The basic garden trowel has a handle with a scoop-shaped blade that is wider near the handle and pointed at the far end. The point may be sharp or not but is always sharp enough to easily dig into the soil. The trowel may be made entirely of plastic, or have a metal blade with a wooden, metal, or plastic handle. The better trowels have carbon steel or stainless steel blades and some blades may be etched with measurements that aid in such tasks as determining depth of planting or space between plants. Handles vary but should be smooth and fit comfortably into the hand. The strength of the tang (bar that connects the blade with the handle) is significant to the life of the trowel as if it bends the usefulness of the trowel is over. Trowels are easy to lose in the garden so consider one that has a bright colored handle that will not blend in with the garden soil or plants. In some cases, an inexpensive plastic trowel can be a reasonable selection if the rate of trowel loss is high. Photo Credit Wikipedia
The basic garden trowel is good for many garden tasks and should be the trowel of choice if you have only one kind of trowel in your garden toolbox. It can be used for breaking up the soil or digging holes and is especially good for transplanting, weeding, planting containers, and mixing in additives like fertilizer. In general, it pays to buy a good quality basic garden trowel as it will be the “go to” tool for most small jobs and get a lot of wear.
To buy a garden trowel from Amazon, click here.
Karen