Hand rakes for the garden come in two basic types and can make many gardening tasks more efficient and effective. This article explains when to use a hand rake and which type is best for each situation.
What is a hand rake?
Hand rakes are small versions of other rakes that you use in your garden and yard. They are designed to be used in tight spaces and close to the surface. They are ideal for smaller areas, garden edges, and places where a large rake won’t fit or will damage plantings.
Hand rakes and uses
Here are the most common types of hand rakes and how and when they are used in the garden.
Garden Hand Rake
Garden hand rakes look like bow rakes, but are smaller like a trowel and have a short handle. They have strong, stiff tines that dig into the soil to turn or till it. These rakes are especially good for removing tough weeds or smaller rocks from a garden bed.
Because they can be used in tight spaces, you don’t have to worry about garden hand rakes damaging your plants like you would with a large rake. The short handle gives you much more control, making them ideal for use in flower pots as well.
Lawn Hand Rake
Lawn hand rakes are smaller versions of a typical lawn or leaf rake and have short-handled flexible tines. They are ideal for cleaning up dead leaves, plant materials, and other debris in garden beds.
Their small size allows them to penetrate plants without disturbing them, making them perfect for cleaning the spring garden when new growth is just emerging from the soil. They can also be used to remove small areas of thatch in lawns where a large rake would not fit or cause damage.
Using the best hand rake can make gardening in tight spaces and small gardens much easier and more efficient, and keep delicate plants from being damaged. But they do require you to get close to the ground. So make sure you have knee pads, too!