Get a HANDLE on It

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Control The advantages of long-handled tools might lead you to believe that two-hand-use tools are the way to go. What you get from these in terms of leverage, however, you sacrifice in control. For example, we use a one-handed combination hoe/fork for weeding and cultivating beds. With a full-length version we'd be all over the lot, but the one-handed tool allows for much greater precision. In addition, we find it less tiring to use. We especially like the Corona mattock/fork version from A.M. Leonard, which has an extendible handle. By adjusting the length we can work standing up, but still have the control inherent in one-handed tools. Or we can shorten the handle for even better control in tight spaces.

The metal handles on these tools extend from 18 to 32 inches with the twist of a wrist. There are five heads available: wire rake; mattock/fork combination; rake; trowel; and three-tined cultivator. Each has a cushioned, nonslip grip and a metal hang ring.

Safety It's all too easy to damage plants using unwieldy full-length tools. Stirrup hoes, for instance, are notorious for overcutting and for destroying the roots of tender vegetation. However, with the one-handed version from Peaceful Valley Farm Supply, I can weed and aerate the soil with no danger to my plants. This hoe has a small stirrup blade measuring only three inches across.

For weeding in tight spaces, nothing compares to the small circle hoe, also from Peaceful Valley, with its 11-inch-long, thick hardwood handle and two-inch diameter blade. It's designed to be used with a pulling action, so only the bottom third of the blade is sharpened. Having an accident with this hoe almost requires deliberate effort.

Wonderful as they are, long-handled tools can be difficult to find. The few sold by most garden supply stores are often lower-quality tools designed for kids, not for serious gardening tasks, though stores sometimes carry a few cheaply made tools with hollow-metal handles and stamped (as opposed to forged) heads. One exception is the line of Lady Gardener-tools carried by many nurseries and garden supply departments (look for the display rack). This line includes 12 heads, each with a 12- to 14-inch ferruled hardwood handle and leather hang cord. We especially like the finely tapered triangle hoe, ideal for weeding the cracks between paving stones and digging furrows for small seeds.

...long-handled tools will benefit many gardeners - the young and the elderly, and/or handicapped who have difficulty reaching the earth with a standard tool...

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