Garden Time, JINMAN ??????

hudlow · Apr 26, 2007

schmism said:
so why isnt that just a regular $8 hoe at your local box store with the bottom cut off?

so tweek the kneck, and take a die grinder to the blade to cut it off just after the top "sweep" and you have a fancy $49 version right?

for the record i also have a simular hoe that was either cut down or wore down over time to be about 2" wide which serves the same pourpous.... light weight and cuts much more easy than regular hoes.

For one thing this hoe is almost 5.5 feet long (65") and it allows you to stand straight up when using it, which is something the 48" $8.00 hoes aren't designed to do. The handle is slimmer and lighter and easier to grip for longer periods of time. It's well balanced and really there's no need for chopping, it slices through weeds due to the angle of the neck.

It's not designed for moving dirt or mixing concrete like the $8.00 hoe. It's basically a weeder or cultivator.

I'm sure you could rework a cheaper version and come up with a cheaper version of this hoe but the ones we have are well made and a real pleasure to use compared to the others.

Also when you have a back like mine that gets sore from stooping and chopping like the shorter versions require it's well worth the investment. One visit to the chiropractor or the M.D. with a bad back can easily pay for one of these hoes.

I hope I never have to buy another. But if the time comes I won't hesitate to buy another of these hoes.

I guess it's the same difference between a $2.00 hammer and a $40.00 hammer....they'll both drive nails, but which one do you want to swing all day long?

hud

jinman · Apr 26, 2007

Hud, my favorite type of hoe is my mini gasoline powered tiller, but next is a 4-tine cultivator fork on about a 54" handle. I use the fork to work in close to the plants and the gas tiller to keep the weeds tilled down between rows. I am familiar with your swan neck and I really like them. My grandmother used to have a similar hoe when I was a kid. You could just undercut a weed with a simple twist of the wrist. My favorite hoe as a kid was a big eye-hoe. We had huge weeds that I cold cut with one swing of that hoe rather than having to hack away with a regular hoe.

I might have to look into getting one of those swan neck hoes for my wife because she really tires out with a normal hoe. Frankly, I just wish she would leave the hoeing to me. I hated it when I was a kid and now I love to cultivate and pull the loose dirt in around the stem of young plants. I know that makes me sound like I have a few loose screws, but it's true.

hudlow · Apr 26, 2007

jinman said:
I hated it when I was a kid and now I love to cultivate and pull the loose dirt in around the stem of young plants. I know that makes me sound like I have a few loose screws, but it's true.

I know what you mean. Hoeing is actually a pretty good stress-buster for me.
It wouldn't be nearly as relaxing without good tools to work with. A quick pass through the garden goes a long way in keeping a feller's head cleared out.

Those little tillers are a trick once you get the hang of them.

I'm going to fry out a little bacon here shortly. We're going to have some wilted lettuce and spring onions for supper. If I'm lucky maybe I can talk my wife into fixing a cake of cornbread.

hud

Bird · Apr 26, 2007

Sounds like a good supper, hud. I don't think I've had any wilted lettuce since I was a kid and my mother used to make it.

hudlow · Apr 26, 2007

Bird said:
Sounds like a good supper, hud. I don't think I've had any wilted lettuce since I was a kid and my mother used to make it.

Bird,

It's still good - I want you to know.

If it wasn't for good stuff like wilted lettuce, pinto beans, cornbread and collards, I'd a starved to death a long time ago!!!!

Wilted lettuce is good for a man's riflings in the springtime! Keeps 'em shiney.

hud

PSDStu · Apr 27, 2007

With all the nut grass in my garden I keep plenty busy working a hoe...... seems the nut grass is just about the worst weed I have to deal with.

randy41 · Apr 27, 2007

i've been using a collinear hoe for many years....replaced the blade many times.
Johnny's - Product - 9093 - Standard Collinear Hoe
the blade angle allows you to stand straight when using it. its not good for big weeds but is designed to cut the weeds where the foliage meets the roots.
i grow veggies to sell at the farmers market. 2 acres.

jinman · Apr 27, 2007

PSDStu said:
With all the nut grass in my garden I keep plenty busy working a hoe...... seems the nut grass is just about the worst weed I have to deal with.

Stu, that nut grass is tough stuff. I have it in my garden too. I can't believe how fast that stuff grows or grows back after you cut it. Actually, I try to pull or dig it up root and all. My uncle once dug up some nut grass and hung it on a fence for over three years and then planted it in a flower pot. It popped right up. Three years drying in the Texas sun didn't phase it.

A local gardening talkshow host says there is one sure way to get rid of nut grass. You dig it up, grind it in a grinder, burn it to ashes, and then take the ashes out into the ocean and dump them about 12 miles out. That should do it.

Randy41: I saw some beautiful gardens in Virginia when I was there a couple of years ago out on Hwy 13 along the outer banks peninsula, but I've never been to the most western part of the state. If you get a chance, I'd sure like to see some pictures of your big 2-acre garden.

PSDStu · Apr 27, 2007

jinman said:
Stu, that nut grass is tough stuff. I have it in my garden too. I can't believe how fast that stuff grows or grows back after you cut it. Actually, I try to pull or dig it up root and all. My uncle once dug up some nut grass and hung it on a fence for over three years and then planted it in a flower pot. It popped right up. Three years drying in the Texas sun didn't phase it.

A local gardening talkshow host says there is one sure way to get rid of nut grass. You dig it up, grind it in a grinder, burn it to ashes, and then take the ashes out into the ocean and dump them about 12 miles out. That should do it.

Jim,

A fella here tried to get rid of his nut grass by digging down about 5ft in his garden and hauling off the dirt......didn't work.....nut grass came back...... once you have it...... your stuck with it around these parts.

I do my best like you to just try and pull up what I can.... and give it my best shot! It loves the heat.....and even when it's dry like it has been around here......it just slows it down a little.....and after a little rain.....it's right back!

Your garden looks great! And I'm going to try and get some pictues of my nut grass....err....garden soon!

Stu