As all you gardeners know, collecting the right garden tools for the job is only half the battle. Keeping them in good shape from season to season takes quite a bit of effort. We all have a number of shovels leaning into the corner of the shed with rusted edges and broken handles.

There may even be a rake with missing teeth or a hoe with no blade. Regardless of the damage that is done, protecting and properly caring for the gardening tools you are currently using will help make your hobby much more pleasant in the coming season.

A large part of caring for your gardening tools is not misusing them. Using the wrong tool for the job can cause serious damage. In addition to removing soil after each use, wiping away excess moisture, and lubricating moving parts you should also be aware of what garden tools are matched to what types of jobs. Review some of the basics below.

•    Shovels: Shovels are probably the most mistreated of the gardening tools. As a rule, a round point shovel is used to dig, scoop, or shovel dirt from one place to another. The standard garden shovel is the same as a round point shovel but will have a handle and is usually used for lighter jobs. An irrigation shovel is similar to the round point shovel but has s lightly straighter shank and should be used when digging holes for planting or ditches where a vertical side is needed. Square point shovels are flat at the top and are used to level areas or for squaring off sides and bottoms of ditches. It is also used to scoop gravel.

•    Hoes: The standard garden hoe is one of the most useful garden tools with its long handle with a flat blade set at a right angle on the end. Hoes are used to weed and groom the soil around your plants. They can be used to chop off weeds and plants at ground level, or the pointed corners can be put to work as a light pick. The scuffle hoe is usually pushed ahead of you to cu the tops of weeds rather than chopping them as with the garden hoe. The weeding hoe is nothing more than a two-sided tool head. One edge is a narrow hoe and the other side is a 2 or 3 tined weeder. The cultivator is a type of hoe that has anywhere from 1 to 5 pointed tines on the end similar to a rake. It is used in a chopping and pulling motion to remove shallow rooted weeds and to break the crust of the surface soil around plants.

•    Rakes: The old garden rake! Known as an absolutely irreplaceable garden tool. The traditional steel rake is actually an example of a bow rake. The head is usually from 8 inches to 24 inches wide and is connected to the handle by a steel bow at each end. The bows act as shock absorbers giving the tool strength to perform heavy work. The level head rake is similar to the bow rake except that the back of the head is straight and even and it connects to the handle in the center. The straight edge on the back is used for leveling beds while the corners may be used for creating furrows. The standard lawn rake comes in a number of styles and designs but are usually made from plastic, bamboo or metal. The heads are usually a fan shape making raking leaves and grass clippings easier.

•    Tillers: If you looked through a number of garages in the area you would find a wide assortment of tillers varying in size and function. In most cases you would even find that the tiller the homeowner purchased doesn't really meet their needs or far exceeds the application they are using it for. As a garden tool, this beast is second to none.

Types: There are several different types of tillers on the market today. They typically fall into three main categories including rear tine, front tine, and mini-cultivators. The tine movement really determines what type of soil it will be used to move and what size projects it can tackle easily. Rear tine tillers have their tines at the back with a motor that powers the wheels located in the front. The front tine tillers have tines located in the front under the motor actually pulling the machine forward. These models will often be hard to use when breaking new ground as the tines will skip across the surface. The final grouping is mini-tillers. Essentially they are smaller versions of the above-mentioned machines suited for working in very small spaces.

Function: The tines of the tiller are what get the work done. The direction that the tines move is just as important as where they are located. Standard rotating tines rotate in the same direction as the wheels and are useful when cultivating ground that has already been broken. When using a machine on unbroken ground, consider getting ties that are counter rotating. These tines rotate in the opposite direction as the wheels giving them great power. If you are unsure, some models have a control that can switch the direction the tines rotate for different applications.

Selection: After selecting the type of tiller along with its functional characteristics, you will need to determine the overall size based on your project size and the type of soil you will be working. Any tiller can be used to work the ground, but matching the proper size, style and function with your soil type and job specifications will certainly make it easier.

As you can see, even the simplest and most common yard and garden tools have become quite specialized over time. While these tools can all be used in some form or another in the garden, using the incorrect tool for a job will likely shorten its life and leave you feeling as though you worked harder than you should have.