New post about hand tools.

 Hi, and Happy New Year.
    I want to start a post about hand tools. Because I don't have ANY.. I'm
feeling pretty good about last years endeavor. I'm really want  to get
going.  There's so many hoes and , Well, tools, I don't know what to get.
But I have weed issues. I thought the best thing to do was to pull them and
as much of the root as possible.  And I see in a couple catalogs there's
Swiss hoes and weed removers that cut weeds.
  So what do you consider indispensable tools. That just make things much
easier.  And what works really well on weeds.

Diesel.

 
My favorite weeding tool is the D-Hoe or some call it the Stirrup hoe. It
cuts the weed and can be done standing up. This tool does require soft soil
to begin with. If you cut a weed many times before it gets large it will
die. Some times I rake them up after cutting them with the D-Hoe, sometimes
I don't.  The D-Hoe slices weeds in two directions, back and forth.

The standard hoe is also good for getting rid of tougher weeds because I
can use it in a chopping manner as well as slicing the weed. The standard
hoe can only slice in one direction, but it can be used to chop. Get a good
hoe, cheap ones will break quickly if used in a chopping manner.

Invest in a file for sharpening the tools. A luxury item is to use a rotary
dremel drill to sharpen the edges in the garage.

There are four MUST have tools for gardening: Pointed Shovel, Hoe, Rake and
a Wheel Barrel. Other tools just make life easier.

Not a tool but a MUST have in gardening is a pair of good gardening gloves,
with mesh back with leather like finger tips. Dirt under one finger nails
is a common fungal problem that is ugly and can cause permanent discoloring
of your finger nails. Do not use those crummy cheap brown gloves. If
working with roses you will need thorn proof gloves. Those thorns can also
cause health infection problems.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R  (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)

 DogDiesel wrote:

For small hand tools like trowels, weeding forks etc I am quite a fan of
cast aluminium.  These are cheap but effective and much better than the mild
steel sort which bend, break and rust very easily.

Specifically for weeds it depends on the weed.  If the weed will re-shoot
from the base chopping of the top with a hoe is not very effective.

David

 
It depends on your weed and how you like to work.  I like to get up close
and personal with my weeds.  I odnt' likelong handled implements.

For really BIG weeds such as phalaris clumps, I use a very strong, good
quality gardening fork.

For smaller weeds in say the veggie or flower beds, I use the following
depending on the weed and the situation:
a) a 'mattock' like device made form a leaf spring from a car - wide at one
eand and about 1 inch at the other.  A brilliant 'ladies' sized tool hand
made by a friend.
b) a small hand fork.
c) a kama - THE most used tool in my garden kit box.  It can be used to get
under the roots of a weed, it can be used to cut off the top of a weed, it
can be used to hand cultivate
http://www.greenharvest.com.au/tools/pruning_tools_prod.html

 nospam@nospam.none says...

1. Get a decent grinder and learn how to sharpen your garden tools. This
means spades, hoes and anything else that needs a good edge.

2. Keep a file nearby to maintain the edge on those tools while you are
working.