What is a good hoe and how to pick the right one

What it is

The garden hand hoe is used for weeding, aerating the soil, hilling and creating small holes or rows. This tool is one of the oldest agricultural implements. Drawings of hoe designs are similar for different nations, which explains the convenience and usefulness of hand tools for tillage. So, made by hand, the tool looks like a steel spatula, into the eyelet of which a handle is inserted at a right angle to the blade.

The hoe is a self-sharpening wedge with cutting edges. It is very convenient, because the work can be carried out by all three of its sides. Penetrating into dense soil, it not only loosens the top layer, but automatically forms grooves that can be used for sowing seeds. The high quality steel of the tool is specially sharpened to ensure self-sharpening. The lightweight hoe allows you to mow large weeds, but not overturn the layer of earth.

The principle of the hoe was taken as the basis for the development of a super advanced tool called the cultivator. The main field of use: continuous soil cultivation, treatment of row spacings from weeds and loosening of the soil. The cultivator consists of two knives that are angled at 45 degrees. As a result, the soil does not stick and clog the cultivator. There is a possibility of adjusting the depth of soil cultivation, changing knives, which are made of super strong steel. Working with a hand tool, consisting of a frame with a wheel and five attachments, is easy and very convenient. It greatly speeds up the work in the garden.

Practical use

Intuitively, we understand how easy it is to work with a hoe or, in the common people, a hoe. Taking into account the size of the land plots, for many gardeners, the main thing is not quality, but the super speed of the work performed. Comfortable handling is ensured by a long handle that should match your body type. The varieties of hoes are explained by their intended use.

The universal hoe in its design has a solid working surface, while the Dutch model, on the contrary, has a hole in the working surface, which, on the one hand, facilitates the entire structure, and on the other hand, allows the soil to be sieved during weeding and loosening.

The wide garden slipper is convenient for hilling row plantings. If the soil is sandy loam, it is advisable to purchase a tool with a wide blade and, conversely, on stony and clay soils, a narrow hand hoe is suitable. The rounded shape of the work surface is much more comfortable and durable. If the rows of vegetables in your garden are closely spaced, you need to choose a narrow but elongated hoe. This will make it possible to remove weeds and not harm beneficial plants.

Lovers of gardeners can make some improvements to the tool with their own hands, for example, make a convenient bend or a round knob at the end. With the help of a hoe, you can clear the path from the grass, thanks to its sharpened side edges. The mini hoe in the shape of a plow tine will help in loosening the soil, hilling plants and collecting weeds uprooted. A garden hoe with an oval working blade is suitable for shaping lawns. The hand-held onion hoe (its width is only 7 cm) is suitable for inter-row work at the initial stage of plant emergence.

The hoe has two functional ends, of different shapes and widths. With its help you can loosen the soil in the vineyards, the convenience is provided by the compact handle. To make a hoe with your own hands from an ordinary bayonet shovel or a shovel with a rectangular tray, you need to align, cut at 45 degrees and sharpen its edges. The use of a heavy handle on the tool can increase the efficiency of its use.

Experience, skillful coordination of movements when working with a hoe is the basis for successful work in the garden. Working methods also differ depending on the cultivated bed. In narrow places, your movements should be precise and sharp, on wide plantations, long movements are allowed, as is the case with a plow.

There is no need to discount a manual cultivator with different attachments. He additionally mechanizes the work in the garden, crawls into any garden bed where you need to "fluff" the ground. The cultivator with the sprocket attachment will help with weeding. The rotary cultivator is indispensable for hilling potatoes and cucumbers. A tool with three or five curved, pointed tines will easily break the crust even in heavily compacted soil.

Description

The universal triangular hoe is used for weeding. It has sharp corners, so it can easily make V-shaped furrows when sowing seeds. If the hoe has right-angled blades, it is ideal for hilling. For lawns, a special miracle hoe is suitable, with whose help it is very convenient to trim the edges of the lawn, but it is completely inconvenient to use it for weeding or hilling.

The ease of use of the hoe is also related to the angle of inclination to the ground of the tool. To loosen and weed weeds, work must be carried out at a certain angle to the ground. An adjustable miracle hoe can be obtained by using two bolts - a pivot and a locking bolt. You can make a tool with your own hands: the bolt must be passed through the hole in such a way that it serves as an axis in which the blade will rotate.

In practice, a tool with a curved concave blade has proven itself well. It is equipped with a stiffener, lightweight and reliable, with a wide range of applications. To increase the functions of a super tool, other types of tools are often attached to the hoe - a rake, a pitchfork or a scythe, while changing the name, which is trying to attract potential buyers.

Based on this, before buying a super hoe for your farm, decide what exactly you need it for. Remember that there is a universal and Dutch hoe on the counter. When choosing the width of the hoe, pay attention to the material of the blade, its width, as well as the angle of inclination. For the safety of your hands, make sure that the handle on the hoe is perfectly smooth.

Video "Hoe: instructions for use"

Advantages

The most versatile tool for cultivating soil with your own hands is, of course, the hoe. Made from super hardened steel, it is great for tough terrain. The sharpened edges on all sides give it a huge advantage over other tools. The Dutch and common hoe look like a trapezoid. The wedge shape allows it to easily enter even dry, hard soil and loosen it.

Due to the fact that the two sides of the wedge are sharpened and can be used as cutting planes, the hoe weeds well. To loosen the soil, similarly, the tool turns in different directions depending on the convenient work option. It is advisable to use a hoe as a flat cutter if the soil is loose enough in the beds. The tool is very sharp and can cut through thick roots, additional sharpening is possible for straight edges.

What is a quality hoe

The functionality of the hoe, as well as all its varieties, we examined in the article, but when they say good, then specifically, what do they mean in relation to this tool? Yes, it is easy to loosen the soil and remove weeds with a hoe. It must be strong, well-sharpened. The working surface of the tool must be made of high strength steel.

Aeration of the earth occurs when blocks on the site are broken into very small pieces. Since the hand is always under pressure when working with the hoe, an ergonomic grip is required. If you have a hoe among your gardening tools, you are calm, as this:

• multifunctional tool;
• lightweight and reliable;
• with a self-sharpening work surface.

The modern hoe is one of the most effective tools for your garden.

Video “Wonderful hoe for easy weeding”

To understand what the main advantages of this tool are, we advise you to watch the following video. In it you will learn why you should choose this particular tool.