3 Tine Bent Base Gardening Tool

by Matt Gibson

There are plenty of lists of gardening tools available on the internet geared towards specific areas of interest, including best gardening tools of a specific year, or best gardening tools for a specific task, or must have gardening tools. However, of all the lists we were able to find, we couldn't locate one that was truly comprehensive, so we decided to make our own.

In this list, we put together every gardening tool that one might possibly need or want to acquire. If we left something out, please let us know in the comment section below the article and we will update the list to include it. So, aside from potting soil, containers, indoor growing equipment (which deserves a list of its own), seeds and plants, here are all the gardening tools you can get your hands on:

Apex Shed

Apex sheds are spacious garden workspaces, often made of wood, which are used as a sheltered outdoor workspace for gardening projects and for storing garden equipment.

Auger

An auger is a hand tool, drilling device, or drill bit, that is visibly similar to a large screw, which is used for making holes in the ground for planting.

Backpack Sprayer

A backpack sprayer (or knapsack sprayer) is a spraying device consisting of a backpack tank with a pressurizing device, line, and sprayer nozzle, which is typically used in the gardening world for treating plants with insecticides and pesticides.

Border Spade

A border spade is a gardening tool that features a flat, thin, rectangular blade, that is used for digging in confined areas, such as in between tight rows of healthy plants. Border spades are useful for jobs that don't require larger blades, such as those on regular shovels. Border spades are commonly used for moving perennial plants.

Bow Rake

Bow rakes are used for raking heavy materials which would cause other garden rakes to break or snap. The bow rake is a flat rake with a bow-shaped metal frame which connects the rake's teeth to the handle, and can absorb high impact, making it suitable for raking up stray rocks from gravel pathways, for example.

Bow Saw

Named for the shape of the frame and blade, the bow saw consists of a C-shaped frame that connects to both ends of a toothed blade which is designed to cut thick branches and prune large bushes. A twisted cord runs parallel to the blade, which can be adjusted to increase or decrease tension in the blade.

Border Fork

A border fork, or ladies' fork, is a smaller version of a garden fork, with shorter, closer-spaced, thinner tines but a full-sized handle, which is used for lighter work such as weeding amongst other plants.

Border Spade

Designed to be useful when digging landscape borders in a flowerbed, a border spade is smaller than a regular spade, and is equipped with a flat blade to dig down into the soil.

Broadcast Sprayer

Most home gardeners will not need a sprayer that is quite this heavy-duty. A broadcast sprayer is used for spraying insecticides and pesticides, and is made of industrial-grade materials in order to cover a lot of ground very quickly.

Broadfork

The broadfork (also called U-fork or grelinette) is used to break up densely packed soil to improve aeration and drainage. The tool consists of five or so metal tines, approximately eight inches long spaced a few inches apart on a horizontal bar, with two handles that reach upwards to the chest or shoulder area, forming a U-shape.

The user steps on the crossbar and uses their body weight to drive the tines into the ground, then steps backwards while pulling the handles to cause the tines to move up through the soil, keeping the layers of soil intact and preserving the topsoil structure. Broadforks are used in the garden or in areas that are one to two acres in size. A similar tool is attached to a tractor or chisel-plow for larger areas.

Budding Knife

A budding knife is a small knife that is made for delicate budding tasks and grafting with a single eye or bud.

Bulb Planter

A bulb planter is a gardening tool used to dig holes to plant bulbs and other plants. It is also designed to put soil back into holes to cover bulbs. Long-handled bulb planters allow gardeners to not have to bend when planting.

Compost Bin

A device that is designed to hold organic materials and allows them to decompose and break down over time into finished compost.

Compost Fork

A compost fork (also known as a manure fork or a mulch fork) is used for loosening, aerating and transplanting compost or manure, as well as turning over and moving other bulk organic material such as mulch.

Core Aerator

Designed to aerate the soil, core aerators (also known as lawn aerators) penetrate the earth with hollow spikes which reduce soil compaction by removing small plugs of soil, creating channels that allows air, water, and nutrients to penetrate into the soil.

Drum Aerators

Designed to aerate the soil, drum aerators penetrate the earth with large spikes attached to a tine wheel that relies on weight for tine penetration. This method is usually used for large scale soil aeration.

Edging Shears

Edging shears are designed to help a gardener cut the grass precisely along walkways or around garden beds. They are often mounted on long handles which allow the user to trim while standing up.

Electric Edger

An electric edger is a gardening tool that allows landscapers to craft a distinct boundary between the lawn and another ground surface, typically along a sidewalk or curb.

Flat Rake

A flat rake (or level head rake) has a rectangular head with 10 to 16 teeth connected centrally with a long handle. The back of the head is flat for leveling, while the rake is generally used for clearing debris and breaking down clumpy soil. Flat rakes are also commonly used to spread fertilizer or compost.

Garden Fork

A garden fork (also known as spading fork, digging fork, or graip) is a gardening tool usually equipped with a long handle and several, usually four, short, sturdy tines. It is commonly used for lifting, loosening, and turning over soil.

Garden Hoe

A garden hoe is a common gardening tool with a long handle and small square blade which is commonly used to shape soil, remove weeds, clear soil, and harvest root crops.

Garden Shovel

A garden shovel is a tool used for digging, lifting, and moving garden soil. Digging shovels can be round, pointed, or flat for different jobs. The most common garden shovel has a rounded edge with a pointed tip and is shaped to scoop out plenty of soil.

Garden Tool Shed

Sheds are an important part of any serious garden. Typically made of wood, a garden tool shed is smaller than an average shed and is used solely for storing garden tools, equipment, and utensils together. This type of shed typically comes as a tower or box with no windows to keep materials stored inside well hidden.

Gas Powered Lawn Edger

A gas edger is a motorized edge trimmer that forms distinct boundaries between a lawn and another ground surface feature, such as a paved, concreted, or asphalted area.

Gloves

Gardening gloves are worn for the protection of your hands when doing garden and yard work. Gloves keep your hands clean and typically protect the hands from prickles, caustic substances, minor bites, and sharp objects.

Hand Cultivator

A hand cultivator is a gardening tool that is used to turn and till the soil where you plan on planting and removing all weeds. In small flower or veggie gardens, it can also be used as a mini-plow to help dig the planting rows.

Handheld Sprayer

Handheld lawn and garden sprayers are an efficient means of applying liquid fertilizers and pesticides in the home landscape.

Hand Seeder

A hand seeder is a single row manual seeder designed by field engineers to plant small vegetable or flower seeds in uniform rows.

Hedge Shears

Hedge shears are large scissorlike devices that are 12 to 28 inches in length, and are made to cut woody material up to one half inch thick. Handles may be wood or metal, with rubber grips. Blades can be straight-edged, curved, serrated, or wavy.

Hoe

A hoe is a gardening tool with a thin metal blade that is usually used to break up dirt and soil clumps, and a helpful tool to use when weeding a garden bed.

Kneeler

A garden kneeler is a device that prevents sore knees caused by kneeling on the ground and back pain caused by stooping and bending from performing gardening tasks. Garden kneelers allow gardeners to kneel with a cushioned comfort and support, keeping clothes clean and protected from dirt and grass stains.

Lawn Mower

A lawnmower is a motorized garden tool used for cutting grass on lawns.

Leaf Blower

A leaf blower, also commonly called a blower, is a gardening tool that shoots air out of a nozzle at a high rate of speed, to move lightweight debris, such as leaves and grass cuttings. Leaf blowers are powered by electric or gasoline motors.

Leaf Rake

A leaf rake is a lightweight rake that is fan-shaped with flat, springy tines that radiate outward. Leaf rakes are designed to sweep and collect leaves without disturbing much of the soil underneath in the process.

Machete

A machete is a long-bladed cutting tool that is used to cut through plants and vines to clear pathways. It can be used to open coconuts and cut down small trees. Oftentimes, the back side has edges for sawing wood.

Manual Edger

A manual edger is a non-motorised edge trimmer designed to form distinct boundaries between a lawn and another ground surface such as a paved, concrete, or asphalted area.

Pick Mattock

A pick mattock is a digging tool with a head which has a point at one end and a transverse blade at the other.

Pitchfork

A pitchfork is a garden tool with a long handle and two to three tines which is used to lift and pitch or throw loose material such as straw, hay, or leaves. Also called a garden fork.

Planting Dibble

A planting dibble is a pointed gardening implement that is used to make holes in soil, especially for planting bulbs or seedlings.

Pointed Shovel

A pointed shovel is a digging shovel with a pointed tip that is generally used for digging and planting in soft, tilled soil, whereas sharp, flat tips of square points are utilized for more heavy-duty hard-packed soils that need more force to penetrate the ground.

Pole Pruner

Pruners are gardening tools that are used for cutting plants and small branches, such as roses and grapevines. Stems thicker than a pencil will require loppers or saws instead of pruners. A pole pruner is like a pair of pruners but at the end of longer, pole-like handles to increase reach.

Post Hole Pincer

A post hole digger is a gardening tool used to dig narrow holes to install posts, such as for fences or signs. A post hole pincer is jabbed into the ground in the open position until the blades are buried. At that point, the handles are pulled apart to close the tool, grabbing the chunk of soil that has been loosened.

Potato Fork

A potato fork is a garden tool that is a hand fork featuring several curved tines, which is used exclusively for digging up potatoes.

Potting Shed

Potting sheds are made for potting plants specifically and for storing gardening equipment. Potting sheds are large wooden structures that feature a shelving area underneath a large window on one side which are sometimes used in place of a greenhouse. The window allows natural light into the space to help boost the growth of newly potted seedlings. Potting sheds also provide warmth and shelter for plants during the colder winter months.

Powered Chainsaw

A powered chainsaw is a portable, electric or gasoline powered mechanical saw that cuts using a set of teeth that are attached to a rotating chain which runs along a guide bar. It is used for activities such as felling trees, removing limbs, bucking, pruning, and harvesting firewood.

Powered Edger (String Trimmer / Weed Eater)

A powered edger, or string trimmer is a garden power tool that uses a nylon line that rotates very fast to cut and trim grass. Powered edgers are also sometimes used to trim and shape bushes and hedges.

Pruning Knife

A pruning knife is a small billhook blade for cutting small branches or performing various tasks that require a light cut.

Pruning Saw

A pruning saw is a gardening tool that is equipped with the same sharp teeth as saws that are used for cutting lumber, but pruning saws are intended for trimming live shrubs and trees. There are many different types of pruning saws, each made for specific types of branches or stems.

Pruning Shears

Pruning shears, also called hand pruners or secateurs are a type of scissors for use on plants exclusively. They are strong enough to prune hard woody branches of trees and shrubs, oftentimes up to two centimeters thick.

Rake

A long or short handled tool with tines at the end that is designed to collect grass or debris or to loosen soil

Rotary Tiller

A rotary tiller is a gardening tool with a set of curved tines that are attached to a rotating shaft which is powered by a tractor's PTO to dig into garden soil, churning it into a fine, clod-free seedbed. Rotary tillers are typically used in the spring before planting to help prepare your garden beds for the upcoming growing season.

Round Point Shovel

A round point shovel is a versatile gardening tool with a slightly curved blade that is made for scooping, and a round end, often curving to a point in the center. The edges of the blade are beveled to allow the shovel to easily slice into the dirt. The long handle of a round point shovel can be made of wood or fiberglass.

Scoop Shovel

A scoop shovel is a gardening and lawn tool that has a handle and a broad scoop or blade for digging and moving material, such as dirt or snow.

Scuffle Hoe

A scuffle hoe is a garden hoe that has both edges sharpened so that it can be pushed forward or drawn back.

Seeder Row Planter

A garden seed row planter is a precision machine that drops individual seeds at a particular spacing along a row. As the planter moves along each row, it opens up the soil to a certain depth, places the seed, and covers the seed, providing some means for pressing the soil into contact with the seed.

Shredder

Garden shredders or chippers reduce garden waste by shredding it to bits, either for composting or just easy disposal.

Soil Scoop

A soil scoop is a general purpose digging tool with a deep bowl-shaped head with a sharply pointed tip and serrated edges. The soil scoop is a perfect gardening tool for picking through rocky soil, removing bulbs with limited damage, digging holes, and weeding in tight areas.

Spading Fork

See Garden Fork

Spike Aerator

See core aerator

Spiked Aerating Shoes

Spiked shoes that provide an easy way to aerate and revitalize hard-compacted garden soils to improve drainage.

Spreader

A broadcast seeder, also called a broadcaster, broadcast spreader or centrifugal fertilizer is a farm implement commonly used for spreading seeds, lime, fertilizer, sand, ice melt, etc.

Sprinkler

A sprinkler is a garden device that sprays water streams onto your grass or plants to irrigate them regularly, usually set to a timer. You can attach a small lawn sprinkler to a hose in your yard when your flowers are droopy, or your lawn is underwatered.

Square Point Shovel

A square point shovel is a gardening tool that is perfect for moving loose garden material, such as sand, topsoil or debris. It can also be used to help shape beds, mix concrete, level off areas that need to be flattened, or to scrape stubborn material off driveways or other hard surfaces.

Step Edger

A step edger is a gardening tool that looks like a half-moon on a long handle which is used to create and define lawn edges.

String Trimmer

See Powered Edger (String Trimmer)

Trailer Sprayer

A trailer sprayer is a large, trailer mounted sprayer used for applying fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides to large areas used in large-scale agricultural applications.

Transplant Spade

A modified shovel of sorts, a transplant spade has a long handle which makes it easy to use from a standing position. The blade is slender, long, and the same width all the way down, designed to help transplant large plants.

Trench Shovel

A trench shovel (also called a clean out shovel) is a long, narrow blade with a sharper curve at the end designed to help clean out and define trenches.

Tree Pruner

Used to prune small trees, a tree pruner (or lopper) is a long-handled pruning saw with a curved blade and sometimes a clipper.

Trowel

A trowel is a small handheld garden tool with a flat base and a curved scoop, designed for lifting plants or earth. A trowel is used for digging, applying, smoothing, and moving small amounts of soil.

Twist Tiller

A twist tiller is an odd-looking gardening tool that both tills the soil and removes weeds with a simple twisting action. The tool features twisted lines, a crossbar to step on to help penetrate hard soils, and a long, cushioned handlebar for leverage and comfort.

Warren Hoe

A warren hoe, also known as a ridging hoe, or drill hoe, is a triangular or heart-shaped hoe designed for digging narrow furrows or shallow trenches for planting seeds or bulbs.

Water Hose

A water hose, or garden hose is a flexible tube used to convey water, commonly used with a sprayer or sprinkler attachment to concentrate water at a particular point or spread it over a large area.

Watering Can

A portable water container with a long spout and perforated cap that is used for watering plants.

Weeder

A common gardening tool designed to ease the task of removing weeds from gardens and lawns.

Wheelbarrow

A wheelbarrow is a small cart with a single wheel in the front and two support legs and two handles in the back, which is used for carrying loads of materials, such as soil, sand, gravel, etc.

Wheel Edger

A wheel edger is a manual tool that is used to help landscapers form a distinct boundary between the lawn and an asphalted area or other surface.

Common Questions and Answers About Gardening Tools

Can you edge with a shovel?

Yes, you can edge grass with a shovel. Use spray paint or a garden hose to mark the edges of your lawn. If you need to make the line perfectly straight, drive two stakes into the corners of the lawn and tie a string between them just above ground level. Cut an edge four to six inches deep along the edge you've marked. The best shovel to use is an edging shovel, as it is made for edging work and will make the cleanest cut. However, you can also use a digging shovel, flat shovel, or garden spade. Slice underneath the sod at the edge to cut the roots of the grass, and pry the grass up with your shovel. Load the removed chunks of sod into a wheelbarrow to be disposed of. Using a rake, smooth out the bare ground where grass has been removed, cleaning up any remaining pieces of grass or debris. Every two weeks during the growing season, do maintenance on the edge you've created to prevent grass from growing back into the bare soil and keep the edge clean.

Do you edge before or after mowing?

Professionals are divided in their opinions as to whether edging should be done before or after mowing, and most of them say that the landscaping process takes about the same time no matter which order the work is done in. However, if you mow first, then do edging, you reduce the likelihood of ruining your edging work when you go back over it with the mower.

How big is a shovel?

There are a variety of shovel lengths out there on the market, so it's important to choose the correct length for you when you purchase a shovel. The standard shovel shaft length is 28 inches, making the entire shovel including the handle and blade about 48 inches long. Depending on the size of the shovel blade, this standard shaft size is suited for people between five feet five inches and five feet nine inches tall. People taller than five feet nine inches should shop for shovels with shafts that are longer than 32 inches. People shorter than five feet five inches should use a shovel with a shaft that is 26 inches or shorter.

There's a simple trick you can use to determine whether a shovel is the right size for you. Stand the shovel up on its end, balancing the shovel on the tip of the blade. The top of the shovel handle grip should be level with your lower chest if the shovel is properly sized for your height. Using a shovel that's at least tall enough to stand level with your lower chest prevents you from having to stoop over when you're working, saving you the back pain that can go along with an inappropriately sized shovel.

How deep should garden edging be?

The area you cut for garden edging should be about four to six inches wide and six inches deep. If you will be installing flagstone or concrete pavers along your edge, make sure to cut the edging area at least six inches wide to match the size of your specific stones.

How do you keep a pick mattock?

It's easy to perform maintenance on your pick mattock by yourself. Maintain the edges of the adze and axe ends of the mattock to keep them sharp by using either a grinder or a hand file. Make sure to file out any dents or chips in the blade and keep the edges clear of any burrs. The axe cutting edge should be kept ground to a sharper finish than the adze cutting edge. If the head of the mattock becomes loose and the mattock has a wooden handle, soak the handle in water for half an hour. Soaking will cause the wood of the handle to swell up, tightening the handle where it connects to the shaft. This trick only works with mattocks that have wooden handles and only lasts for about half an hour until the handle dries out and shrinks again. However, soaking the mattock will resolve the problem long enough for you to complete your work until you can replace or repair the mattock. If the wooden handle of your mattock develops splinters, you can fix them by sanding the handle down. However, if the handle splits, the mattock must be replaced. A mattock is damaged beyond repair and must be replaced if the handle is split, cracked, or broken, or if either the axe or the adze end of the mattock gets bent. A mattock that is taken care of well should last for several years of work.

How often should I edge my lawn?

On average, most people do their edging once per year at the end of June, after the peak growing season has ended for their lawn. However, for an extremely well manicured lawn, you can edge twice a year: once in early June and once in late August.

How old is the shovel?

Humans have been using shovels for as long as people have been gardening. Archaeological evidence from the Neolithic Age (10,000 B.C. to 3,000 B.C.) shows that early gardeners worked with the shoulder blades of oxen, which they used to perform tasks such as burying their dead, moving materials such as rocks and soil, and digging for food. Before the Middle Ages began, Cherokee Indians were already attaching the shoulder blades or pelvic bones from large animals to sticks three or four feet long with deer ligaments or leather straps to make an early version of the moden shovel.

How long is a shovel handle?

Shovel handles are available in varying lengths, and people should be careful to select the correct length when they purchase a shovel so they're as comfortable as possible when working in the garden. The standard shaft length of 28 inches makes a shovel that fits people between five feet five inches and five feet nine inches tall (depending on the size of the blade). The standard length for the entire shovel, shaft and blade included, is around 48 inches. People taller than five feet nine inches should use a shovel with a shaft of 32 inches or longer. People shorter than five feet five inches should use a shovel with a shaft that's 26 inches or shorter.

What are the basic tools for gardening?

The very basics for gardening would probably include a digging tool like a spade, trowel or fork, a cutting tool like pruners, and gloves to protect your hands. Want to go a little bit deeper than that? Here are a few additional garden tool options for beginner gardeners to consider.

Arm protectors
Clearing tools
Cobrahead weeding tool
Digging fork
Digging shovel
Edging spade
Garden hose with multi-pattern sprayers
Garden rake
Gardening apron
Gardening journal
Heavy-duty leather gloves
Hoe
Hori hori digging tool
Latex-coated cotton gloves
Leaf rake
Loppers
Pruners
Pruning saw
Scissors
Shears
Trowel
Weeder
Wheelbarrow
Washable synthetic gloves

What can I use for garden edging?

The best tool to use for garden edging is an edging shovel, but if you don't have an edging shovel, you can use a digging shovel, flat shovel, or garden spade instead.

What does a garden spade look like?

A spade has a flattened, rectangular blade on the end of a short handle that's about four feet long. The handle of a garden spade may be flat, or it can be or U-shaped or T-shaped. The handle should be made out of hardwood and may have a non slip rubber coating. Blades are commonly made of carbon, hammered steel, or stainless steel.

What is a cutter mattock used for?

The vertical blade of a cutter mattock, called the axe end, is what gardeners use to chop through roots in the ground. The large horizontal blade of a cutter mattock, called the adze end, is what gardeners use to move earth and soil, such as when digging trenches. A pick mattock has a pick that is used to break up stones, rocks, or areas of hard soil. Claw mattocks have a claw on the end that is used for digging up weeds and cultivating the ground.

What is a fishtail weeder?

A fishtail weeder, also called an asparagus knife, is a tool with a long, narrow shaft, allowing gardeners to use the weeder to get deep into the soil and work across long distances. The fishtail weeder has a sharp blade shaped like an upside-down V (or a fish tail) that is used to remove roots stuck in the ground or to carve out weeds. Some fishtail weeders feature ergonomic design or fulcrums to make weeding with the tool even easier.

What is a flat shovel called?

Flat shovels are often referred to as spades. However, some digging shovels have flat blades as well.

What is a garden pick used for?

A garden pick is used for a variety of tasks, such as digging trenches, breaking up rocky soil, and clearing out ditches.

What is a garden spade best for?

A garden spade is one of the most commonly used tools in a gardener's arsenal. Use your garden spade in contouring, cultivation, terracing, and working on drainage. The spade is not meant for heavy-duty earth moving, but instead is used for lighter cultivation tasks, such as cutting sod, preparing and reshaping beds, mixing in amendments, or digging planting holes. You can also find specialized garden spades for transplanting or making borders.

What is a grub axe?

A grub axe is a term used to refer to a mattock, which is a hand tool gardeners use to clear ground or to dig up roots and shrubs. A mattock has two blades: the axe blade, or the vertical end used to chop through roots underground, and the adze blade, or the large horizontal end used to dig trenches or move earth and soil.

What is a grub hoe?

A grubbing hoe is sometimes called an azada and is used in gardening to dig and till soil. Grub hoes are light to moderate in weight and are used for gardening tasks such as digging trenches, removing root pieces, killing weeds and roots, moving rocks, and chopping through sod. Blades for grub hoes are available in a variety of shapes and widths.

What is an Irish shovel?

An Irish shovel is designed for use in heavy soil that is hard to penetrate in areas where cultivating the land is difficult. It has a long blade with a pointed tip that is wide at the shoulder. The blade measures between 10 and 14 inches, and the extra long shaft measures from 48 to 72 inches.

What is a scoop shovel?

A scoop shovel is also called a trowel or a soil scoop. It is a hand tool with a pointed, curved scoop blade that resembles a long, narrow shovel. Scoop shovels are most frequently used to dig holes for planting seedlings or transplants in the garden. Larger scoop shovels have a wide, flat blade with raised sides to make it easier for the gardeners to pick up piles of earth or whatever material they are moving. In addition to piles of earth, these large scoop shovels may be used to move large amounts of any material, such as grain, feed, or manure.

What is a sharpshooter shovel?

A sharpshooter shovel has a long, narrow blade and is used to open deep, narrow holes with small diameters in any kind of soil, even hard rocky earth. Sharpshooter shovels may also be referred to as tile shovels or transplanting spades. These shovels are mainly used for digging and the creation of holes, but they can move a little bit of earth, as when moving soil out of holes and trenches. The narrow, round point of the blade is designed to make it easy to penetrate hard earth or rocky layers of dirt. The holes created by a sharpshooter shovel are often used for transplanting, planting shrubs or saplings, or digging narrow trenches like those used for drainage and utility lines.

What is a shovel used for?

Shovels are used for digging into the ground and moving loose, granular materials such as dirt, gravel, grain, or snow from one location to another. A shovel consists of a handle and shaft with a wide, flat blade attached to it, though blade sizes and shapes can vary greatly depending on the shovel's variety and design, which are determined by what the shovel will be used for.

What is a skinny shovel called?

Skinny shovel varieties include trench shovels, tree planting shovels, sharpshooter shovels, drain spades, root shovels, Dixter trowels, and planting trowels.

What is a small shovel?

Small shovels used in gardening are called trowels.

What is a spade for gardening?

Spades look similar to shovels, but a spade is shorter than a shovel and has a flat blade, while shovels have curved blades and are longer. A spade is used to dig trenches, cut into sod, or edge areas of grass.

What is a tile shovel?

Tile shovels are also referred to as transplanting spades or sharpshooter spades. They have long, narrow blades and are used to create deep, narrow holes with a small diameter. Tile shovels are especially used in hard dirt, rocky soil, or sod. They may be used to create holes to plant saplings or shrubs, or they may be used to dig trenches for drainage or utility lines. Tile shovels are really designed to make a hole and not to move earth, but they can be used to move a small amount, such as when soil is lifted up and out of a hole.

What is a trenching shovel?

Trenching shovels have sharp blades with pointed tips and raised, square sides. These tools are used to dig trenches, and they create holes with straight walls without much disruption of the surrounding soil.Trenching shovels are often used for laying irrigation pipes, digging compost trenches, or digging holes for plants that have especially deep roots.

What is a trowel used for?

Trowels in masonry are used to spread mortar and plaster, but trowels have different uses in the garden. Gardening trowels are used for digging small holes, such as those created when planting annuals, perennials, and bulbs. Trowels are not large enough to easily dig holes for trees or shrubs. Trowels are also used to dig up weeds.Trowel blades vary in size and shape and variations can be found that may be flat, wide, or scoop-shaped.

What is a weeder tool?

A weeder is a small, handheld gardening tool about the size of a trowel with a short handle attached to a long, thin metal pole that has two forking tines around one inch long in a V shape on one end. Some weeder tools come equipped with a fulcrum, which adds leverage to make it easier for gardeners to use the tool to pull weeds out of the ground.

What is another name for a pickaxe?

A pickaxe may also be called a pick or railroad pick. A pick mattock is a similar tool that has a pointed end with a pick on it and another end with a broad, flat axe blade.

What is the difference between a pick and a mattock?

A pick consists of a handle with a pointed end, or a double-edged pointed end. Some picks have one end that is more pointy and another that is flatter. A similar tool is the pick mattock, which has one pointed end with a pick and one broader, flatter end with an axe. A mattock or cutter mattock, as opposed to a pick mattock, has one end with an axe and one larger, horizontal blade called the adze.

What is the difference between a spade and a shovel?

Spades are for digging jobs, while shovels are for scooping. There is an angle between the handle and blade of a shovel while the angle of the spade is nearly straight from handle to blade. Shovels are usually much larger than spades. Though the two tools look very similar, the spade is shorter than the shovel, with a flat blade, while the shovel is longer and uses a curved blade. Spades are used to dig trenches, to cut into sod, or to edge areas of grass. Spades are used for digging in the ground, whereas shovels are used for scooping and moving soil and debris from one area to another.

What tools do I need to start a garden?

Starting a garden is a pretty simple task, but there are some tools that you will need to start gardening efficiently. Many of these tools can be purchased for a very reasonable price or can even be passed down from an experienced gardener. Once you have these tools in your arsenal, you are ready to take on any regular gardening task, from building a garden bed to amending your soil, or planting crops for an upcoming growing season.