Garden Spade The ideal tool for edging beds, digging and slicing under the soil when it is compacted. Garden Shovel Use this for digging and lifting loose soil or sand. Garden Hoe With this tool, you can chop up clumps of soil and scrape the soil surface to cut off sprouting weeds, without disturbing your growing vegetables and other plants. Garden Fork Once in a while, it’s essential to turn the soil around your plants – this is what your garden fork is ideal for. Turning aerates the soil. You can also use the sturdy tines (prongs) of the fork to break up soil clods. Garden Cultivator Use this tool in the same way as you would a rake. It can be used for many purposes, including preparing soil, planting beds, cultivating the soil and controlling weeds. Garden Weeder The sharp V-shaped blade on the weeder digs out weeds neatly without taking large chunks of lawn with them. Garden Rake Use this to dress and smooth out seedbeds for planting. On the lawn, it’s more effective and faster than a broom for picking up all the fallen leaves. Watch out for your back! When using garden tools, remember to bend your knees when lifting heavy items. When bending forward to work, every so often take a break and bend backwards, to stretch your back in the opposite direction.