How To

How to Use the Right Garden Tool for the Job

Contributor
By eHow Contributing Writer
(6 Ratings)

You hear it all the time: "Use the right tool for the job." But how do you decide which is the proper tool to use in any given circumstance? Here are a few tips for selecting a garden tool to match a task.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Instructions

Things You'll Need:

  1. Step 1

    Use shovels for digging and spades for scooping. Shovels have round tips and spades have a flat blade.

  2. Step 2

    Employ flexible rakes for lightweight materials such as lawn clippings and leaves and metal bow rakes for moving and grading soil and mulch.

  3. Step 3

    Arm yourself with a pitchfork when moving twiggy material such as small branches.

  4. Step 4

    Use a spading fork to loosen hard soil or to turn the compost pile.

  5. Step 5

    Look to cultivators to open the surface of the soil. Cultivators add oxygen to existing garden beds and are also used to uproot young weeds.

  6. Step 6

    Take advantage of small, short-handled hoes or weed knives to remove weeds from existing garden beds.

  7. Step 7

    Use large, long-handled hoes to remove weeds from an empty garden bed.

Tips & Warnings
  • Treat wooden handles to an occasional swipe with an oil-soaked rag.
  • Use a metal file to sharpen the blades of digging and chopping tools.
  • Use short-handled tools only for small jobs. Long handles are much easier on the back.

Comments  

Anonymous

Anonymous said

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on 11/22/2005 A weeding knife makes easy work of the dandelions in your yard - without using pesticides.

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