The Best Trowel

Buying Guide

If you do any gardening work at all, you know how essential a trowel is to your tool collection. This device is capable of doing everything from digging small holes to softening the soil to transplanting seedlings. Some gardeners even use trowels to help remove stubborn weeds that are too difficult to pull up by hand. Before you begin shopping for the best trowel on the market, there are a few features you need to know about.

Consider the soil type you’re working with. Any trowel can handle softer soil types; however, you need a high-quality trowel for rocky and heavy soils. The Edward Tools Oversized Bend-Proof Garden Trowel is a good choice for homeowners who have difficult soil types. It’s made from one solid piece of stainless steel, which gives it added strength and eliminates the chance that the handle will bend under pressure.

Examine the trowel’s handle next, as you need a model that provides a firm grip. For example, a trowel set that features a soft-grip handle that is also ergonomical in design is a great buy. Thanks to the handle’s high-quality TPR material, both hand and wrist stress are reduced. This feature is especially important if you enjoy spending long periods of time working in your garden.

Look at the shape of the trowel’s head. Some models are more ideal for general tasks, while others are specifically designed for transplanting. There are trowels that are outfitted with an extra-large polished cast-aluminum head. Their heads have sharp edges that make them the best choice for cutting through tough turf. Aluminum is also well known for resisting rust, which means you’ll get a longer life out of it.

Decide if you’d like to go with a specialty set. There are trowels that come in full sets. Some offer small sets with just a traditional trowel, a transplanting trowel and a cultivator hand rake, while others go a step further by adding a weeding tool, spray bottle, pair of gardening gloves and a polyester organizing tote. There are also trowels that are actually made for hikers and campers, as their sole purpose is to dig catholes and holes for tent spikes.

• It’s important to clean your trowel after each use. Not only will this extend the life of the trowel, but it will also reduce the chance of cross-contamination. Otherwise, you can unknowingly have fungus or aphids on your trowel from working with one plant and then transfer them to another. Run the trowel under your garden hose to rinse away any loose dirt and then set it in a bucket of soapy water. After a 15 minute soak, rinse the trowel clean and dry it with a lint-free cloth. If you encounter any stuck-on dirt, you can use a soft-bristle brush to remove it.
• If storage is an issue, look for a trowel with a hanging hole. You can hang these from a wall in your shed or garage without taking up any room on a shelf or in a drawer.
• Some trowels come with markings that let you know the plant depth. This may be helpful to beginner gardeners who haven’t learned to eyeball the depth yet.
• While the cost for a gardening trowel varies slightly, none of the price tags are out of reach, even if you’re shopping with a limited budget.