Cultivating tools are used to turn over the top soil or weed in amongst the plants in the garden. There are lots of different versions including some with claws, hooks and blades. Some have long handles so that you can stand up when using them, others are smaller and called hand tools and these are great for digging in small spaces such as between plants.
HAND TOOLS
These are perfect for smaller size hands. The hand rake makes it easy to get in between vegetables and flowers in the garden to loosen small weeds and the small shovel is called a trowel and can be used for small holes or for digging up weeds. The fork is used to dig into the top soil and turn it over.
CULTIVATOR & HOE
This clever tool combines the claw of a cultivator with the blade of a hoe on a long handle. The cultivator is great for loosening the soil so that it is ready for planting and for digging up the roots of small weeds. The hoe on the other side is also called a chipping hoe and is used to break up hard soil and to chop into weeds. Both of these tools can be bought separately. Always wear closed in shoes when using cultivators.
GARDEN FORK
A garden fork has many uses such as breaking up the top soil to loosen it ready for planting as well as mixing compost and manures. It can also be spiked into the lawn to aerate it. The teeth on a garden fork are called tines. You must wear closed in shoes when using a garden fork.
This gardener is turning the top soil over with a garden fork which helps loosen any clumps and prepare the garden for planting. Notice that he is wearing boots to protect his feet.