for your needs.
Features to Consider When Choosing a Garden Trug
A. Size
More than anything else, a garden trug should be practical. And the most practical aspect of a trug is its size.
The ideal size of a garden trug depends on how much garden produce you need to carry. If you have a small garden, a small basket will be enough to carry the few veggies or herbs you harvest from it. A small trug is also ideal if you only need something to carry a few fruits.
If you have a big garden from which you regularly harvest loads of produce, get a bigger trug that won’t force you to make several trips between the kitchen and the garden.
Keep in mind however that a bigger trug will be more cumbersome to carry once you fill it up. If you ae buying a gift for a senior or you want a trug your kid can use, get something small and easy to handle.
B. Versatility
Some garden trugs are useful for more than just carrying produce from the garden. Some also double up as a colander, allowing you to wash and rinse the produce right in the trug.
A sizable garden trug can provide storage for drinks or foods during a picnic or a barbecue. You can also use it to carry garden tools when you are tending to the garden.
Bigger tub-style trugs are also great for carrying garden waste to the compost. Just remember to rinse the trug before putting in fresh veggies or fruits.
Many garden trugs are also designed to be decorative. You can fill the trug with fruits and use it as a centrepiece on the dining table, or fill it with different coloured vegetables to brighten up your kitchen counter.
If the trug is stylish enough, you can display it even when it’s empty. Wicker and wooden garden trugs look especially good in the living room.
C. Portability
In addition to getting the right sized trug to ensure it’s not too heavy, check how comfortable it is to carry around.
Easily portable garden trugs have comfortable handles, usually rounded to prevent uncomfortable chafing when you are caring the basket.
For extra-large garden trugs, I recommend those with two handles on either side of the tub. This gives you better grip and allows two people to carry the trug when it’s heavy.
D. Material & Design
Wooden trugs look great and are perfect for displaying your garden bounty in the house. On the downside, they can be a bit pricey and are heavier as well. You also have to be careful not to leave it outside exposed to the elements.
Wicker trugs have the same rustic look and are perfect for decorative display, but they are far lighter than wooden trugs. A wicker trug is suitable if you want a basket that will be easy to carry.
For tub-style trugs that are more practical than decorative, plastic is usually the material of choice. It’s hardy, durable and weather-resistant.
I love the look and versatility of metal mesh garden trugs. They are perfect for carrying veggies and fruits from the garden, and you can rinse produce without taking it out of the basket. They are also great for decorative display.
Best Garden Trugs: Top 5 Reviews
1. Wrenbury Veg Trug Garden Trug Basket
If you are shopping for a wooden garden trug, I recommend this one from Wrenbury. With its rustic oak effect finish, it’s both practical and stylish. When you are not carrying vegetables from your garden, you can use it as a decorative display in the house.
The Wrenbury garden trug is 33cm wide and 25cm deep. The wide and deep design allow it to hold more produce. It can also hold several small gardening tools.
A sturdy rounded handle provides a comfortable way to carry the basket around the garden.
It is a bit heavier than plastic or wicker garden trugs, but you still shouldn’t have trouble carrying it when full. However, I recommend a lighter option for kids or seniors.
What I like about it:
- Beautiful oak design.
- Comfortable handle.
- Perfect for storage and display.
- Practical deep and wide design.
2. Tierra Garden GP184 Colander Trug
Prefer a garden trug that you can wash your fruits or veggies in? Get the Tierra Garden colander trug.
It doubles up as a colander, letting you rinse dirt from your harvest without taking it out of the trug.
It is especially handy when harvesting tubers and root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes that often come out dirty. Instead of taking that mess into the kitchen, you can give the produce a quick wash and rinse right in the trug.
The Tierra Garden is also great for transporting flowers, herbs, plant cuttings and small garden tools.
The colander is shallower than most other garden trugs. But it makes up for it by being wider (30cm wide) and longer (55cm long). So you still get plenty of space to transport garden produce.
The two handles are easy to use and they fold flat against the sides to give you easy access to the trug.
The Tierra Garden trug is plastic, so it doesn’t win any awards for aesthetics. It looks good but you probably won’t want to display it in your living room.
On the upside, the plastic construction allows it to be light and easy to carry.
What I like about it:
- Colander function – great for cleaning dirty veggies.
- Wide and shallow design holds a lot of produce.
- Lightweight.
3. doodle and MOOZE 2x 42 Litre Black Heavy Duty Large Flexi Tub
Looking for a large tub-style garden trug that will hold just about anything? I recommend the doodle and MOOZE 42l Flexi Tub.
The 33cm deep plastic basket is great for transporting a large amount of veggies and fruits from the garden. The plastic material is flexible, so you can join the two handles one each side, allowing easy transport in one hand.
In addition to garden produce, gardeners say the doodle and MOOZE Flexi Tub is perfect for transporting garden waste to the compost, carrying gravel or sand when doing a DIY project and carrying plant cuttings.
A common problem with many garden tubs is the handles tearing off especial when transporting heavy loads. The doodle and MOOZE Flexi Tub has no such problems. The handles stay intact, no matter what you are carrying.
The Flexi Tub looks too utilitarian to be used as a decorative display. If you want a garden trug that doubles up as a table centerpiece or a stylish fruit basket, this is not it.
On the upside, it’s hardy design makes it more durable and weather resistant.
Note that the package includes two of the Flexi Tubs. You can also order a pack of 3, 6 and 12.
What I like about it:
- Large capacity.
- Versatile.
- Lightweight.
- Durable plastic construction.
4. east2eden Honey Wicker Garden Trug
For small flower or vegetable gardens, a smaller trug will do. The east2eden Honey Wicker garden trug measures 34cm long, 18cm wide and 12cm deep.
That’s just big enough to fit a bunch of vegetables or a few apples. The size is also perfect for collecting flowers. Just keep in mind that the basket is quite shallow and feels a bit flimsy. Don’t carry anything too heavy in it.
The small size is a big plus for younger gardeners. Kids can easily carry the basket, even when it is loaded with vegetables. If you are looking for a kid-size garden trug, the east2eden basket is a great choice.
The east2eden garden trug is handmade and looks lovely. It’s a great choice if you are looking for a garden trug that you can display decoratively.
The rounded handle completes the rustic design of the basket.
What I like about it:
- Lovely natural design.
- Perfect for small gardens.
- Comfortable handle.
- Perfect size for younger gardeners.
5. Prestige Wicker Trug Garden Basket
The Prestige Wicker trug garden basket is another good choice if you love the rustic look of wicker garden trugs.
It is roughly the same size (36cm long, 18cm wide and 14cm deep) as the east2eden trug, making it suitable only for transporting small amounts of vegetables, fruits or flowers.
The wicker has a beautiful dark finish that looks great on the mantel, table or anywhere else you want to display it.
What I like about it:
- All-natural willow construction.
- Comfortable rounded handle.
- Beautiful handcrafted design.
- Small and light enough for young helpers.
