Using the Right Tool is Self-Care

Gardening challenges are universal. The tools invented to meet these challenges demonstrate interesting variations by culture, region, and inventor.

Finding variations of tools that make jobs easiest for you requires effort initially and perhaps more money. Still, it will make a difference in your attitude toward and comfort during the work. Use the wrong tool or the wrong form of the right tool, and you are more likely to become discouraged, exhausted, or injured. Some considerations apply when choosing any garden tool.

First, evaluate handle choices.

Wooden handles such as ash, oak, and hickory are known for their strength, shock absorption, and durability. Regular maintenance keeps them from drying and cracking.

Fiberglass is light and strong. Age and weather can produce irritating glass splinters on the surface. Don't leave your pitchfork in the compost pile and hasten the process.

Metal handles are durable but heavy and less shock-absorbent. They can be more tiring to use.

Gardening is exercise. Good posture prevents injuries, so full-sized tools need to be correct for your height, normally your height or greater. Unlike big-box stores, a vendor specializing in tools will offer different handle lengths, grips, and many ergonomic features.

Next, look at the tool's head.

If it isn't an extension of the handle material, how does it attach to the handle? Does the back of the head flare to wrap around the handle, perhaps reinforced with a bolt? Other connections have a full or partial tang extending from the head through the center of the handle. The juncture of the tang and handle may be reinforced with a metal band that wraps around both. If made of differing materials, heads usually outlast handles. A tool with an easy-to-replace handle is desirable.

What about composition?

Carbon steel stays sharp longer but is prone to rust and pitting if neglected. Stainless steel doesn't rust easily, but it is harder to sharpen. Some tools have coated metal heads that flake with use. Cast aluminum is durable and rust-free, but it can snap under pressure.

The head should be heavy enough to do some of the work for you, but light enough not to tire you quickly. The head and handle should feel well-balanced when considered together. For all tools, any part that is meant to be sharp should be sharpened regularly.

Whether digging, hoeing, or chopping, what is the angle of the head to the handle? What variations in head shape are available? These make a huge difference in how the tools work.

Let's consider some variations available in the major classes of tools.

The principle "form follows function" is obvious when choosing a hoe. One author lists 48 types of hoes, split into five groups by function. The first two groups move soil and large weeds. Digging hoes are heavy and chop well. The blade is about 80° from the handle.

Draw hoes are lighter and get pulled toward you, which requires a smaller angle (60°) between the blade and the handle. Draw hoes may have flat blades or, as in trenching Warren hoes, a pointed end. Tines on bent forks or cultivators can yank a large weed out.

The most common hoe in big-box stores is weighted like a draw hoe but is often angled more like a digging hoe. It is awkward to use. Search for other types that are better designed.

The following three groups work best on small weeds. Choose one that suits you, use it frequently, and your work will be easy.

• Reciprocating hoes, called loop/stirrup/hoop or oscillating hoes, slice the top of a plant from its roots. They flex and can be pushed and pulled, but the action differs in each direction.
• Flat hoes have heads that lie parallel to the soil surface and glide along, slicing off plants on both push and pull strokes. The angle to the handle must be correct for your height. It is possible to adjust the angle of some models.
• Sweeping hoes are held upright, almost like a broom. These function best at cutting off small weedlings.

To reiterate, the shape of the different hoes' blades and their angles to handle and soil vary considerably. The ratio of your height to the handle length affects the angle at which the tool head meets the soil. It's better to buy a too-long handle and shorten it than to work hunched over. If a tool is uncomfortable, learn how to adjust the neck angle when possible. Hand tool versions of hoes are often angled differently because of the change in height when working close to the ground.

Eventually, you may want multiple hoes to work smarter, not harder. Handheld hoes from around the world show great ingenuity and variety. It pays to find one that pairs well with your preferred weeding style.

Rakes have much in common with draw and sweeping hoes, except that all their work is done at the soil surface or above. Rigid bow rake heads are wider than draw hoes and shallower, with short, stout steel tines. They are used for leveling and moving heavy materials like soil and rocks. Long-tined leaf rakes flex, which allows you to collect lightweight materials around fixed objects without catching on them. Leaf rakes work like sweeping hoes with an upright sweeping action. Their heads can be metal, bamboo, or plastic.

Differences in shape and angle also exist in shovels, spades, and forks. Shovel heads are slightly curved in both vertical and horizontal cross-sections. Their open bowl shape is better for moving materials. Spades are much straighter in both directions and excel for digging, making deeper holes, and edging beds. Shovels usually have a pointed tip, and spades have a flat end, but there are exceptions in both categories. Ends may be tapered in various ways, or sides may be serrated to deal with specialized work. One way to decide which tool you have is to place the head perpendicular to the ground. If the handle is vertical, it is a spade; if the handle leans forward, it is a shovel.

Forks include digging forks with flat, straight tines, used much like a spade. Pitchforks have rounded, more curved tines and are used for moving materials. The more tines a pitchfork has, the finer the materials it lifts.

Spades, digging forks, and shovels are available in long- and short-handled versions. Short handles have a T or D grip but require more spinal exertion. Remaining as upright as possible makes digging easier. Don’t choose a tool that is too heavy for you. Digging tools require a strong handle because the prying action can stress handles to splinter or snap. A kickplate, the folded upper edge to the head, allows you to step onto the shovel rather than relying on upper body muscles to force it into the soil.

Trowels are the corresponding handheld digging tools. Although relatively straight, they are small shovels.

Cutting tools include long, flat blades such as sickles and scythes that cut softer materials like grass. Axes, saws, and double-bladed implements like pruners and loppers cut woody materials.

If you have a sickle or scythe, take the time to learn to use it properly so you do not injure yourself. Once mastered, they function with an economy of motion and fuel.

Double-bladed cutters are divided into two styles: bypass blades and anvil cutters. Use them appropriately to avoid excess effort. Bypass blades slide past each other like scissor blades. They cut live wood cleanly. Anvil cutters have a single blade that meets a blunt platform, like a knife on a cutting board. They are stronger and tend to crush materials, so they are best used to remove dead wood that might jam a bypass cutter. Ratchet pruners are anvil pruners that allow you to cut in stages without reopening the implement. All types are in handheld pruners, larger loppers, and double-hinged loppers. Double hinges require far less effort to cut larger branches, making them worth the investment for regular tree pruning. When pruning, prevent tree-to-tree disease transfer by wiping your blades regularly between cuts with rubbing alcohol or a bleach solution of 1 part bleach to 9 parts water.

Pruning saws have a different construction from woodworking saws. Their teeth are large, sharp, and designed to work on green wood. The saws are narrow vertically to fit in tight areas between branches. Many fold for safe carrying. Some are attached to telescoping poles for pruning high branches while standing on solid ground — much safer than balancing on a ladder! If you must stand on a ladder to prune, avoid twisting or overbalancing while reaching for a branch.

Specialized tools are worth the investment when they save you hours of work. I encourage you to look beyond the big-box stores for your tool needs and to try out unusual tools whenever you get the opportunity.