​The Most Useful Garden Hand Tools For Spring

We’re not sure where you are in the country, but there’s a good chance that you’re coming out of the cold season and starting to enjoy spring. And while some of you are finally seeing that last snow melt, others of you are simply warming up from those nights that never got below freezing.

So while we can’t tell you exactly what you need for your yard or garden this spring, there are some garden hand tools and landscaping tools that most everyone needs when spring comes around. Let’s take a look at them.

Manual Aerator

Most soils throughout the country get compacted over time. Some start out with a heavy clay content, while others simply get compacted from hard rains or feet of snow pressing down on them.

While some people simply hire a landscaper who uses a gas-powered lawn aerators, there are actually advantages to using a manual aerator. First of all, you’ll be able to aerate with pinpoint accuracy, which becomes readily apparent if you’ve even seen how a gas-powered aerator can destroy tree roots that are close to the surface. Second, many yards of today are relatively small, which means you can take care of your own lawn in a relatively short amount of time.

Third, a manual aerator will save you money; using it for one year costs less than a typical landscaper’s aeration for just one service. Finally, using a manual aerator is a good workout!

Here at Frostproof Growers Supply, we have two different types of manual lawn aerators: core aerators and spike aerators. Core aerators are a great options when the yard is extremely hard, pulling up plugs of soil so that the lawn can expand. Spike aerators don’t let the soil expand, but it is a good option when you want to help a one-time application of water and fertilizers get down closer to the roots.

Manual Edger

If you take care of your own lawn care, you know that there are three basic ways of handling the edging along your sidewalk. The first is turning the weed eater upside down and trimming the edge of the grass. While this is fine (you already have a weed eater anyway), it’s very imprecise and you’ll lose a lot of string as it beats against the concrete.

The second option is a powered edger, whether it’s gas-powered or electric-powered. These are nice and precise, but considering the amount of sidewalk that most people are dealing with, they’re often overkill and just end up taking up space in the garage.

That leaves manual lawn edgers like we have. They’re compact, taking up less space than a regular shovel. If you keep them sharp, they’re very easy to use, and you don’t have to deal with the sound from a powered unit or the dirt and rocks that can get thrown at your face from a weed eater.

Rakes

When most people think of garden hand tools such as rakes, their first thought is of the fall season. But rakes are a vital part of cleaning up your lawn in spring. They’re great at picking up the leaves you left on your plants as insulation, as well as the ones that the trees finally dropped long after you put the rake away for the fall season. And let's not forget about the trash that blew behind your bushes and is hard to reach without a rake.

Shovels, Garden Hoes, and Trowels

There’s no lack of garden hand tools that you can buy for your garden, but start with the basics.

Shovels are a great way way to loosen the soil that’s become compacted over the winter. It’s also an excellent way to get more nutrients into the soil if you’re adding manure or composted material.

Garden hoes serve many purposes in a backyard garden. They’re excellent for taking out weeds, especially among plants that are close together. Of course, that’s later in the season. In spring, turn them at an angle and you can create troughs into which you can drop pea seeds and other seeds that like to be in rows. They’re also a great way to form mounds for watermelons and cantaloupes.

Of course, not every plant wants to be planted like a pea or watermelon. When it comes to planting peppers and tomatoes, you’re going to need to dig them very specific holes. That’s where trowels come in. These little shovels can help you remove the proper amount of dirt and repack it around the plant after you’ve put it in the ground.

Like we said, there are dozens, if not hundreds, of garden hand tools and landscaping tools that you can buy. But it’s always important to have high-quality versions of each that will last for years. Click those links above to get some amazing tool, and have a happy spring!