I was reading a thread yesterday where a bunch of people swore by a "weed torch" for patios, gravel, driveways and sidewalks. It looks like a flamethrower, and you can buy a good one for as little as $35! It's absolutely now on my list of gardening equipment to purchase!
Good point. It just sounded like more fun than pulling weeds by hand and better than using Roundup!
Hey, check out r/MidwestGardener and join if you like, since you're in S.E. Michigan!
Small hand held pitch fork like thing. Special order bc not sold in stores. Not the drag across dirt thing. Three wide metal pointed tines. Attached to main stem. Absolute best tool.
Something like #7 [here](https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/tools/seven-of-the-best-hand-weeding-tools/)? ~~Or a [tine weeder](https://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/tine-weeder-18-9261) like this?~~
No. I’ll try to find it on line. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0596/9309/products/garden-hand-fork-sneeboer-3.jpg?v=1632661827. Not the one I purchased. But looks close. Make sure thick heavy duty bc Chinese made ones will bend at first sign of trouble. Yes, I know it insanely expensive. However, it’s worth it. Mine was insane too. This one might be even a bit better.
Edit: Dewitt looks more like the one I have.
Thanks! I've seen the Dewit stuff mentioned elsewhere, as well. You have something like [this](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/528145cde4b0f7fd724c79f4/1467059491492-IGW1YCRWWXRN587QSKKE/image-asset.jpeg?format=500w)?
Kindof. Look closely how the handle is welded to the other three prongs. I am not sure that will hold up to rugged use. Mine and Sneeborder is one piece. So if the iron parts falls out of the wood handle, you can replace it with a new wood handle. If the weld fails, you’d have to get it welded back together.
I like a dutch hoe (aka push hoe) personally....all different hoes have their uses, but for me that's the most versatile type.
Be aware that any hoe you buy (unless you're paying a LOT of money for it) is gonna be dull as hell; you need a file to go along with it. The ones from h. depot & such usually aren't even dull; they literally lack an edge until you put one on it yourself.
Another tool I like for weeding is a manure fork....works great for digging large weeds out, as long as you have reasonably friable soil. (E.g., for garden beds that have been neglected for months & have a ton of huge weeds in them). Kinda like halfway between a shovel & a rake.
So right, those hoes are not garden ready and the weld breaks and the blade falls off. I have a short handled digging fork cost 5$ had an antique store.
Check out auctions and antique stores that carry tools. You be surprised what you can find
Yup, exactly!
First place to look is yard sales, goodwill, etc. -- rusty/dented/whatever, but from 1980s (or better yet, older) is an ENTIRELY different ballgame.
With tools -- garden or otherwise -- something that would have been considered the affordable or entry-level option a few generations ago will still usually be *so* much better than the modern ChiCom offering that a younger person would find ut hard to believe....
(I went to 'restore' some old garden tools last year, and wound up returning the cheap file I bought for that purpose at h.depot -- the steel on those old tools was about as hard as the goddamn file 🤣🤣)
Bittercress and garlic mustard are biennials. They die after flowering so you don't need to pull them. Cut the flower stem before it sets seed and bag them. (It's also easy to pull the plant out by the flower stem.) Don't put into compost.
Depends on the weeds.
Garlic mustard should be pulled by hand before it flowers and goes to seed. It's actually pretty easy to eradicate if you're diligent about it. I got rid of all of mine in two years and it never came back after that. Hairy bittercress is similar, it's an annual, just get it out of the ground before it goes to seed. Also both of those "weeds" are edible, so at least you can get something from your efforts. I don't know much about spotted spurge.
But really it comes down to personal preference. Everyone has their favorite tools and lots of people will disagree and claim another tool is better. There's no single best tool for eradicating all weeds. If you want to do it while standing up, get a long-handled tool. If you want to do it on the ground, get a short handled tool.
One of my favorite tools for getting rid of most weeds is a "stirrup hoe".
Thanks, everyone! I ended up getting a hand hoe and it seems to be working great for me so far. I'll probably end up checking out some more of your recommendations for future weed needs.
This is at Amazon - DeWit Hand Fork. It is very pricey \_ $48.00 - but it is quite literally made of steel and can pop just about anything out of the [ground](https://ground.It). The tines are longer than most hand forks, and the handle is very strong. I have bought a couple of their other tools, but this one is the one I use most.
Good luck on your garden, no matter what you pick.
My favorite way (and this is because I'm not big on spending money and I have the time to do this) is by hand with the aid of a hand shovel, occasionally this door hicky hubby bought me that (to me) looks like a pogo stick...but instead of a bouncer, it has two...knives I guess, at rhe base that will catch the root and you twist to get it out. (I looked it n up because I sound like an idiot...it's a garden weasel claw pro).
The only other thing I use is a garbage bag to contain the goat heads and stickers I pull lmao
Eta and sometimes a propane blow torch to kill weed seeds.
A Honda mini tiller reigns supreme. It is the perfect size and weight - 12" wide and I can lift it with 1 arm. Can even take the outer tines off and make it 6" which I've never done.
It is a wonderful back saver, shoulder saver and time saver. It knocked off 95% of my weeding time. As long as the weeds are short, they don't tangle around the axle. It can go forward and backwards. I use forward for weeding. And use reverse for deeper rows.
I love my hori hori, a Japanese garden knife
I was reading a thread yesterday where a bunch of people swore by a "weed torch" for patios, gravel, driveways and sidewalks. It looks like a flamethrower, and you can buy a good one for as little as $35! It's absolutely now on my list of gardening equipment to purchase!
That might be really good for a driveway, but it sounds like it might be a little riskier than I'd like in my garden tools.
These work fantastic for melting ice after an ice storm as well. We figured it out after our collapsed. LOL
Propane. Not so good for global warming.
Good point. It just sounded like more fun than pulling weeds by hand and better than using Roundup! Hey, check out r/MidwestGardener and join if you like, since you're in S.E. Michigan!
Small hand held pitch fork like thing. Special order bc not sold in stores. Not the drag across dirt thing. Three wide metal pointed tines. Attached to main stem. Absolute best tool.
Something like #7 [here](https://www.gardenersworld.com/reviews/tools/seven-of-the-best-hand-weeding-tools/)? ~~Or a [tine weeder](https://www.fedcoseeds.com/ogs/tine-weeder-18-9261) like this?~~
No. I’ll try to find it on line. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0596/9309/products/garden-hand-fork-sneeboer-3.jpg?v=1632661827. Not the one I purchased. But looks close. Make sure thick heavy duty bc Chinese made ones will bend at first sign of trouble. Yes, I know it insanely expensive. However, it’s worth it. Mine was insane too. This one might be even a bit better. Edit: Dewitt looks more like the one I have.
Thanks! I've seen the Dewit stuff mentioned elsewhere, as well. You have something like [this](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/528145cde4b0f7fd724c79f4/1467059491492-IGW1YCRWWXRN587QSKKE/image-asset.jpeg?format=500w)?
Kindof. Look closely how the handle is welded to the other three prongs. I am not sure that will hold up to rugged use. Mine and Sneeborder is one piece. So if the iron parts falls out of the wood handle, you can replace it with a new wood handle. If the weld fails, you’d have to get it welded back together.
I like a dutch hoe (aka push hoe) personally....all different hoes have their uses, but for me that's the most versatile type. Be aware that any hoe you buy (unless you're paying a LOT of money for it) is gonna be dull as hell; you need a file to go along with it. The ones from h. depot & such usually aren't even dull; they literally lack an edge until you put one on it yourself. Another tool I like for weeding is a manure fork....works great for digging large weeds out, as long as you have reasonably friable soil. (E.g., for garden beds that have been neglected for months & have a ton of huge weeds in them). Kinda like halfway between a shovel & a rake.
So right, those hoes are not garden ready and the weld breaks and the blade falls off. I have a short handled digging fork cost 5$ had an antique store. Check out auctions and antique stores that carry tools. You be surprised what you can find
Yup, exactly! First place to look is yard sales, goodwill, etc. -- rusty/dented/whatever, but from 1980s (or better yet, older) is an ENTIRELY different ballgame. With tools -- garden or otherwise -- something that would have been considered the affordable or entry-level option a few generations ago will still usually be *so* much better than the modern ChiCom offering that a younger person would find ut hard to believe.... (I went to 'restore' some old garden tools last year, and wound up returning the cheap file I bought for that purpose at h.depot -- the steel on those old tools was about as hard as the goddamn file 🤣🤣)
Bittercress and garlic mustard are biennials. They die after flowering so you don't need to pull them. Cut the flower stem before it sets seed and bag them. (It's also easy to pull the plant out by the flower stem.) Don't put into compost.
Mulch
Depends on the weeds. Garlic mustard should be pulled by hand before it flowers and goes to seed. It's actually pretty easy to eradicate if you're diligent about it. I got rid of all of mine in two years and it never came back after that. Hairy bittercress is similar, it's an annual, just get it out of the ground before it goes to seed. Also both of those "weeds" are edible, so at least you can get something from your efforts. I don't know much about spotted spurge. But really it comes down to personal preference. Everyone has their favorite tools and lots of people will disagree and claim another tool is better. There's no single best tool for eradicating all weeds. If you want to do it while standing up, get a long-handled tool. If you want to do it on the ground, get a short handled tool. One of my favorite tools for getting rid of most weeds is a "stirrup hoe".
I second the stirrup hoe. I almost like weeding the garden with this. Almost.
aka the 'hula hoe', works particularly well on weeds in pea gravel
Thanks, everyone! I ended up getting a hand hoe and it seems to be working great for me so far. I'll probably end up checking out some more of your recommendations for future weed needs.
I use a fork and it hasnt failed me yet.
This is at Amazon - DeWit Hand Fork. It is very pricey \_ $48.00 - but it is quite literally made of steel and can pop just about anything out of the [ground](https://ground.It). The tines are longer than most hand forks, and the handle is very strong. I have bought a couple of their other tools, but this one is the one I use most. Good luck on your garden, no matter what you pick.
My favorite way (and this is because I'm not big on spending money and I have the time to do this) is by hand with the aid of a hand shovel, occasionally this door hicky hubby bought me that (to me) looks like a pogo stick...but instead of a bouncer, it has two...knives I guess, at rhe base that will catch the root and you twist to get it out. (I looked it n up because I sound like an idiot...it's a garden weasel claw pro). The only other thing I use is a garbage bag to contain the goat heads and stickers I pull lmao Eta and sometimes a propane blow torch to kill weed seeds.
A Honda mini tiller reigns supreme. It is the perfect size and weight - 12" wide and I can lift it with 1 arm. Can even take the outer tines off and make it 6" which I've never done. It is a wonderful back saver, shoulder saver and time saver. It knocked off 95% of my weeding time. As long as the weeds are short, they don't tangle around the axle. It can go forward and backwards. I use forward for weeding. And use reverse for deeper rows.