Choosing the Right Gardening Tools
 The gardening equipment you need depends on the size of your garden, your age and strength, and whether you want to get the job done in a hurry or prefer to take your time.
Shopping for garden tools late in the season makes good sense. Stores are anxious to move them off the shelves to make room for more seasonal items so you are likely to get a bargain. In addition, by now you know which tools from last year are lost or broken and can begin to get ready for an early and productive spring.
Most Gardeners Need Pruner, Trowel, Shovel, Hoe, and Rake
The minimum equipment needed by most gardeners includes a pruner, a trowel, a shovel or spade, a hoe, and a rake. A wide selection of styles is available for each tool. The choice is really one of personal preference and price range.
Look for light-weight tools that fit your hands and the job to be done. For example, pruning shears that open wider than the width of your hand are difficult to use. They not only make you tire faster, they can be annoying and frustrating.
A trowel will be in constant use, especially in the spring, for those many digging jobs that cannot be done with full-sized tools. The trowel is perfect for setting out bedding plants and bulbs or digging shallow-rooted weeds. Other small hand tools such as a 12-inch hoe and fork are equally valuable if you garden primarily in raised beds or containers.
Shovel with Pointed Blade Is Designed for General Digging
A garden shovel with a pointed, dish-shaped blade is lighter and smaller than construction shovels and is designed for general-purpose digging, lifting, and moving. A spade has a flat blade and is designed for cutting rather than moving soil. Spades are excellent for shaping straight-sided trenches and for edging beds but are not good for preparing planting holes as they may glaze the sides. Long handles offer greater leverage and may be less tiring to use; however, short handles are often thicker and stronger. The fiber glass handles hold up well and are easier to find if left out in the weather than those with wooden handles.
A spading or garden fork is ideal for turning heavy soils or coarse compost and for digging. The lighter-weight hay fork is useful for spreading mulch and moving leaves, but will not handle heavy work.
Keep Hoe Blade Sharp
A hoe is needed in a garden to prepare the seed bed, to remove weeds, and to break encrusted soil. The most commonly used hoe is the square-bladed hoe, which lends itself well to most garden tasks; however, the pointed hoe with a heart-shaped blade is light weight and easier to use for cultivating between plants. Keeping the blades sharp will make all the work go easier.
A sturdy rake is useful in clearing the garden of rocks and debris, spreading mulches, and smoothing seedbeds. Avoid choosing a rake that is too heavy for you as it will tire you quickly. A handle that is too short will cause excess bending and back strain. When standing upright, the tip of a rake's handle should reach your ear.
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