Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be awesome.

I was extremely fortunate to be contacted by Ames, the legendary garden tool company, about providing a tool giveaway this spring. To say I was all jacked up is an understatement.

Over the years I’ve often been approached by companies looking for me to pimp their product. I’ve made it a point to be ultra selective along the way. I could write a fascinating post about all that I’ve turned down.

But when something like this comes along, you raise both hands and say “yes please”.  And not only do I get a chance to review and use these tools, but I get a chance to give these away to one of you as well. That is known as a win,win, win.

So without further ado, here is the “New Homeowner Collection” from Ames I’ll be giving away today:

This collection has everything the new homeowner/gardener needs to complete all of the basic gardening tasks.

But before I get to the specifics of the contest, I want to share my thoughts on each of these tools as I have had a chance to take them all for a test drive. So let’s walk through each of the six items one by one.

Collector Series Steel Handle 26 in. Poly Leaf Rake

This rake features an innovative head and large basket design to help gather more leaves in less time.  With its unique design, all tines are in contact with the ground at one time, so leaves are collected quickly and efficiently.

If you know me, I love my ornamental grasses as much as my children and it can be a nightmare trying to cut them all down (the grasses that is) to the ground in spring. The clean up is a long and arduous task and I’m still working on it as we speak.

This was the perfect opportunity to trial this rake for the grass clippings clean-up.

Typically with other rakes I find that half of the dead foliage is left behind with each stroke of the rake. Not with this one. It was an easy clean-up and I was immediately sold on the effectiveness of this rake.

Garden Spade

This Ames border spade is ideal for creating defined landscape borders and can also be used for digging and transplanting trees and shrubs.

I am terrible with creating nice and clean edgings on the borders of all of my garden beds. I am not a fan of using any type of material as I like the more natural look of bed spilling into lawn. I tend to treat the edgings as less of a priority and then sit back and kick myself when the beds look great but the edging looks sloppy.

No more I say. Time to attend to this task on a regular basis. Out came the new spade and the messy bed line shown below …

… became this with the greatest of ease. Seriously, it could not have been done with any less effort. The spade easily cut through the sod and withstood my massive boots and 6 ft. 3 in/220 lb frame.

Ergo Gel Grip Hand Trowel

The ergo gel grip hand trowel is used for planting, transplanting, weeding, moving, and smoothing soil. The trowel features an ergonomic handle design with a soft gel-grip insert that cushions the hand and provides maximum comfort. The blade is made of strong stainless steel for the most durability.

There is no tool I use more than a trowel. I am constantly ordering plants on the smaller size from online retailers and therefore spend a ton of time planting said plants. This would be the perfect timing for a test run as I just received a shipment of plants this week.

A sweet Sambucus ‘Lemony Lace’ was ready to be introduced to its new home (until I move it again).

It is quite common for me to come across rocks of all shapes and sizes when planting. I’ve even had to go to the emergency room after trying to remove one (long story). So wouldn’t you know it, there was a stone in my way while planting the Sambucus.

The trowel was strong enough to toss that rock aside like it was nothing and I must say, the gel grip felt awfully nice on my manly yet delicate hands. Planting was a piece of cake.

Ergo Gel Grip Hand Transplanter

The ergo gel grip hand transplanter is used for planting seeds and transplanting seedlings into planters or small beds. The tool head includes a measurement scale to guide you in creating depth levels for planting. The tool can also be used for dividing and transplanting perennials. The transplanter features an ergonomic handle design with a soft gel-grip insert that cushions the hand and provides maximum comfort. The blade is made of strong stainless steel for the most durability.

Yes to all of the above, but for me I knew right away what I would use it for most …  weed removal. That pointy head is perfect for piercing the soil and “popping out” the millions of weeds I remove by hand each spring/summer.

In she went:

… and out popped the good old dandelion.

Sold!

16-Tine Welded Bow Rake

The Ames bow rake is designed to loosen and level soil. The 16 steel tines work hard to break up hard compacted soil or mulch and spread the material evenly. It is of good value to homeowners with smaller landscaping and gardening requirements.

One of my many spring tasks is to break up the existing mulch with a rake not only so it will look all pretty but to also allow for water to seep on through. So out came the rake …

… and the mulch was successfully and easily raked through.

I love the feel of this rake. Lightweight yet strong and seriously the best one I’ve ever used.

Long Wood Handle Round Point Shovel

This tool is durable and dependable to be utilized for general lawn and garden work. It is the most basic garden tool with a tempered steel blade suitable for digging, planting, cutting sod, and small roots.

I can’t count the number of ways I’ve already used this shovel but just know it feels indestructible. And that is good. I absolutely love the “comfort step” as seen below as it allowed me to really dig in when I was digging out an ornamental grass for division purposes.

This tool will not be leaving my side for the foreseeable future.

And yes ladies and gents, this entire collection can be yours. It is as simple as leaving a comment on this post. The comment can be about your excitement level for this contest, how much you love the spring, how my gardening skills are like no other or simply leave your name and say “I want in.”

Here are the Terms & Conditions:

The AMES Spring Tool Giveaway begins Wednesday April 22nd and ends 6:00 PM on Saturday May 2nd. AMES will send the winner the set of 6 tools listed above once the winner and winner’s shipping address are confirmed. The winner will be announced within 24 hours of the contest closure. Entrants must be 18 years or older and live in the United States. All methods of entry are 100% optional.

And that is it. You know you want in. Do it now.

Disclosure: I received free tools from AMES in exchange for writing a tool review and for the opportunity to give something back to my readers. Opinions expressed are 100% my own and are in no way influenced by AMES.