Tangled Branches: Cultivated
happenings in and around my zone 6b gardens in northern Virginia and in central Virginia
Saturday, May 03, 2008
Garden Bloggers' Hoedown
There is an embarrassing lack of hoes at Tangled Branches. Well, I do have one, but it's stashed behind some other unused tools and I didn't feel like digging (sorry) it out.
That doesn't mean the garden is total weeds though. I just like to get personal with my weeds - face-to-face sort of thing. So, to join in Carol's Garden Bloggers' Hoedown, let me introduce you to my weeding tools.
Clockwise from top-right, we have a cultivator-mattock thingy (Does this have a proper name? I don't know it.); an asparagus knife, aka dandelion digger (The catalog called it an asparagus knife, but this one is very different.); my old trusty trowel; and my new favorite, the Hori-Hori knife. My biggest weeding tool covers the background of the photo - mulch!
Now, a good gardener would have taken one of those tools in hand and dispatched that poor dandelion immediately. Me, I went in the house to see how the pictures turned out.
7 Comments:
Heigh Hoe, good morning. I see we have a hoe in common. My hoes are getting some days off work because it is raining. Stop by The Gardener Side and visit.
I have some of those same tools for getting personal with the weeds, including that hori hori knife. It is great for digging out even the most persistent weed.
But I am concerned that in a dark corner of your shed, a hoe cries to come out into the light! Maybe someday...
Thanks for joining in!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I NEED one of those Hori Hori knives. Only I have always called them (in my head) the Japanese gardening knife, so I must have seen them so named somewhere?
I have the dandelion digger, too, and it's wonderful. It's so satisfying feeling those loooong taproots "pop" and know that you can pull most of the root out easily after that.
Stopped by from Carol's. Your array of tools look quite handy and useful. I like the looks of the asparagus knife especially.
Have a great weekend.
Meems @ HOE and Shovel
Crafty Gardener: Heigh Hoe to you too (that's so clever!). I'll be right over to compare tools with you.
Carol: I think my problem with hoes might be that I haven't yet found the one that's perfect for me. I should probably test some different styles - maybe even start a small collection ;-) Thanks for the party - it was fun!
Blackswamp Girl: I got my Hori-Hori knife from Underwood Gardens a couple of years ago. I wonder if Hori-Hori means anything in Japanese or if it's a marketing gimmick? It has a really satisfying heft to it, and it's my second choice tool for digging out dandelions. You can slide the blade down next to the root and pop it out just like with the dandelion digger. The dandelion digger makes a neater incision though.
Meems: Anybody with a blog named Hoe & Shovel would absolutely have to participate in the Hoe Down ;-) Thanks for stopping by, and I'll be right over to visit you!
More precision dancing hoes! The dandelion diggers don't work as well here in Texas as they did in Illinois - too many rocks!
Will Carol be asking us to celebrate "Take Your Hoe to Work Day" next year?
Annie
Annie: Fortunately, I work at home so I could just prop it next to the computer. I can imagine you'd get strange looks (at least) from the security guards at some workplaces while trying to bring in a hoe. ;-)
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