garden spade

Bed-digging tool

A garden spade is a digging tool with a flat, rectangular blade and a long handle, used for turning soil, edging beds, and transplanting.

Unlike a shovel, which has a curved, pointed blade for scooping, a spade's flat edge cuts cleanly into earth: She used a garden spade to edge the flower beds.

Related
  • shovelTool for moving earth
  • digUnearth by shoveling
  • digging inEstablishing a defensive position
  • soilGround matter for planting
  • bladeFlat cutting edge

turning soil · cutting edge · raised bed · flower bed · earth · handle · digging · breaking ground · planting · metal · edging · hand tool · tool · mud · compost · fork · hole · dirt

Categories
Opposites
tool size/scale

garden spadetrowel

Flat blade for spreading

hand trowel · dibber · bulb planter · backhoe · steam shovel

manual vs. mechanized

garden spadeexcavator

Machine that digs earth

backhoe · bulldozer · front-end loader · trencher · earth mover

tool function

garden spadegarden hose

yard irrigation tube

watering can · pruning shears · hedge trimmer · leaf blower · lawn mower

Family

garden, spade, gardens, gardened, gardening, gardener, gardeners, spades, spaded

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G