Hand Tillers & Cultivators (13 items found)

Growing a beautiful garden and attractive landscape requires more than just a green thumb. You also need the right gardening hand tools to prepare your planting sites and maintain your plants. Hand cultivators and tillers can come in clutch when power tillers and cultivators are just too much. Ace Hardware can help you find the right one for your needs.

What is a Hand Tiller?

Before you even think of planting seeds and bulbs, tilling a garden bed is crucial if it has never been tilled before. Manual tillers are small and easily maneuverable for tight spaces. They feature durable metal tines with spiked ends that are designed to be driven into the soil, loosening soil, rocks and debris for easy removal, so nothing gets in the way of developing roots.

Designs may be truly handheld, or slightly larger with long shafts, a foot bar and twisted tines, perfect for those who can’t crouch for extended periods or want to apply more pressure as they dig into the ground. These tools are essential for preparing your garden bed for planting, ensuring your plants have the best start possible.

What is a Hand Cultivator Used For?

If your garden bed is ready, you can use your manual cultivator to aerate the soil and mix soil amendments into your existing soil to get your plants off to the right start. Hand cultivators are small tools that feature a specially designed head that look like a mini rake. Like full-size rakes, cultivators have tines that are dulled and bend downward away from the handle—unlike tillers, which feature spiked tines. However, some tools can be used for both tilling and cultivating.

Hand cultivators can also help with your weed control efforts. Slide the tines underneath stubborn weeds to free the roots from the soil and make them easier to lift out.

Hand Garden Tillers and Cultivators: Steel Vs. Aluminum

As you shop for garden hand tools, you'll find two main kinds of material: stainless steel and aluminum.

• A steel cultivator or tiller is highly durable, so it can last through many growing seasons to come. Stainless steel also resists corrosion, so it can hold up well to the effects of acidic soils and amendments as well as to salty air in coastal areas.
• An aluminum tiller or cultivator doesn't rust, meaning there's less worry about damage if you forget to put your tools away on a rainy day. Aluminum is also lightweight, so you may be able to use an aluminum tool for longer while experiencing less fatigue in your hands, wrists and arms.

Shop Hand Tillers Near You at Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware is your one-stop shop for everything you need for your lawn and garden from axes to pruners to specialty garden tools. Shop online for hand tillers and cultivators to find garden care essentials with quick delivery or in-store pick-up options available.

If you need help finding the right tools for your projects, stop into your neighborhood Ace location to shop our supply of garden hand cultivators and tillers near you. Our knowledgeable staff can explain the difference between products and help you choose the cultivators, tillers and other gardening tools and supplies based on your garden's characteristics and your budget.