flowerbug
Garden Master
Reviving this 'older' thread
I need a good leaf rake. One that will WORK. I've broken so many it's ridiculous. Metal ones, plastic ones, wide ones, skinny ones, springy ones, stiff ones...... Do any of you have one that you love? IS there such a thing? Maybe I should give up the idea of a good leaf rake and just use a manure fork?
Also - I think I'd like a stirrup hoe or scuffle hoe? Lots of mulched areas that get surface weeds that need to be cut before they make it down into the soil and get a good hold. I've looked a soooo many and they have such mixed reviews. My barn is FULL of cheap tools that do halfa$$ed jobs. I don't want to spend a bunch on one more to add to the collection - but I will spend a good bit for one that will last years.
Recommendations?
if you are actually busting sod (which is what it does sound like) i use a flat bladed shovel for that as that lets me cut chunks of sod by using the shovel sideways along the surface of the soil down a few inches.
a scuffle hoe isn't great in heavy mulches, but i have used it in crushed rinsed limestone to cut off weeds so i could remove them before they formed viable seeds and dropped them. so it is possible in some cases, but generally i don't think of it as a hoe for use in mulches that have larger chunks (like sometimes i've used pieces of bark).
the last scuffle hoe i bought ran me all of $7. that was for Mom to use since it had a thinner handle than the one i normally use. both of them have lasted years. mostly i use it for surface scraping of weeds where i'm barely getting the hoe in the ground because that is the best way to weed as it doesn't stir the soil layers and move seeds from outside the germination zone into the germination zone.
sometimes with the heavier soil areas i do have to use some muscle if i want to get the hoe down into the clay itself but i don't usually have to do that.
the primary issue with the scuffle hoe, for it to be the most useful, is that you do want to use it regularly enough that the weeds haven't developed tougher roots to cut through. so plan your time at once a week at the minimum. that way it goes a lot quicker.
as far as sod cutting, i have used a scuffle hoe to cut sod. it is possible to cut strips, takes a lot of muscle. the flat bladed shovel works easier.
rake? we have a plastic one with a broken tine on it. we have a metal one that is more for flattening out dirt in a garden but not for leaves. mostly with leaves we leaves 'em alone. we have a four pronger rake that is used a great deal, it's one of my most used tools in the gardens after the scuffle hoe and the flat bladed shovel. i've probably worn an inch of the steel prongers off over the past fifteen years. it still has some years of good use left in it too so i think we've gotten our money's worth out of it. sometimes we could use another one if we're both out working on the gardens. i keep my eyes open for another good one to buy.
