A garden tool you'll really use

There are many tools deigned to make your gardening easier, including shovels, bow rakes, digging forks, hoes and trowels. Some of these can be used for multiple purposes, but if you're looking for a versatile tool that the gardener in your family will really use, choose a hori-hori gardening knife. 

 A hori-hori combines many of the features of your larger garden tools into a single, smaller form. Hori-hori comes from the Japanese word "hori", which means "to dig". Once you start using your hori-hori, you'll discover you can use this tool to accomplish many tasks in your garden, including digging,  

cutting open bags, mixing soil and

running a straight line,

as a hammer to pound in stakes and markers.

Use your hori-hori to slice weeds, plant seeds, set out plant starts,

plant onions, garlic and bulbs

and divide perennials. In fact, once you figure out how useful a garden knife is, you'll want to have it with you every time you walk into the garden. There are certain features you look for when you go shopping for a hori-hori.

First, make sure it fits your hand. Take it out of the package and try it. Next, check out the features.

A good knife will have concave-shaped blades with a sharp edge on one side and serrated edge on the other side. The concave shape is great for digging and scooping soil, just like a trowel. The blade shape is great for loosening soil and for mixing in soil amendments. The sharp edge can be used to cultivate and weed around established plants. 

The notch on the sharp side can be used to cut twine or open a bag of soil amendments. The serrated edge can be used for cutting roots and loosening hard soils. The blunt end of the handle can be used as a hammer to pound in stakes or pins.

There should be a ruler on the blade. This makes planting bulbs, tubers and onions easier. Your knife should come with a holster, designed to hang on your belt, so your garden knife is always handy. The more you use your hori hori, the more you'll discover why this tool is a "must have" for any gardener.