The Top 10 Hand Tools Every Gardener Needs

By Trish
January 29, 2016

We put the question to the National Gardening Association members: What are your favorite hand tools? They responded with all their favorites, and after combing through all the nominations, we now present the list of the top hand tools from Garden.org!

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Jan 30, 2016 6:52 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carl Boro
Milpitas, CA (Zone 10b)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2015
I'm working on a project and was thinking about making a tool for ripping up compacted soil. The big hoe wasn't cutting it. What I had in mind was a one tine cultivator. Then I saw this post and there it was. I just bought the two of them from the company for $80 and free shipping. Cheaper than Amazon (I checked).
And they are American made.
We'll see how they work.
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Jan 30, 2016 8:15 PM CST
Garden.org Admin
Name: Trish
Grapevine, TX (Zone 8a)
I helped beta test the Garden Planting Calendar Charter ATP Member Region: Texas Roses Herbs Vegetable Grower
Composter Canning and food preservation Hosted a Not-A-Raffle-Raffle Organic Gardener Forum moderator Hummingbirder
Make sure you report back, Carl!!
NGA COO, Wife, Mom, and do-er of many fun things.
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Feb 6, 2016 1:29 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carl Boro
Milpitas, CA (Zone 10b)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2015
Well, my two new weeders arrived yesterday in very good condition. Too late in the day to try them out. (I'm apparently at the end of the UPS route.) I'll try them today.
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Feb 8, 2016 6:19 PM CST
Thread OP
Name: Carl Boro
Milpitas, CA (Zone 10b)
Celebrating Gardening: 2015 Photo Contest Winner: 2015
Well, I tried them out. They work OK as weeders. I think it will take some use to figure out how to best use them.

As a cultivator the Cobra head weeder is less than satisfying. It's more like a 1" wide hoe that scrapes the ground.
I was hoping that it would be more curved and pointing back towards the user. It comes down more perpendicular to the ground and doesn't dig in.
It did not break up hard clay without a LOT of work. I went to the spading fork.

Overall, I would give it 2 1/2 to 3 stars. It's well made, but doesn't do anything better than other tools I already have.
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