Tools

Shovels & Spades
Many people don’t know the difference between a shovel and a spade.  A shovel is a moving implement for picking up material such piles mulch or compost.  A spade is a cutting implement used to cut holes in the ground if  you’re going to do some planting.  Spades should always be kept very sharp – using a bench grinder to sharpen them is ideal.  

When using a spade it’s best not to try to place it where you want the hole and then push it into the ground which is not only hard work but can jar your body.  The best tip is to throw it at the ground and let momentum dig the hole.  A tip for the girls:  Women don’t have the same upper body strength as men but have lower body strength so if you’re going to dig a hole with your sharpened spade you can put your foot on the lip at the top of the spade and push it in with your foot.

An excellent new shovel on the market is made by Cyclone.  It’s plastic which you might think is a bit of a joke but for moving light weight material like mulch or something like that it’s very good.


Mattocks:
Tools such as mattocks and axes are “momentum implements”.  This means that the actual weight and speed of the tool does the work, not you.  Swing the tool towards the ground pull hard with it as you go then let it coast home on its own momentum.  Similar principles can apply for shovels – start the swing towards the pile of mulch or whatever and let the shovel coast into the heap.