why i till as little as possible...

[so lucky]

Dandelions, too, are one of those that only get annoyed when you slice them off or break them off. That just makes them come back stronger from the root left in the ground.
Oh, and garlic. Garlic puts out little bulblets at the sides of the main bulb, and they usually break away from the main bulb, then grow even if you manage to pull out the main bulb intact.
I think with these really determined weeds, it is better to take the time and use an old butcher knife, and dig them out of the ground when you first see them.
That hoe looks great for the other kinds of weeds, though. I think I may have one somewhere. Obviously not being worn out from overuse.

 

[AMKuska]

@flowerbug THIS THING IS AMAZING!!! I haven't been able to get in the garden because we have been reflooring the house. I literally had just a couple of minutes to get out there today, but I thought "heck with it. I'll just try it at least."

25% of my garden is weeded and looks like I spent the whole freaking day on it.

<3

Are there anymore tools I should know about like this incredible, time saving, back saving, hand saving, valuable tool!?

 

[flowerbug]

@flowerbug THIS THING IS AMAZING!!! I haven't been able to get in the garden because we have been reflooring the house. I literally had just a couple of minutes to get out there today, but I thought "heck with it. I'll just try it at least."

25% of my garden is weeded and looks like I spent the whole freaking day on it.

<3

Are there anymore tools I should know about like this incredible, time saving, back saving, hand saving, valuable tool!?

i'm glad it worked out well for you.

loppers for cutting branches (instead of using a hand saw or chainsaw). if you get the kind with titanium blades and that can handle three inch or more branches. saves a lot of time if you want to keep trees from overgrowing your fences or to remove large wild grape vines, bushes, etc. if you cut down trees for firewood they come in handy for making quick kindling too.

we really made a mistake in letting things get so overgrown in the north hedge which didn't use to be that ways. now the erosion from running water from some degraded pipes is gradually exposing that whole area/corner of the property and eventually it's going to have to be dealt with. much better had i kept cutting back any trees or bushes that started up there. same with large drainage ditch, but i'm further along in clearing that back out again now. wild grape vines will need a lot more work some time this season.

also, i don't want trees/branches falling on my fences...

 

[Beekissed]

I love my Rogue hoe, but this year's change in the garden has rendered it passe, I'm afraid. Loved it in the wood chips but now I'm using hay, there are no weeds to scuffle out. When there are, I just drop a flake of hay on them and that ends the problem.

 

[ninnymary]

I love my Rogue hoe, but this year's change in the garden has rendered it passe, I'm afraid. Loved it in the wood chips but now I'm using hay, there are no weeds to scuffle out. When there are, I just drop a flake of hay on them and that ends the problem.

Maybe you'll find weeds in your flower beds and can use it there.

Mary

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I have a scuffle hoe too. This year the beginning of my no till garden. I turned almost the whole garden without a tiller, but the neighbor kept insisting DS borrow his tiller, so he finished the last of the garden for me. The reason I do not want to till is because since DH is gone, I feel nobody really wants to garden except me and I have to wait until DS has time to help. My plan is to start early and get the garden cleaned up before it snows and spread manure on all the beds. I am going to use cardboard and whatever I can think of to keep weeks down along the edges. I am not sure I can keep up with all the weeding, but if this works then I will be able to plant things like cabbage and onions early and not have to wait and plant everything in May. I will be lucky to get everything planted by June.

 

[flowerbug]

I have a scuffle hoe too. This year the beginning of my no till garden. I turned almost the whole garden without a tiller, but the neighbor kept insisting DS borrow his tiller, so he finished the last of the garden for me. The reason I do not want to till is because since DH is gone, I feel nobody really wants to garden except me and I have to wait until DS has time to help. My plan is to start early and get the garden cleaned up before it snows and spread manure on all the beds. I am going to use cardboard and whatever I can think of to keep weeks down along the edges. I am not sure I can keep up with all the weeding, but if this works then I will be able to plant things like cabbage and onions early and not have to wait and plant everything in May. I will be lucky to get everything planted by June.

i would be able to keep up with weeding and gardens if i didn't get dragged into other things. the other things do need to get done, but i miss my gardening time...

 

[digitS']

I have a dependence on spading forks. I use ones with a long handle.

This may be seen as "tilling" by some. I do NOT turn the soil with this tool, as one might do with a shovel. I do NOT lift the soil. The soil is loosened and since the tines are 11", I can loosen the soil much deeper than either my rototiller or the tractor tiller.

Used in combination with a 4-prong cultivator on a long handle, I usually find that even big weeds cannot put up any real fight. The weed in the loosened soil pops out. (Small weeds might be no more than disturbed by the process, covered by soil, and re-emerge after a day or two.)

Spading forks don't seem to be very commonly available. I was just in to Lowe's. These outfits usually have some forks with short D-handles. Lowe's didn't even have one of those!

Steve

 

[Beekissed]

Maybe you'll find weeds in your flower beds and can use it there.

Mary

I'm switching the flower beds over to hay this fall...no more chips. Thank goodness.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

I have a dependence on spading forks. I use ones with a long handle.

This may be seen as "tilling" by some. I do NOT turn the soil with this tool, as one might do with a shovel. I do NOT lift the soil. The soil is loosened and since the tines are 11", I can loosen the soil much deeper than either my rototiller or the tractor tiller.

Used in combination with a 4-prong cultivator on a long handle, I usually find that even big weeds cannot put up any real fight. The weed in the loosened soil pops out. (Small weeds might be no more than disturbed by the process, covered by soil, and re-emerge after a day or two.)

Spading forks don't seem to be very commonly available. I was just in to Lowe's. These outfits usually have some forks with short D-handles. Lowe's didn't even have one of those!

Steve

A spading fork should be my next purchase. I turned all this ground with a shovel and then DS did till a small area. I am going to have to go about as fast as I can and get the planting done so I can go back and rake and clean all the little clumps of grass or weeds that have been missed. I am going to put black plastic in a small strip around the edge of the whole garden and cover it with straw, hay, whatever I can find. It might help a little.