Garden Hand Tools

Most garden hand tools come from a time before the industrial revolution and the on-set of mass production. The design has changed little over the centuries - the spade, fork, rake and hoe are all still around today. Manufacturing materials may have evolved with innovations such as plastic handles and polymer-coated metal surfaces.

Where wood is still used make sure it comes from well managed and certified sustainable forests. Much of the metal used today is lightweight recycled aluminium. Over the years new technology has been incorporated into the design: gearing to improve the cutting, lever-action to reduce effort, and telescopic lengthening to reach further and reduce backstrain. The enthusiast now has available a fine array of high quality garden hand tools that will help to make work easier. It is highly recommended that you invest in a range of good quality garden hand tools that will last a lifetime if looked after properly.

When preparing and improving the soil prior to planting you will need a spade and a fork. These garden hand tools must be lightweight, strong, well-balanced and easy to use. Forks are essential for breaking up clumps of soil and turning over the ground. There are many sizes and shapes available. For raised borders, small plots and tubs and containers, hand forks and trowels are essential for intricate work around existing plants; the trowel is used mainly for planting.

 

The hoe and the rake are used for weeding and soil preparation work respectively. A hoe is used to gently break up the surface of the soil around existing plants and to cut down the weeds. The two main types are the draw hoe and the Dutch hoe and they have a slightly different action when in use: Draw hoes chop down to break up the soil and destroy weeds. Dutch hoes are used with more of a sliding action and are better for smaller weeds in borders. Rakes are generally used prior to sowing seeds and planting to prepare the ground and level the earth. The idea is to gather up stones, bits of roots, fallen twigs etc. which can then be picked up. Try not to end up with a great pile of soil since you are aiming to redistribute the soil in an even and level manner. Lawn rakes, used for collecting leaves from grass have long springy tines shaped in a wide fan arrangement.
 

Secateurs are used for cutting thin, woody stems and are especially useful when pruning roses. By-pass secateurs have two cutting blades and operate like scissors. Anvil secateurs have one sharp blade that cuts against a flat, blunt block: the anvil. Shears are used for shaping and trimming hedges, or even for cutting small areas of grass or overgrown weeds.
Nowadays most cutting blades are made from high grade carbon steel that can be sharpened and maintained to last for years. Loppers or pruners are forms of garden hand tools for cutting through thicker stems and small branches. Telescopic loppers have long handles to extend the reach and with the extra leverage the job in hand is made easier. Pruning saws are used when a branch is too thick to be cut with secateurs or loppers. These usually have a retractable blade so they can be stored safely.


Garden Hand Tools are a necessary requirement for use both in small and large plots of land. Look after your garden hand tools and they will be a friend for life!