Make life in the garden easier with a tool to SUIT YOU
We use trowels for so many jobs in the garden, from digging holes for our latest garden-centre buys to eking pesky weeds from borders and transporting worms we don’t want to pick up to a safer spot! So it makes sense for this faithful gardening companion to suit you to a tee. There are all sorts on the market, so isn’t it about time you found one that’s just perfect for you? And as trowels are notoriously good at getting lost, an extra tool is always a good idea! There are longer-handled tools to save you kneeling and to reach into deep borders, and ergonomic designs that make life much more comfy. If you have weak wrists or a touch or arthritis, finding the right trowel really can make a huge difference to how much you enjoy time in the garden. For example, Peta Easi-Grip tools have ergonomically angled handles that keep your hand and wrist in a natural, stress- and strain-free position, and additional arm support cuffs are available.
If you’re working over a large area, a longer wider blade is best. Trowels with a bevelled bottom edge, pointed end or sharpened sides will cut through hard dry soil more easily. Most have an angled neck, called a tang, and this allows you to work more easily because there’s more clearance between your fingers, particularly your knuckles, and the soil.
WHAT MATERIAL IS BEST?
Your main choices are between carbon-steel or stainless-steel tool heads, and wooden, plastic or rubber handles.
✽ Carbon steel is slightly heavier and may rust if you don’t clean, dry and oil it regularly, while stainless-steel tools are lighter and easier to keep clean. They’re
easier to push into heavy soil.
✽ Wooden handles are the traditional choice, usually made from ash, but can produce blisters. Soft rubber handles tend to be comfier and easier to use, often ergonomically designed and contoured with finger grips and sometimes a thumb stop at the end, which helps you apply more force when needed.
WHICH LENGTH?
Regular-length handles are great for potting up and pottering in your raised beds, but if you’d rather not kneel down or have to reach to the back of borders, then there are mid-length and long-handled trowels too.
