Patent ID: 7314095

Claim:
A gardening tool, comprising: a shaft rotatable about an axis, the shaft including an upper end and a lower end axially spaced from the upper end; a plurality of blades circumferentially spaced about the axis and extending downwardly beyond the lower end of the shaft for insertion into soil about the roots, each blade including a trailing edge and a leading edge that leads the trailing edge during rotation in a selected rotational direction about the axis, each blade having a circumferential width substantially greater than its radial thickness along a majority of the length of each blade, the circumferential width of each blade being substantially perpendicular to the radial thickness of the respective blade, the trailing edge being tapered relative to the axis of the shaft along a majority of the length of each blade, and the leading edge when rotating forming a uniform diameter cylinder along the majority of the length of each blade, each blade having a flat interior surface to rotate soil radially interior of the interior surface of the blade and within the rotating blades; an ejector body positioned between the blades, the ejector body axially movable from an upper position to a lower position to eject soil from between the blades, each of the plurality of blades extending from a lower tip end to a blade upper end opposite the ejector body with respect to the lower tip end; an ejector control member at least substantially surrounding the shaft, the ejector control member axially movable by hand; and one or more axially extending connecting members circumferentially spaced about the shaft and connecting the ejector control member to the ejector body, such that axial movement of the ejector control member causes axial movement of the ejector body.