3 Best Shovels for Planting Trees That Save Your Back
Discover the 3 best shovels for planting trees on small acreages. Compare durability, ergonomics, and performance in clay, rocky, and tough soils.
Getting the right shovel makes planting trees on your small acreage dramatically easier. Most hobby farmers end up fighting their tools instead of working efficiently through soil, wasting both time and energy on equipment that wasn’t designed for serious digging. Based on curation and deep research, these three shovels stand out for their balance of durability, ergonomics, and value when you’re planting everything from fruit trees to windbreak saplings.
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1. Fiskars Long-Handle Digging Shovel: The All-Around Workhorse
The Fiskars Long-Handle Digging Shovel consistently proves itself across different planting scenarios. It handles everything from bare-root saplings to balled-and-burlapped specimens without fuss.
Why Hobby Farmers Love This Shovel
This shovel hits the sweet spot between weight and strength. You can work through an afternoon planting session without feeling like you’ve been crushing rocks in a quarry.
The blade penetrates most soil types with reasonable effort. That matters when you’re planting a hedgerow of twenty hawthorns or establishing an orchard and can’t afford to burn out halfway through.
Fiskars designed this tool for people who dig regularly but not professionally. That’s exactly where most hobby farmers land, doing real work, but not running a commercial nursery operation.
Key Features and Specifications
The blade measures 9.5 inches wide and extends roughly 11 inches down from the step. That’s enough surface area to move serious amounts of soil without creating an unwieldy shovel that feels like steering a battleship.
Fiskars uses 18-gauge steel for the blade, not the thickest available, but properly heat-treated to handle rocks and roots. The steel maintains its edge reasonably well, though you’ll want to sharpen it once or twice a season if you’re hitting lots of roots.
The fiberglass handle extends 46 inches from bottom to grip. That extra length creates leverage that clay soil absolutely devours when you’re prying out large planting holes.
The powder-coated finish reduces soil adhesion. Wet clay slides off noticeably better than bare steel, which saves energy on every shovelful.
Best Use Cases for Tree Planting
This shovel excels at standard tree planting holes ranging from 18 to 36 inches diameter. The blade width lets you define crisp edges around your hole perimeter, then dig efficiently in the middle.
For bare-root trees, the pointed tip works beautifully. You can slice cleanly through smaller roots without mangling them, creating a clean planting pocket that encourages lateral root spread.
Container and B&B trees benefit from this shovel’s balance. When you’re lifting heavy soil out of a three-foot-deep hole, the long handle and reasonable blade size prevent the back-wrenching awkwardness that shorter shovels create.
It struggles in heavily compacted subsoil. If you’re breaking virgin prairie or trying to penetrate construction-damaged clay, you’ll want something heavier with more aggressive geometry.
Durability and Maintenance Considerations
The fiberglass handle outlasts wood by a significant margin. It won’t rot when you accidentally leave it outside during a three-day rain, and it doesn’t splinter when you use it as a prybar more aggressively than Fiskars probably intended.
The socket connection between blade and handle represents the weak point. Most failures happen here after several seasons of hard use, particularly if you’re prying against large rocks regularly.
Expect three to five seasons of regular hobby farm use before anything significant fails. That’s planting 20-50 trees per year, plus general garden work, composting, and the inevitable projects that always need digging.
Keep the blade edges filed sharp and store it dry. Those two practices alone extend useful life by years.
2. True Temper Round Point Shovel: Heavy-Duty Performance for Tough Soil
True Temper builds this shovel for punishment. If your property features heavy clay, hardpan, or rocky soil that destroys lighter tools, this becomes your primary planting companion.
Construction and Material Quality
The blade uses 14-gauge steel, noticeably thicker than most consumer shovels. You feel the difference immediately when striking rocks or cutting through dense root mats.
True Temper forges the blade rather than stamping it, which creates denser grain structure in the steel. That manufacturing difference translates directly to durability when you’re hitting buried limestone fragments or old building rubble on properties with history.
The socket forging wraps completely around the handle base. This creates a stronger connection point than welded designs, distributing impact forces across more surface area instead of concentrating stress at weld lines.
The round-point blade geometry focuses force into a smaller area. That’s exactly what you need for initial penetration in resistant soils.
Performance in Clay and Rocky Soil
This shovel punches through heavy clay with authority. The weight behind the blade, noticeably more than the Fiskars, helps maintain downward momentum even when you hit dense layers.
Rocky soil reveals the True Temper’s real strength. You can strike buried rocks with confidence, knowing the blade won’t fold or crack like lighter options. That confidence changes your digging rhythm completely.
The round point slips between rocks more effectively than square-edged spades. When you’re excavating planting holes in glacial till or decomposed granite, that ability to find paths between obstacles saves immense frustration.
Wet clay does stick more to this shovel. The thicker steel and basic finish create more surface texture than coated alternatives, which means stopping periodically to scrape the blade clean.
Handle Length and Ergonomic Design
The 48-inch hardwood handle provides excellent leverage for prying. When you’re working a planting hole and need to break chunks loose from the bottom, this extra length creates mechanical advantage that shorter handles simply can’t match.
Hardwood feels better in your hands than fiberglass during extended use. It absorbs vibration more naturally and provides a warmer, less slippery grip in cold weather.
The tradeoff comes with durability. Wood handles eventually dry out, crack, or break, particularly at the socket connection. You can replace them, but that’s an afternoon project most hobby farmers would rather skip.
The D-grip at the top works well with gloves. Some shovels feature grips sized for bare hands that become awkward when you’re wearing heavy winter gloves for late-season planting.
Price Point and Value for Hobby Farmers
This shovel typically costs $10-15 more than basic models. That price difference evaporates quickly if you’re replacing cheaper shovels every season because they can’t handle your soil conditions.
For hobby farmers on genuinely difficult ground, the True Temper represents better long-term value. You’ll spend more upfront but less over five years than buying multiple lightweight shovels that fail prematurely.
If your soil tends toward loam or sandy conditions, this shovel’s extra weight and cost don’t provide proportional benefits. You’re paying for strength you don’t particularly need, and carrying unnecessary weight through every digging motion.
The replacement handle availability matters more than most people consider initially. True Temper handles remain widely stocked at farm stores and hardware suppliers, making future repairs practical rather than theoretical.
3. Corona AS 90300 Shovel: Professional-Grade Tool for Serious Planting
Dig, lift, and move materials with ease using the durable Corona all-steel round point shovel. Its robust construction ensures reliable performance for gardening, landscaping, and construction tasks.
Corona built this shovel for landscaping professionals who dig daily. That design philosophy creates benefits for ambitious hobby farmers planting substantial numbers of trees or tackling large-scale land improvement projects.
What Sets This Shovel Apart
The blade features dual-angle geometry that cuts and pries simultaneously. The initial edge penetrates soil at a sharper angle than typical shovels, while the blade back provides a stronger prying surface for lifting.
Corona uses composite material for the forward portion of the handle, essentially the bottom two feet where most handle breaks occur. This section resists impact damage better than wood while maintaining a natural feel.
The remaining handle length uses straight-grain ash selected specifically for tool applications. This isn’t construction lumber, it’s premium wood that balances flexibility with strength in ways that matter during all-day digging sessions.
The blade-to-handle connection uses Corona’s proprietary PowerPLUS system. This design distributes forces across a longer socket and incorporates a secondary steel collar that prevents handle mushrooming from repeated impacts.
Comfort Features for Extended Use
The handle diameter tapers slightly from grip to socket. This subtle change improves control during different digging motions, narrow enough for comfortable gripping, but thick enough to resist flexing under load.
Corona chamfers all handle edges before finishing. That attention to detail prevents blisters during extended use, particularly at contact points where your lower hand grips and twists during the lifting motion.
The footsteps on either side of the blade provide a generous 4-inch platform. When you’re wearing boots and pushing through resistant soil, that extra width makes a noticeable difference in foot comfort and power transfer.
The overall balance point sits slightly forward of where most shovels center. This weight distribution helps the blade sink under its own momentum after your initial push, reducing the muscular effort needed for each penetration.
Weight and Maneuverability
This shovel weighs roughly 5.5 pounds, noticeably heavier than basic models. That weight helps when breaking new ground but creates fatigue faster if you’re not accustomed to it.
The extra mass works to your advantage when establishing new planting areas. The blade maintains momentum through variable soil layers better than lighter alternatives, creating more consistent hole depth without constant adjustment.
For precision work around existing roots or in tight spaces between established plantings, the Corona feels less nimble. You’re moving more shovel with every adjustment, which matters when you’re trying to delicately excavate around feeder roots or existing infrastructure.
Younger, stronger hobby farmers appreciate the weight for its efficiency. Older planters or those with existing back issues sometimes find the mass creates more problems than it solves, particularly toward the end of long planting sessions.
Long-Term Investment Benefits
Corona stands behind this shovel with legitimate warranty support. That’s unusual in the hand tool world, where most manufacturers expect tools to simply wear out and get replaced.
The blade holds its edge dramatically longer than consumer-grade alternatives. You’ll sharpen it less frequently, and when you do, the thicker steel provides more material to work with over the tool’s lifetime.
Replacement parts remain available directly from Corona. The handle, footstep rivets, and even replacement blades can be ordered individually, making this a truly repairable tool rather than a disposable one.
The price typically runs 50-75% higher than basic shovels. That’s significant for hobby farmers working on limited budgets, but the Corona frequently outlasts three or four cheaper alternatives. If you’re planting trees annually and maintaining your property actively, the math favors buying quality once rather than repeatedly replacing inferior tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best shovel for planting trees in clay soil?
The True Temper Round Point Shovel excels in heavy clay and rocky conditions. Its 14-gauge forged steel blade punches through dense soil with authority, and the round-point geometry helps it slip between rocks more effectively than square-edged alternatives.
How deep should a tree planting hole be?
Tree planting holes should generally be as deep as the root ball and two to three times wider. Most standard holes range from 18 to 36 inches in diameter, depending on tree size, allowing roots to spread laterally in loosened soil.
What shovel length is best for digging tree holes?
A shovel with a 46–48 inch handle provides optimal leverage for tree planting. This length creates mechanical advantage when prying out soil and reduces back strain when lifting heavy loads from deep planting holes without excessive bending.
How long do quality shovels last for hobby farmers?
Quality shovels like the Fiskars Long-Handle typically last three to five seasons with regular use, including planting 20–50 trees annually. Professional-grade options like the Corona AS 90300 can outlast three or four cheaper alternatives with proper maintenance.
Should I choose a fiberglass or wood handle shovel?
Fiberglass handles outlast wood and resist rot and splintering, making them low-maintenance. Wood handles absorb vibration better and feel warmer in cold weather but eventually dry out and crack. Choose based on your climate and maintenance preference.
What is the difference between a round point and square shovel for planting?
Round-point shovels concentrate force into a smaller area, making them ideal for penetrating hard or rocky soil and slicing through roots. They’re better for initial digging and breaking new ground compared to square-edged spades designed for edging and lifting.
