Hand Digging Tools
Gardeners use a number of tools to maintain their lawns. Hand digging tools are those that gardeners and lawn workers use to dig holes, edge gardens and plots, weed and cultivate the land. Selecting a hand digging tool should be determined by its purpose, usability and your own personal comfort.
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Spade
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A spade is a digging tool with a long handle (usually made of wood) and a flat metal blade. Typically, a spade also has treads near the top of the blade so that gardeners can use their feet to help push the implement into the ground.
Shovel
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The shovel is the most well-known hand digging tool and is used to dig holes, clear debris, or move large amounts of soil or mulch. A pointed shovel is best for digging holes, while a shovel with a large, flat head is best for cleaning debris or moving earth or other materials.
Cultivator
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A cultivator is a short digging tool that is used to crumble clods of dirt as well as turn over soil and mulch. It usually has a wooden or rubber handle and three curved or hooked metal prongs. In some cases, it can be used to weed stony areas on the ground.
Weeder
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Like the name implies, a weeder is used specifically to remove weeds from garden beds and yards. A weeder has a wooden or rubber handle and a long shaft ending in a sharpened 'v' shape. The shape allows a gardener to stab at the roots of unwanted plants while avoiding the stems and bulbs of flowers.
Claw
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Designed similarly to a cultivator, a hand claw has three metal prongs that are angled in three different directions. A hand claw can be used to weed, cultivate soil, or aerate a lawn or garden area. A hand claw is used by twisting the tool into the soil, and the handle is usually bent in such a way to make this motion easier.
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