SKIMMING THE GARDEN

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Discover what may be one of the handiest all-purpose weeding techniques around.

When you need to clear out a lot of plants—say, you're removing a cover crop or weeding a pathway—you can crank up the Rototiller (if you have one) . . . resign yourself to hours of hoeing . . . or grab a spade and skim off the unwanted foliage. MOTHER's gardeners have found that, more often than not, the last method is the easiest and quickest way to get the job done.

Skimming was introduced to this country by Alan Chadwick, founder of biodynamic/ French intensive gardening, and consists of using a sharpened spade to chop plants off just under the soil surface. It's not difficult to master, but does require a back strong enough to tolerate a good bit of bending over.

Please note you'll need a spade—a digging tool with a flat, straight-edged blade that generally sits at only a slight angle to its shaft. (Our gardeners use the Bulldog garden spade from Smith & Hawken Tool Company, 25 Corte Madera, Mill Valley, CA 94941.) A shovel, with its familiar curveedged blade that sits at a sharper angle to the shaft, won't do for this job.

You'll also need to sharpen the edge of your spade's blade with an eight-inch mill bastard file, a carborundum stone, or a similar tool to give it the keen edge it will need to slice through soil and plant roots. Put this edge on one side of the blade; Susan Glaese, our head gardener, likes to hone the back edge of her spade, but some other gardeners prefer the front. To hone an edge, secure the blade in a stationary position—perhaps against a stump and held in place with a foot or kneeand run your sharpening tool repeatedly over the blade edge at a constant, moderate angle. Go over the entire rim a couple of times (you're not aiming for razor sharpness here) . . . then flip the spade over and give its other side a light filing to help finish pointing the main edge. You'll have to resharpen the blade periodically as you cut. If you're skimming tough weed stubble, you may need to rehone every hour . . . but if you're just skimming a few young pathway weeds, the tool should hold its edge all day.

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