Garden Rake

The Garden Rake is a semi-reusable item sold to you by Crazy Dave at his shop. It costs $200 and lasts for 3 levels, and can be bought again any time after it runs out.

Usage
At the beginning of a level, the Garden Rake will appear on the second row (from right to left) on any ground lane, and this lane will also be where the first zombie appears (except in the Puzzle Mode Vasebreaker levels). When the zombie reaches the Rake, it will die instantly. This applies to every type of zombie except Gargantuars and Giga-Gargantuars, although it is unlikely they will be first.

Strategy
Simply buy the Rake as soon as it wears out, and it will take out the first zombie that appears. It gives you more time to set up your Sunflowers, without having to plant an offensive plant when the zombies arrive. This can actually be a hindrance in the hard Survival Mode levels when using the basic strategy with Peashooters, as if you do not plant the offensive plant the harder zombies may come before you have enough offensive plants ready. However, this is not a problem if you have Cattails, Potato Mines, or Squash available, though some find it hard to save up sun while using these plants, even though their purpose is to help save up sun.

Trivia

 * Even though it's mentioned a Garden Rake kills the zombie that first touches it, a Gargantuar can still survive the rake since it is effectively equivalent to a Squash. It will only damage half of his health.
 * This is true even if Crazy Dave tells you in the Shop that a Garden Rake can actually kill the first zombie that steps on it.
 * It can't be collected as money after you defeat a level.
 * When certain zombies step on it, their head will fall off, but their arm will remain attached.
 * If a zombie is killed and then immediately steps on the rake, the rake will activate, wasting part of the $200 used to buy it.
 * During any daytime Pool level on the DS version, a zombie with a rake stuck in the back of his head may appear on the top screen.
 * This zombie will have a facial expression similar to that of a zombie after taking a bite of garlic.