Colorado State University Extension: Vicky Dorvee: Tools for playing in the dirt

May 01, 2024

Digging, planting, schlepping and pruning are all part of being a bona fide gardener. Whether you’re tending to perennials, annuals or vegetables, spot-on tools make playing in the dirt a whole lot easier.

While many gardeners prefer to go au naturel, you may opt to protect your personal tools of the trade — your hands — with a pair of gloves. Besides keeping hands clean, gloves prevent callouses, scratches and nasty fungal infections. They should, well, fit like a glove with just a tad of room at the fingertips.

If cowboys were gardeners, the all-important trowel would always be in their holsters. Like many tools, there’s a basic version of this hand shovel. And then there’s the bonus version — the Hori Hori. A Hori Hori is a trowel with one serrated edge. Efficient at digging, it also slices when you need to cut things like grass or small roots.

Depending on your definition of a utopian yard, you’re likely going to want a dandelion/weed digger in your tool arsenal.

Cutting utensils include garden shears for harvesting, bypass pruners for stems up to a half-inch in diameter, long-handled loppers for branches up to 2 inches in diameter and a handsaw for beefier branches.

Shovels, the workhorses of the garden, come in various handle lengths and have either flat, round or pointed blades. Flat blades are great for edging and scooping. Round blades work well in soft soil, and pointy shovels master denser soils.

The garden rake, with a straight metal head and small tines, is excellent for breaking up dirt clumps, turning and smoothing out soils, and a hand rake (the three-pronged, claw-like tool) works wonders when you need to scrape out weeds or find rocks hidden in soil.

Remember the transportation department of the yard. Materials and designs have come a long way since the invention of the wheelbarrow — options include plastic, canvas, galvanized, powder-coated or stainless steel, one, two or three wheels and single or double handles. Garden carts and little red wagons make lugging more joyful, too.

Hoes are wonderful weeders and choppers. Their long handles help you skim the soil just below the surface and a swing of a hoe smashes dirt clods. A draw hoe has a flat paddle end, while heart-shaped hoes are pointy, and stirrup hoes have open heads.

Watering cans are a must — and keep a jug of water on hand for yourself.

In the category of fun-to-have accessories there’s a harvest basket or apron, coil and expandable hoses, a variety of sprayer wands and a moisture/pH meter combo. For added comfort and protection, gardeners swear by cushy knee pads, wide-brimmed hats, slip-on gardening sleeves and easy-to-clean garden shoes. Having buckets nearby makes tossing small debris and impulsively plucked weeds very convenient.

When purchasing handheld tools, consider versions with brightly colored handles, so you can easily locate them in the dirt. A tool caddy or tub for smaller tools makes carrying and storing easier.

It’s worth the investment to have good quality tools because well-made ones will last a lifetime and then some. To learn how to keep your tools sharp and clean visit extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/yard-garden/tool-care/.

For more information on this and other topics, visit extension.colostate.edu or contact your local CSU Extension Office.

Vicky Dorvee is a Colorado State University Extension Colorado Master Gardener in Boulder County.

Sign up for email newsletters