A garden sieve is a very handy tool to sift unwanted debris like twigs, rocks and clumps from soil that you want to use for planting. The word sieve is a general term for a tool used to separate or filter unwanted particles. The sifting and filtering process is handled by using a mesh screen or netting.

The word ‘sieve’ derives from the word ‘filter’. You may be familiar with another kind of sieve found in a kitchen: the four sifter that aerates as well as separates flour. Other times a sieve may be used in the kitchen include colanders, cocktail strainers, tea strainers and egg separators. A lesser known sieve is used for internet mail at it’s delivery point to sort through emails.

When searching for a garden sieve to use for your home gardening projects, you’ll notice that they are made of different materials, and can be found at varying degrees of price. Most are made of stainless steel or powder coated steel, wish mesh screens made of similar materials. Mesh sieves commonly are round, and come in different diameters based upon preference and also have different mesh sizes, for example ¼ inch or ½ inch.

If you need to sort through compost to discard the larger pieces then use a garden sieve. A sieve can also help you sift good soil from basic lawn dirt that includes clumps,weeds, rocks and leaves. They can also help to spread things on your garden or lawn, such as fertilizer, potting soil, compost, and other soil amendments.

Larger, stand alone sieves are more conducive for sifting through large amounts of soil than its smaller, hand held counterpart. The stand alone sieve is comprised of a sturdy base that does not move, a sloping channel and several screens that can be changed when sorting different types of materials.