Wintertime is the perfect time to plan for next year’s gardening and yard projects. This is the time to take stock of your supplies and to plan your projects for when the first greenery of spring arrives. If you have never planted a garden or have never taken on any landscaping projects, you are going to need to stock up on a few tools, notably a few different types of shovels.
Shovels
Not all shovels are made equally. Shovels, depending on their head design, are made to perform certain tasks. It’s likely, regardless of your project, that you will need a spade-type shovel. Spade shovels have a rounded point at the end that makes it easier to break through both sod and soil. Most spade shovels have a thick rim on which you can place a foot and use your weight to plunge the shovel down into the soil. Spade shovels are good for digging, lifting, and throwing. Square point shovels have a flat, squared-off end that makes it easier to scoop gravel and other loose material. Square nosed shovels work great for projects with gravel. The blade on the nose of the shovel is in a straight line, making these types of shovels also appropriate for slicing straight lines through sod.
Purposes for Shovels
Obviously, shovels are made for digging. But, also, shovels are terrific tools for moving soil and gravel. If you are building your first garden or landscaping a yard, then make sure you have both types of shovels at the ready. Yes, both types of shovels can be substituted for the other for a variety of jobs, but having both (maybe even consider picking up a spade—hand spades work well for smaller, gardening-type projects, while the bigger spades work as a hybrid of the other two types) makes any gardening/landscaping job easier.
This spring make sure to have your tools at the ready, but also remember that those tools work really, really well when you use soil, potting soil, mulch, etc., from a quality source such as Rocky Mountain Compost. If you have any questions as to which potting soils, soils, or mulch that you’re going to need this spring (Remember planning is everything!) call Rocky Mountain Compost.
