Garden Tools

Gardening is tool-intensive labor. Having the right tool can make all the difference between a pleasant day working in the garden and a backbreaking day of hard labor. Having a tool that is comfortable for you to use is also important. Make sure it's light enough for you to use easily and has a handle or grip that is comfortable for you.

To keep the guides at a manageable length, hand tools (including pruning tools) have their own wiki page.

Before plunging into tools (so to speak), take a quick look at the different types of handles.

Handles

Handle Shapes

D-Handle  D-handles  are good for tight areas. Require more leg strength. Short handles also tend to be thicker and therefore heavier. If you are very tall, you may have to bend a lot.	Straight Handle  Straight handles  are usually longer than D-handles. Require more strength. Longer reach and more leverage.

Handle Materials

Handles can be made of wood,  fiberglass  or steel.  Additionally, they may be padded or cushioned to make them more comfortable to use.

• Wood handles  are flexible and can last a long time with proper care.
• Fiberglass  is strong and not as prone to weather damage. It's more expensive than wood.
• Steel  is very strong and durable, but easily transmits vibrations and cold.

Handle Attachments

Handles can be attached to the head of the tool in a number of ways.

• Socket -- a metal sheath extends from the head of the tool and the handle slides in. Less expensive.
• Socket with rivets -- a socket reinforced with screws or bolts for extra strength.
• Tang and ferrule -- a metal tang extends from the head of the tool and slides into a metal ferrule (sheath) on the handle.

Shovels and Spades

Shovels are larger and more scoop-like for moving large amounts of material; spades are smaller and flatter.

Round Point Shovels  The shape of the round point shovel  makes it easy to get into the dirt. Get one with a wide edge along the top; it will make it easier to apply pressure with your foot. Smaller versions are sometimes called garden shovels. Straight-shank versions are called irrigation shovels.	Square Point Shovels  Square point shovels  are used for scooping more than a round point shovel. Also used for leveling areas that need to be flat. Useful for moving large amounts of gravel, dirt, sand or other materials. Very larger versions are also called scoops or scoop shovels.	Garden Spades  Garden spades  look like square point shovels but are smaller and narrower. Useful for cutting and lifting sod, cutting plant material in general, and shaping trenches and beds.	Transplant/Trench Spades  The transplant  or trench spade  is a long, narrow spade for cutting deep, narrow holes or trenches. Ideal for digging things out without disturbing anything around them.

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Rakes and Cultivators

Rakes  and cultivators  look like big combs for your garden, and that's exactly what they do. You can use them to gather things together or to break up the soil.

Lawn Rakes  Lightweight lawn rakes  have small, narrowly-spaced tines for raking leaves and clippings from the lawn.	Flat Garden Rakes  Flat garden rakes  have heavy tines for clearing debris and evening the soil surface. Flat shape is strong and good for leveling seed beds.	Bow Garden Rakes  Another shape of garden rake is the bow garden rake.  The bow shape  absorbs shock, making this style easier to use.	Thatch Rakes  Thatch rakes  are heavy-duty tools used to comb out tangles of thatch. Use with care!	Cultivators  Cultivators  are used to scratch the soil before planting or while plants are growing to aerate it.  Remove light debris and break up soil crusts.

Forks

Garden forks  are kind of like forks  you would use to eat; they can lift, turn, stab, and fluff.  

Spading Forks  A spading fork  has broad, flat tines good for lifting and turning. One of the most useful tools you can own -- lift bulbs, separate perennials, dig potatoes, etc. Less jarring than a shovel  for digging in rocky soil. Also good for aerating soil.	Pitchforks  Pitchforks  are also known as barn forks  or hay forks.  Best for lifting and moving large amounts of bulky material (like hay or compost). Spading forks are also sometimes known as pitchforks.

Hoes

Hoes  are one of the most versatile garden tools. They can be used to dig, chop, lift, mix, remove weeds, and just about anything else.  

Garden Hoe  The basic garden hoe  is used for weeding and light digging.	Warren Hoes  The warren hoe  is a pointed hoe used mainly for planting. The point can dig furrows or hole and the open top can close them back up.	Weeding Hoes  The vicious-looking weeding hoe  is designed for easily chopping weeds and roots. The two prongs on the back of the head will help you dig plants out by the roots.	Action Hoes  The blade of an action hoe  cuts underground with a twisting action. Cuts roots of perennial weeds.	Mortar Hoes  Mostly used for mixing concrete, mortar hoes  look like garden hoes with holes in them.

Other Tools

There are always lots of things to do in the garden. Make sure you have the right tool  for the odd jobs that come up.  

Mattocks /Picks  Mattocks  are heavy-duty tools with an axe-like blade on one side and a pick-like blade on the other side; used for cutting plant matter and breaking ground. Shown here are a number of different kinds of mattocks. A pick  has two pick blades for breaking up very hard ground.	Weed Whackers /Grass Blades  Before string trimmers and motorized weed whackers, there was a blade on a stick.  Still useful for trimming areas that lawnmowers can't reach.	Bush Axe/Briar Axe/Ditch Blade  This formidable tool looks like a medieval weapon and is almost as dangerous. The bush axe  is used for clearing heavy brush and weeds. Use caution -- both sides of the blade are sharp. Sometimes called a slingblade.

Post Hole Diggers  A post hole digger  is for digging holes for posts or bulbs. (You were expecting something else?) More precise than a shovel. A back-saver and time-saver, especially when planting bulbs.	Digging/Tamping Bars  Digging/tamping bars  are another way to dig narrow holes with more precision than a shovel. The blade end can also be used for cutting, while the flat end is used as a tamper.	Edgers  Edgers  clean up the edges between two areas of the garden, such as the lawn and a flower bed or walkway. The blade can be half-moon or square.

External Links

• Lowes.com -- excellent guide to choosing garden tools.
• Thegardehelper.com -- a guide to most of the basics.
• eHow.com -- a very basic suggestion of the first few things you'll need if you're just starting.
• Ext.vt.edu -- University of Vermont -- more suggestions, also includes info on power tools.