Spades and hoes can get blunt from use in stony soils, and shovels show wear and damage along the blade in normal use.
If badly nicked, briefly grind using a bench- or angle grinder, taking care not to overheat the edge. Alterna- tively, hold the tool firmly in a vice, and use a medium grade file to sharpen both sides of the blade evenly. Don’t overdo it, as a very sharp edge is not needed
