How to use a garden spade
Updated: October 2026
This is how to use a garden spade without three common mistakes. Drive the blade with the ball of your foot, lift with your legs, and dry the shaft before you store it. Stainless changes how soil leaves the blade. It does not change the stance, and it does not make a wet handle safe. If the tool is the wrong width, go back to the [stainless steel spade comparison](/hub/digging-tools/stainless-steel-spade) before you compensate with your back. Peter F. compared the listings in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
This is how to use a garden spade without three common mistakes. Drive the blade with the ball of your foot, lift with your legs, and dry the shaft before you store it. Stainless changes how soil leaves the blade.
This is how to use a garden spade without three common mistakes. Drive the blade with the ball of your foot, lift with your legs, and dry the shaft before you store it. Stainless changes how soil leaves the blade. It does not change the stance, and it does not make a wet handle safe. If the tool is the wrong width, go back to the stainless steel spade comparison before you compensate with your back. Peter F. compared the listings in October 2026. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Weight | Handle | Blade | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 1190EL Select | 2.13 kg | Polypropylene, forward tilt | Digging, stainless | 9.4 | about £26.40 | View offer |
 Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 4454BS border | 1.52 kg | Hardwood wishbone | 230 x 145 mm | 9.2 | about £27.80 | View offer | |
| Best value |  Spear & Jackson Spear & Jackson 4450DS Traditional | 181 g listed | Hardwood wishbone | Digging, stainless | 9.2 | about £24.20 | View offer |
On this page
Set up before the first cut
Wear boots with a sturdy sole. Look at the socket before you trust it. Review samples in this category include shafts that snapped at the insert, heads that left the tang, and collars that wobbled out of the box. A spade that rocks at the joint comes out of use. You also need to know what is under the lawn. HSE guidance on underground services, HSG47, is the stop-line: plans first, then locate, then dig. If you do not know where the electric or gas run sits, do not open that strip with a spade.
In Great Britain the electricity emergency number is 105. In Northern Ireland it is 03457 643 643. Call 999 if there is immediate danger. A border head of about 230 mm by 145 mm, as on the Traditional 4454BS listing, is a lighter lever for a gap and a poor choice for compacted allotment soil. That size choice is on the border or digging page.
One spit, without twisting
Stand close to the cut. Put the blade in vertically. The ball of your foot goes on the tread, and you push. Garden-fit coaching aimed at volunteers says not to kick or jump on the spade. One spit is about the depth of the blade, not a hole you keep worrying deeper on the same spot. Garden Organic’s digging note says to keep the back upright and not to overload the blade. The Select in this set is already listed at 2.13 kg before wet clay sticks.
Lift with your legs. Turn your feet to place the soil, instead of twisting your shoulders while the load is still on the blade. The RHS has reported, in a summary of its own research, that a poor digging posture raised lumbar load by about half and shoulder load by more than double. That is their finding about posture, not a prediction of your next Saturday. Do not use the shaft as a lever on a thick root. That is how reviews end with a clean snap at the socket. A fork is the better tool for lifting potatoes and for teasing soil off a weed you want to keep whole.
Clean it while the soil is still soft
Knock the loose soil off while it is damp. Use a brush, wash the blade if the soil is sticky, then dry it. The RHS says stainless is less likely to rust and that it still depends on the alloy, so an oil film can help. Weatherproofed hardwood still splits if you store it wet. The 4450DS review sample includes a handle that failed at the wood-to-metal join. The Select’s hollow polypropylene body can hold rain, so tip it and dry the grip as well.
Do not leave the spade in the border because the head is stainless. This page does not invent a sharpening routine for these stainless heads. The buying guide is where you change the spade. The stainless versus carbon page is where you decide the polish was the wrong trade.
When you stop
Stop and get help if you uncover a pipe or a cable, if the side of a trench can collapse, or if pain is turning the job into a health decision. A pro, or a different tool, takes over there.
Common questions
Where does my foot go?
Put the ball of your foot on the tread, in boots, and press the blade in upright. Do not jump on the spade and do not use the arch of the foot. A firm sole spreads the load better than a soft trainer.
How deep is one spit?
One spit is about the depth of the blade you are holding, in a single cut. On a border blade stated at 230 mm long, it is that shorter bite. Do not take a second, deeper cut unless you already know there are no services and you can lift the extra weight without twisting.
Should I twist to throw the soil?
No. Free a small spit, then turn your feet so the soil drops beside you. Twisting under a full blade is the movement UK handling guidance tells you to avoid. Smaller bites take longer, and they keep the load off your lower back.
Spade or fork for this job?
Use the spade to slice turf, open a bed, and cut a straight edge. Use a fork to lift potatoes and to shake soil off perennial weeds. A spade levered under a mat of roots loads the socket. If you only own a spade, turn the soil with it and leave the root-teasing until you have a fork.
How do I clean a stainless blade?
Brush the soil off while it is soft, wash if you need to, and dry the head, the socket, and the shaft the same day. A light oil film is still reasonable in a damp shed, because stainless alloys are not identical. Do not store the spade wet.
Can I leave it out because it is stainless?
No. The polish resists rust better than bare carbon and still depends on the alloy. Rain inside a hollow handle wets your hands next time. A wooden wishbone left wet can split. Stainless is not a reason to store the tool in the border. Hang it dry, under cover.
When do I stop because of cables or a bad back?
Stop before you break ground if you do not know what is under a path or a fence line. In Great Britain the electricity emergency number is 105, in Northern Ireland it is 03457 643 643, and 999 is for immediate danger. Stop as well if pain changes the way you stand. That is a reason to rest or get help, not a cue for a deeper twist.
Related pages
Sources
Public sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 20 October 2026.
- BSI BS 3388:2004 forks, shovels and spades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- GOV.UK General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015, goods remedies (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE HSG47 Avoiding danger from underground services (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- HSE good handling technique (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- RHS cleaning garden tools (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners’ World best garden spades (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Energy Networks Association, Think before you dig (retrieved 20 October 2026)