I realize the hoe is about the most versatile weeding/tilling for a tightly spaced garden but I feel someone has had to make a tool that is a little more efficient than a hoe.

I've tried a 3-Tine Garden Cultivator which works great if you stay on top of the weeding but if you let anything get larger than 3" it just clogs itself and isn't that fast by the time you unclog it.

Anyone willing to share what has worked for them.

I'm watching this for anything useful.

I have something like this that is pretty good in general, though doesn’t deal well with soil with lots of stones.

https://www.leevalley.com/en-c...e/hoes/69740-hula-ho

^^^^^^^^^^ I have one of of those, it's not real narrow, but it works great, I call it my Push-Pull Scuffler, it oscillates. If you have narrow areas to weed it just doesn't work well, it's too wide. You can get a lot done quickly and easily if you keep it sharp.

I have a stainless steel hoe with a 1.5 to 2 inch wide blade. IIRC it's made in England and I purchased it from an importer or vendor in the Denver CO area.

I can't recall the name but I may still have the invoice and packing slip. I did a Google search and the nearest I can find is a Sneeboer brand made in Holland. EDIT: This looks identical to mine, check it out, go to their HOE section Sneeboer USA Link They're not cheap, they're not Chinese made crap, these are quality tools and will last a long long time. Here is what I'm talking about Stainless Narrow Hoe Link


Anyway, I have a lot of closely placed plants and this narrow 2 inch wide stainless steel hoe is the cats meow. It's quick and easy to use this thing, it just stays sharp.
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For weeds, I much prefer composted non-dyed mulch as it doesn't steal nitrogen (wood chips steal much needed nitrogen to decompose), holds moisture, blocks most weeds, and is much less work than ground breaking tools.

My wife uses primarily a Japanese Weeding Sickle (Nejiri Gama).

Fiskars weed puller, the most fun tool I own.




Link to original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WEJz2tGcYY

Unlike the video, I bust the dirt off the roots, back into the hole it creates. The puller acts as a cane allowing you to bend over more easily.
Less effective if the ground is too dry or too wet but there's also a lovely clack-clack sound.

I have a small yard, and not many weeds. I have been using a tool that is used in the coffee roasting business. It’s called a tryer. As in trying out or getting green beans out of a burlap sack without cutting the bag open.
Unfortunately I am not sure where to buy one. I have had this one for 16 years. It was a gift from Bruno, who owned Brauna Coffee from Brazil. I imagine they would be easy enough to make from a piece of pipe.
Anyways, they work great at getting the root, and not making a big mess if the landscaping.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
My wife uses primarily a Japanese Weeding Sickle (Nejiri Gama).

These work.

I've found that a scuffle hoe and a winged weeder both work better than a traditional hoe for weed removal.

The scuffle hoe is particularly good. SigJacket's link is out of stock but amazon has both.

Who builds a better barn? Is it the group with the best of tools or the knowledgeable crew with well used, but older tools?

Much comes down to the operator & time spent. I had just as much firewood before I broke down & bought my nice woodsplitter.

The Garden Weasel!

garden weasel.com

There is a variety of good quality manual weeding tools available from Anne and Blake Schreck: The Garden Tool Company. They used to be located in Denver but moved to Texas. They carry high quality tools that are enjoyable to use...
Kevin

The Rogue Hoe does a great job in tight places. The 2.5” model works well in tight spots, the 6” model is the one I use regularly in a vegetable garden. Made in the USA.

Rogue Hoe

Hula hoe is good.

Lots of good stuff if you dig deep in this site forestry suppliers

Wolf Garten makes a tool they call a draw hoe. It is a German company and is a two piece tool. The handle and the tool are sold separately. The handle can be short or long. We use the short handled ones for weeding around tomatoes and melons. We bought them from Gempler's in Wisconson.

I found one of those hoop hoes at an estate sale for $5. Actually made in Detroit. Works great. You can also get a wheeled version which I covet, but is over $300. I agree that you need to stay on top of the weeds. I think what makes it effective is cutting the roots off without stirring up new weed seeds in the process.
Just found one at johnnys seeds for $160 or so

I put black plastic down for my dozen tomato plants. Keeps most of the weeds out and water and heat in.

Gardening report

54" bully 12 gauge sadly doesn't cut very well, I think I will need to thin the blade angle on the cutting edge

But man oh man mini hula ho is amazing!

Thanks for all the great input, these are an amazing an amazing design.