Winning Against Weeds
(Page 2 of 3)
Dispatch weeds while they are small. Tiny,
newly germinated weeds are the easiest to kill. A sharp hoe
drawn shallowly through the soil between the crop rows will
quickly dispatch small weeds. Cultivating is the gentle
stirring of the soil's surface to uproot newly germinated
weeds before they become a problem. That minimum effort
yields a maximum benefit, curing the weed problem, while
making a tidy garden. And a well-kept garden may motivate
you to spend more caretaking time there.
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THE PERFECT HOE
For cultivating, an effective hoe is sharp; angled for
drawing, not chopping; slim, so as not to bulldoze soil
onto the vegetable plants; and accurate, so as to pass
between the crop rows without damage. It also must be
comfortable and fun to use, or you will find some other way
to spend your time. Years ago I could never find such a
hoe, so I made my own. Today you can buy this tool, which I
call the collineal (which means "in the same straight
line") hoe. Various interpretations of this design are sold
by a number of garden tool catalogs (see "Special Offer,"
Page 45). It is designed for skimming in soft, fertile soil
rather than for chopping compacted earth.
For my collineal hoe, I wanted an efficiently designed
tool, not a crude blud geon. I also wanted a hoe I could
use standing upright, to minimize back strain. Since that
meant I would be holding it with my thumbs up the handle,
as with a broom or leaf rake, I had to find the ideal angle
between the blade and the handle for a shallow, skimming
action. Seventy degrees turned out to be ideal. I made the
blade as thin and narrow as possible so that it would cut
and skim without gouging and bulldozing. Because the blade
was narrow, the cutting edge could line up with the
centerline of the hoe handle, ensuring an accurate aim in
cutting weeds rather than crops. Finally, I sharpened the
blade like a razor, so the cutting edge would be right next
to the soil. A sharp hoe allows you to work shallowly and
not disturb the roots of the crop plants.
