A garden trowel is a simple tool, but it is a highly versatile gardening implement that needs to be in every gardener’s toolbox. Whether you are digging a hole to plant seeds, transplanting flowers or plants, or removing stubborn weeds, a gardening trowel makes your gardening chores so much easier.
A highly versatile tool, it can also be used for camping and backpacking, for digging holes to set up a tent or for emergency sanitation purposes.
The 8 Best Garden Trowels
- Fiskars Fiber Composite Transplanter
- Homegrown Garden Tools Graden Trowel & Hand Shovel
- Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter (Our Top Pick)
- Wilcox All-Pro Digging Trowel
- Homes Garden Hand Trowel
- Sinoer Garden Trowel
- Coghlan’s Backpackers Trowel
- SE Plastic Hand Trowel
Our Top Pick for the Best Garden Trowel
Our top pick for the best garden trowel is the Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter.
The Radius Garden transplanter is an essential tool for any gardening enthusiast. You and your garden will benefit from this smartly designed transplanter trowel. It is strong, sharp, and also versatile, and its ergonomic handle will help you to enjoy a comfortable gardening experience.
Check the price on AmazonHow to Choose a Garden Trowel
Garden trowels can be made out of stainless steel, aluminum, fiberglass composite material, or polystyrene. Each of these materials has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on what type of tasks you will be performing in the garden, around your property, or while you are camping.
Stainless Steel
Garden trowels that are made out of stainless steel are designed for heavy-duty digging, especially if you have to work with densely compacted earth and rocky soil or garden turf.
Made from commercial-grade steel, this type of trowel will be long-lasting and offer you a high level of durability. It will have a sharp 14 or 16-gauge blade, which allows the blade to dig deep into the soil and maneuver around weeds and root systems.
If you want a trowel for lighter duties, such as transplanting flowers, aerating the soil, or removing fertilizer from a bag to the garden bed, then a stainless-steel trowel may be too heavy for this type of task, but for tough gardening tasks, stainless steel is an excellent choice.
Aluminum
Although aluminum garden trowels are ultra-light which makes them very easy to work with, especially in confined spaces such as flower pots, they are still very strong and durable and most aluminum trowels have a one-piece aluminum blade that increases its blade strength.
Aluminum trowels are ideal for transplanting and turning the soil with minimal effort. As aluminum is rust-resistant, you can use the trowel in wet weather and moist gardening environments. The downside of aluminum is that it may not be suitable for digging into densely packed soil or rocky ground.
Fiberglass
Fiberglass composite material provides superior strength and rigidity, while still being lightweight. Garden trowels that are made out of this highly innovative material are designed with one-piece construction, which means the head or blade stays attached to the handle, which makes this type of trowel the perfect choice for digging into compacted or rocky soil, and as it will not rust, you can use it in all types of outdoor conditions.
Plastic
Plastic trowels are made from very lightweight but high impact polystyrene and they are very affordable, which makes them an ideal digging tool for campers or backpackers who do not want to carry around heavy tools and want to conserve their cash.
Shopping for the Best Garden Trowel
1. Price
So let’s talk about price. The great news is: you do not have to spend a lot of money on a gardening trowel. Even though a trowel may come at a super cheap price, you do not have to compromise on quality.
2. Blade
A gardening trowel can be used to transplant small plants or they can be used to scoop up earth or dig into a garden bed or turf. A slimline, narrow blade allows you to dig deep into the earth and remove stubborn weeds, while a wide blade can be used to scoop out a lot of soil and transplant flowers or small plants. A beveled, curved, or pointed blade can easily cut through compacted earth and dig into gravel or rocky soil.
Some trowels have back-blade wings that you can use to pull out stubborn roots and thick weed systems. If you need to measure out soil or fertilizer, look for a blade that has graduation marks or indentations on the blade, which will help you get your measurements right the first time.
3. Handle
How a trowel feels in your hand while you are working is very important especially if you are working long hours and engaging in heavy-duty tasks, such as digging a hole or weeding. A handle should be comfortable to hold and have an ergonomic design like a soft molded handle or a solid plastic handle that gives you a good secure grip.
If you need to get extra leverage while you are digging, and you want to reduce any stress on your wrist, why not consider a trowel that has a uniquely designed curved, padded handle that is sturdy but very comfortable to use in tough outdoor gardening environments.
An over-sized handle or a handle that has a rubber palm rest and contoured finger grip, can also reduce hand and wrist fatigue and provide exceptional grip in challenging gardening situations.
4. Short or Long Handle
A short handle makes it easy to scoop soil out of a small flower pot, while a trowel that has a longer handle gives you that extra leverage for digging deep into hard compacted soil.
5. Extra Features
Storing your trowel safely away from harsh weather conditions is very important to keep it in the best working order. Of course, you can always store the trowel away in your garden seat, but another handy storage feature to look out for is a trowel that has a hole at the end of the handle to attach a cord so that you can hang the tool up in your gardening shed. Some trowels come with their own cord attached.
Locating your trowel in your yard or around the campsite can be a challenge especially if it is lying in the grass or dirt, so why not consider a trowel that comes in a range of bright colors or a handle that has a bright green trim and a highly polished steel blade that shines in the sunlight.
8 Best Garden Trowels – Reviews
1. Fiskars Fiber Composite Transplanter
If you need to transplant small plants or flowers, the Fiskars Fiber Composite Transplanter is lightweight but strong enough to handle tough outdoor working conditions.
Featuring an innovative one-piece design that will never loosen or bend, the Fiskars Trowel has a FiberComp nylon/fiberglass composite construction which makes it more durable and stronger than a steel trowel, so it will not break while you are working with densely packed soil.
The long, narrow blade is ideal for transplanting and maneuvering around plants or small shrubs, and the easy-to-grasp, slightly oversized handle is very comfortable to hold. For easy and convenient storage, there is a hanging hole at the end of the handle that allows you to attach a cord or twine to hang it up in your storage shed for quick and easy access.
The transplanter is guaranteed to last as the trowel is rust-resistant and the lightweight handle makes it easy when digging for easy handling and maneuvering in tight spots and digging up weeds. The graduation marks on the black blade allow you to measure the correct soil depth when you need to transplant small plants and for measuring out fertilizer.
The trowel’s compact size means it is perfectly suited for filling medium-sized pots with potting mix. Fiskars also offers a very generous lifetime warranty.
Pros
- Excellent price
- Ideal for transplanting small plants and flowers
- Made from high-quality fiberglass composite construction
- Lightweight
- Strong blade
- Designed for working with hard soil
- Easy to grip handle
- Compact size
Cons
- Not ideal for heavy-duty digging or transplanting
2. Homegrown Garden Tools Graden Trowel & Hand Shovel
Make gardening easy with the Homegrown Garden Tools Graden Trowel & Hand Shovel. This high-quality gardening trowel can handle the toughest of gardening chores. With a heavy-duty, rust-resistant highly polished one-piece aluminum blade, it can be used to dig, transplant, and turn soil with minimal effort.
The large, ergonomic handle has a rubber palm rest and contoured finger grip that will save you from suffering any hand and wrist fatigue while you garden.
If you put the trowel down while you take a break, the black handle is stylishly accented with a bright green color, which makes the trowel easy to spot and the reinforced handle hole allows you to hang the trowel on a hook for quick and easy storage.
The trowel is backed by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and lifetime warranty, and it comes with a Home-Grown burlap tote sack for storing seeds, so you can dig a hole and pop the seeds in at the same time.
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- Heavy-duty rust-resistant handle
- Sturdy and well-balanced
- Ergonomic handle
- Rubber palm rest and contoured finger grip
- Very comfortable grip
- Stylish black and bright green handle
- Reinforced handle hole for easy storage
- Additional burlap tote sack
Cons
- Might be too big for people with small hands
3. Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter
There is a lot to love about the Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter. Firstly, it features a unique ergonomic design that helps you to maintain the necessary leverage for any type of gardening task, without putting any stress on your wrist.
If you have a weak wrist or you suffer from arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome and you have serious gardening to do, the Radius Garden transplanting trowel will help you to get it done fast.
The lightweight but sturdy die-cast aluminum head is sharper and stronger than steel and also rustproof. Its long transplanter blade has the perfect shape to pop out delicate plants with precision and effectively transplant your crops without damaging the roots. Highly functional, the transplanter can be used as a weeder or a trowel for digging and moving all types of soil.
You can use the blade’s curved wings to pull out roots and weed systems. The trowel also has depth markings that help you to transplant bulbs to the right depth for optimal growth.
One of the best aspects of the Radius Garden transplanter is its thick non-latex thermoplastic curved handle, which is extremely comfortable to hold, especially in tough outdoor gardening environments.
Although this trowel is strong and sturdy, be careful how much force you apply when you use it as it is best suited for light to medium duties but not heavy-duty gardening. A fashionable choice for gardeners, the Radius Garden transplanter has a bright green color that makes it very easy to spot the trowel around your garden.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Ideal for digging, weeding, and transplanting
- Unique ergonomic design provides good leverage
- Strong, sharp, and also rust-proof aluminum
- Blade’s curved wings make it very easy to pull out roots and weed systems
- Comfortable thick non-latex thermoplastic curved handle
- Lightweight
- Depth markings
- Attractive bright green color
Cons
- Not ideal for heavy-duty gardening
4. Wilcox All-Pro Digging Trowel
The Wilcox All-Pro Digging Trowel is a great choice for any sort of gardening task: transplanting, precision gardening, and all-around general use. With strong heavy-duty 16-gauge stainless steel construction, a sturdy one-piece design, a narrow-bladed, 2-inch wide blade, this US-manufactured trowel will give you the digging power you need to keep your garden in tip-top condition.
The pointed blade tip allows you to dig into the densely packed soil and makes it easy to maneuver around root systems and stubborn weeds, and the comfortable plastic handle is solid and gives you a good grip, which is very important for when you need extra leverage in tough gardening conditions.
Pros
- Excellent value for money
- Well-designed
- Made in the US
- Strong stainless steel construction
- Solid plastic handle
- Designed for all sorts of gardening tasks
- Strong and sturdy pointed blade
Cons
- Handle is too small and short for large hands
5. Homes Garden Hand Trowel
There is a lot to love about the Homes Garden Hand Trowel. Firstly, it features an ergonomically shaped handle that fits snugly in the hand and provides that much-needed comfort and leverage in tough soil conditions, without putting any stress on your wrist.
If you have some serious gardening to do, such as removing stubborn weeds, digging into the soil, light cultivating, or transplanting, the Homes Garden trowel will help you to get it done fast.
The lightweight powder-coated carbon steel head is rust-resistant, bend-proof, and durable, and its well-balanced blade has the right width for moving soil and its sharp tip penetrates into compacted soil. You can use the blade’s curved wings to pull out roots and weed systems.
A very easy tool to work with, the trowel’s handle is made from solid PVC and the soft gel insert cushions your hand, which is what you need for working in tough outdoor gardening environments. The hole on the handle can be used to store the trowel up in your gardening shed.
Pros
- Great value for money
- Ideal for digging in compacted soil
- Durable powder-coated carbon steel head
- Blade’s curved wings make it very easy to pull out roots and weed systems
- Ergonomic solid PVC handle provides good leverage
- Soft gel insert
- Comfortable to use
- Attractive light olive green color
Cons
- Can bend when used with very hard rocky soil
6. Sinoer Garden Trowel
If you are looking for a solid and sturdy trowel, the Sinoer Garden Trowel will get just about any type of gardening job done fast.
The extra-large polished, rust-resistant aluminum head has a sharp edge that can dig and break up compacted soil and move large amounts of soil or turf easily.
You can use it for removing tough weeds, transplanting small plants from a pot to the flowerbed, mixing compost, or aerating the soil around your plants.
The ergonomically-designed soft molded rubber handle provides a good grip which reduces hand and wrist fatigue and its well-balanced design gives you greater control over the tool as you work your magic in the garden.
Locating the trowel in your toolbox or in the flowerbed is very easy due to the handle’s bright yellow trim. For convenient storage, the handle has a hole so you can attach a cord to the trowel and hang the tool up in your garage, or you could always store it away in your gardening seat. Sinoer offers a 100% money-back guarantee on their garden trowel.
Pros
- Very good value for money
- Solid and sturdy trowel
- Well-balanced
- Ergonomic handle provides an excellent grip
- Ideal for digging, aerating, and moving soil and turf
- Ideal for transplanting plants and small shrubs
- Strong polished die-cast aluminum head
- Rust-resistant
- Can break up densely compacted soil
- Hanging hole in the handle
- 100% money-back guarantee
Cons
- Not ideal for heavy-duty gardening tasks
7. Coghlan’s Backpackers Trowel
If you are planning on exploring the great outdoors or backpacking around the world, why not invest in this lightweight and very affordable Canadian-manufactured trowel that is designed just for backpackers. Coghlan’s Backpackers Trowel is made from high impact polystyrene.
It comes at a very cheap price, which makes it an ideal digging tool for backpackers who do not want to carry heavy tools and may be short of cash. You can even use it as a gardening tool.
The blade has a beveled edge that allows you to dig and cut through compacted soil and the bright orange color makes the trowel easy to find in your camping gear. Weighing just 2-ounces, the trowel can be stored away in your camping gear, and it has a hole in the handle to attach a cord so that you can hang it from a tent’s pole or a backpack. The trowel is available in a 2-pack and a 3-pack.
Pros
- Great price
- Made from high impact polystyrene
- Ideal for backpackers and light-duty gardening tasks
- Durable
- Sturdy handle
- Lightweight
- Beveled edge can cut through compacted soil
- Bright orange color
- Very good portability
Cons
- Bulky
- Not ideal for heavy-duty tasks
8. SE Plastic Hand Trowel
If you are looking for an extra trowel for gardening, backpacking, camping, or your next gold prospecting adventure, the SE Plastic Hand Trowel is ideal for a range of light to medium outdoor activities.
The trowel is made from durable black and orange ABS plastic. Its curved tip penetrates easily into sandy or loose soil and the 3-inch wide head allows you to scoop up a lot of earth. The comfortable rubberized thumb grip on the handle helps you to maintain a non-slip grip while you work in a garden bed or dig a hole for a tent, and the trowel is lightweight enough to be stored in your camping gear.
This trowel features depth gauge markings from 4 to 10 cm which are etched on the head and these markings will help you to get precise measurements for prospecting or measuring dirt or seeds. You can use the eyelet on the handle to store the trowel on a hanging hook or loop a lanyard through the eyelet and attach the trowel to your backpack. SE also offers a bright orange hand trowel
Pros
- Ideal for gardening, backpacking, camping, or prospecting
- Good quality
- Durable and lightweight ABS plastic
- Wide blade can scoop a lot of soil
- Depth gauge markings
- Handle has a comfortable rubberized grip
Cons
- Not durable enough for heavy-duty digging
- Smooth handle can get slippery when wet
- Bulky for a small backpack
Our Top Pick for the Best Garden Trowel
Our top pick for the best garden trowel is the Radius Garden 101 Ergonomic Aluminum Hand Transplanter.
The Radius Garden transplanter is an essential tool for any gardening enthusiast. You and your garden will benefit from this smartly designed transplanter trowel. It is strong, sharp, and also versatile, and its ergonomic handle will help you to enjoy a comfortable gardening experience.
Check the price on Amazon
