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- Every gardener needs a shovel to dig holes, break up soil, remove tough weeds, and edge lawns and trenches.
- The $4 makes it much easier to accomplish all of these tasks, and it won't dig a hole in your budget.
While a shovel is undeniably not a sexy or exciting purchase, this utilitarian workhorse belongs in the tool shed of every gardener, whether that garden is a few potted plants, or an extensive vegetable garden. The only question is which type of shovel or spade you need? Serious gardeners will likely have more than one. Of course, there are a lot of different types of digging tools out there, which can make it confusing.
Before going much further, we want to define a few terms that are often used interchangeably, but each has its own specific meaning.
- As a general rule, garden shovels have rounded, concave blades that come to a point. Shovels are mostly used to dig holes in dirt, but are also handy for moving soil, snow, or other loose materials.
- Typically, garden spades have slightly concave blades with a flat edge, and while not so good for digging holes, they are useful for cutting through sod, edging your lawn, or marking a trench.
- Garden scoops have wide, flat blades that rise up into small "walls" along the sides. This is the tool of choice for moving mulch, compost, dead leaves, hay, or other lightweight loose materials.
- Trowels are small garden tools designed for one-handed use. They have a long, shovel-shaped blade and a short handle. Use your trowel for transplanting or digging in containers, making small holes in the garden for new plants, or removing individual weeds.
If your shovel-buying strategy has consisted of choosing the cheapest tool on the shelf, we're here to tell you that while there is certainly no reason to break the budget on a shovel, it's also true that you generally get what you pay for, and a quality garden tool should last you for many years if taken care of.
That's why we decided to do the research for you, and gather up this list of the best shovels and spades out there for a variety of uses. While we think the Fiskars Long-Handle Round-Point Steel Digging Shovel>$4 is the best garden shovel overall, we also recommend several others that serve different purposes.
Here are the best garden shovels and spades you can buy:
- Best shovel overall: $4
- Best short garden shovel: $4
- Best garden spade: $4
- Best garden scoop: $4
- Best garden trowel: $4
Updated on 04/26/2019 by Les Shu: Updated pricing, links, and formatting. Added related buying guides for gardening products.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the $4 team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.