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Gravel is a common landscaping material used for rock gardens, walkways, driveways, and other projects around the house. When using gravel for your home projects, the job will go more smoothly if you have the right tools and
avoid these common mistakes that people make when using gravel in landscaping
. Gravel projects can turn out beautifully, especially if you
keep your gravel areas weed-free with these tips and tricks.
One of the most commonly used tools for working with gravel is a shovel There are at least 13 different types of shovels on the market each designed to complete different tasks. With so many choices available it can be overwhelming to figure out which one is best to choose, but a little knowledge about shovels goes a long way in solving this dilemma.
Knowing the differences in shovel types and what tasks your home gravel project entails will make choosing the best shovel for the job a breeze. If you are digging, cutting, or chopping into hard soil and gravel areas a round point shovel is a great choice. This shovel — the most common type on the market — does it all including tough digging jobs and moving heavier materials like clay, gravel, soil, and roots. With gravel, a round point can act like a scoop and prevents rocks from rolling off easily as you move your payload from point to point. If you are purchasing a new round point shovel, choose one like the
Truper Tru Pro round point shovel
.
Read more:
Clever Alternatives To Grass For A No-Mow Garden
Other Shovels Helpful For Home Gravel Projects
Another shovel well-suited for gravel projects is the square or flat shovel. The square shovel is used to transfer gravel from one place to another rather than dig it up and is designed to be comfortable for longer periods of use and for bigger tasks. It has a shallow surface and a flat edge making it a great scooper. The square shovel is a good choice for adding rock or gravel —
the perfect, long-lasting alternative materials to mulch
— to your walkway and rock garden projects. A good square shovel is the
Ashman heavy-duty transfer shovel
. Ideally, you will have at least one round point shovel and one square shovel on hand. These two can handle almost all gravel projects you might encounter, except for jobs requiring specialty tools, like stone rakes or box blade spreaders.
The trenching shovel is a good extra tool to have on hand especially if you are digging trenches to add gravel to for drainage purposes. It is also a great choice if you’re working in tight spots or want to finish out post holes. The trenching shovel has a narrow head, crimped to a small point. They are typically 4 inches wide although there are narrower ones. Keep in mind you’ll be using a lot of upper body strength with this shovel due to the blade having no foot plate. If you’re interested in adding a trenching shovel to your tool shed, the
Corona SS general purpose trenching shovel
is a great choice.
Read the
original article on Outdoor Guide
.
