Gardening Gear

The following is a guide to the commonly used garden tools that will help you get the job done! To locate the costs of each of these pieces of equipment, visit the GEF Garden Budget Calculator.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page for a printable PDF tool chart!

Garden Hoe: Used in the garden to remove weeds, it has a long pole, about 3-4' in length with a flat blade on the end about a 90 degree angle from the pole.	Cultivator (hand tool): Used to prepare soil for planting or weed removal around the plant after planted. It loosens soil and weeds for easy removal.
Spade: Mainly used as a digging tool to move small amounts of soil, you can use this tool to break up soil, loosen the ground, and remove clumps or weeds.	Round Point Shovel (Long-handled): A round curve at the end of the shovel allows you to move larger amounts of soil, break up soil, and transplant larger plants.
Bow rake: This rake has short tines used for removing clumps and small rocks in the soil. It is also used to level the soil. If turned upside down it can be used to smoothe the soil over the garden.	Leaf rake: This rake has softer, longer, tines that are used to remove leaves, plant debris, and other small, light objects from your garden.
Round point shovel (short-handled): Can be used in container plantings, or smaller areas where a larger shovel may be too large but does the same at moving around soil, digging, and for transplanting.	Pitchfork: Used for loosening up the soil, moving hay or straw material in garden.
Trowel: Small hand tool with a pointed scoop shaped metal blade used for breaking up the soil, digging in small spaces, removing weeds, and transplanting plants to pots.	Digging Fork: Used in the garden to loosen, lift, and turn the soil in the garden.