Content
- Spades that must not be missing in any garden
- What to look for in the selection
- Even spade care takes time
The blade shape differs depending on the application
Spades that must not be missing in any garden
This article is by no means intended to present you an inventory of your garden tool shed. Rather, it should today go to the probably most faithful companion for centuries between the vegetable beds, fruit trees and shrubs - the spade. The indispensable devices were already used by the people in the Stone Age and since then in their form again and again adapted to the regional conditions.
Generations later with the Romans has already been planted with forged spade leaves. From the 19th century, finally, the first wooden spades were available. In between, a smooth transition to the shovel took place, with the earthworks, not only in the garden, were much easier. That then as today so different spade shapes are used, is due to the adaptation of the devices to the different regional soil conditions, although there was also a little local patriotism in the game and is still today.
Gardeners but also employees of the agricultural guild always favored their regional variant as the unmatched best and highest quality work equipment. Of this one hears occasionally even today, so in the hardware store offer the shape of quite different spade variants to choose from. Some of the most striking examples in short form:
What to look for in the selection
Try out several variants in the retailer. Even if the conventional types with a precisely straight stem are cheaper in terms of price, it is worthwhile to test one of the ergonomically designed spades. The seller will probably not let you dig in the market, but only the weight and dimensions already indicate conclusions on the amount of expected drops of sweat and the degree of curvature of your spine. The curved design of the stems of upper-section spades can, similar to their different handle shapes (D, T and knob handle), also contribute significantly to back protection and fatigue-free working.
But you have to be willing to pay an almost three-digit amount at the garden center. A widespread but not always understandable opinion of sales-oriented home improvement vendors is that cheap spades make for tedious work.But there are also exceptions, as the NDR 2019 had determined in a practical test. Since the rate of innovation in gardening tools of this kind is not very high, this comparison, which is almost three years old, can still be used for a purchase decision today. The winner was not, as probably suspected, the 43.95 euro expensive ideal spade, but with 12.99 euros much cheaper Lidl model. If you want to read: "How well dig cheap spades?" NDR from 11.05.2019.
Even spade care takes time
Even if you have decided on a hand-forged spade blade made of hardened quality steel, there should be no compromise on the care required. So, here are three tips that are essential for a really long life of the most important garden utensil: