No matter what kind of garden hoe you use, the most important thing is to keep it sharp. A sharp hoe will slice into soil and cut off weed roots much easier than a dull one, and you’ll expend less energy using it. How to sharpen a garden hoe

Draw hoes Eye hoe heads, some with sow-tooth ( German: Sauzahn), Centro Etnográfico de Soutelo de Montes, Pontevedra, Spain Cultivating tool, a push or thrust hoe Hoedad ( tree-planting tool) Kaibab National Forest, Arizona, USA Most hoe handles are about 5 ft. in length, which works for the average sized person. But if you are very tall, you may have to bend over too much to use a hoe that length, so look for a specially-made long-handled hoe. If you’re petite, a long hoe juts out and is unwieldy if you hold it toward the middle, and you may have to shorten your hoe handle to make it more comfortable to use.Quarters, Cindy. "What Is a Grubbing Hoe? (with pictures)". Home Questions Answered . Retrieved 2021-12-26. Annual Progress Report, September 1, 1984" (PDF). USAID. United States Agency for International Development . Retrieved 21 May 2015.

Bruns, Roger (2005). Cesar Chavez: A Biography. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. pp.91–92. ISBN 9780313334528 . Retrieved 29 October 2015. A draw hoe has a blade set at approximately a right angle to the shaft. The user chops into the ground and then pulls (draws) the blade towards them. Altering the angle of the handle can cause the hoe to dig deeper or more shallowly as the hoe is pulled. A draw hoe can easily be used to cultivate soil to a depth of several centimetres. A typical design of draw hoe, the "eye hoe", has a ring in the head through which the handle is fitted. [1] This design has been used since Roman times. Wakeley, Philip Carman (1954). Planting the Southern Pines. Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. pp.5, 134, 228–231. The Wilkinson Sword gardening tool collection is a totally unique, innovative range of products developed by E. P. Barrus Ltd; a British company with over 100 years trading experience. Barrus has a strong sales, distribution and engineering focus and is the power behind leading brands in the garden machinery and tools sector, marine, vehicle and industrial engine markets. Overton, Mark (1996). Agricultural Revolution in England: The Transformation of the Agrarian Economy 1500–1850. Cambridge University Press. pp.121–122. ISBN 0-521-56859-5.

The garden hoe — an essential tool

We explain the different types of garden hoes that are used in the United Kingdom. A hoe is a basic hand garden tool which comprises of some type of shaft and a blade for going through the soil. You would think it wouldn't be too complicated to find one of these and just buy it. California Ag Mechanics Tool ID Manual". CSU Chico College of Agriculture. California State University . Retrieved 14 May 2015. [ permanent dead link] Loudon, John (1871). The Horticulturist, Gardening in America Series. Applewood Books. p.84. ISBN 9781429013680 . Retrieved 14 May 2015. Wheel hoes are, as the name suggests, a hoe or pair of hoes attached to one or more wheels. The hoes are frequently interchangeable with other tools. [23] [24] The historic manufacturer of the wheel hoe was Planet JR, these wheel hoes are still produced by Hoss Tools. [25] E. P. Barrus Ltd is a family company co-owned with MTD Products, one of the largest producers of outdoor powered equipment in the world who are committed to producing high quality lawn and garden machinery including the popular brands of Lawnflite, WOLF-Garten and Cub Cadet; distributed in the UK by Barrus.

Deppe, Carol (5 Oct 2010). The Resilient Gardener: Food Production and Self-Reliance in Uncertain Times. White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing. p.101. ISBN 9781603583152 . Retrieved 14 June 2015. Clean the hoe after each use and sharpen it often. Apply a light coat of general purpose household lubricating oil to the blade before storing for winter to keep it from rusting and becoming dull. Now it will be all ready to go in the spring! Byczynski, Lynn (22 Feb 2008). The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers (2ed.). Vermont, USA: Chelsea Green Publishing. p.68. ISBN 978-1603580762. Horse hoes, resembling small ploughs, were a favourite implement of agricultural pioneer Jethro Tull, who claimed in his book "Horse Hoeing Husbandry" that "the horse-hoe will, in wide intervals, give wheat throughout all the stages of its life, as much nourishment as the discreet hoer pleases." [26] The modern view is that, rather than nutrients being released, the crop simply benefits from the removal of competing plants. [27] The introduction of the horse hoe, together with the better-known seed drill, brought about the great increase farming productivity seen during the British Agricultural Revolution. [28] The Oscillating hoe - Also known as a reciprocating hoe, this type of hoe has a blade that moves, and they use a scrubbing action, and again mainly used for weeding.a b Mrs. Loudon, Jane (1847). The Amateur Gardener's Calendar: a Monthly Guide, Etc. London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. p.64 . Retrieved 13 June 2015.

Adze hoes, with the basic hoe shape but heavier and stronger and with traditional uses in trail making. [30] The collinear hoe or collineal hoe has a narrow, razor-sharp blade which is used to slice the roots of weeds by skimming it just under the surface of the soil with a sweeping motion; [20] it is unsuitable for tasks like soil moving and chopping. It was designed by Eliot Coleman in the late 1980s. [21] Evans, Chris, “The Plantation Hoe: The Rise and Fall of an Atlantic Commodity, 1650–1850,” William and Mary Quarterly, (2012) 69#1 pp 71–100. Fork hoes (also known as prong hoes, [10] tined hoes, Canterbury hoes, drag forks or bent forks) are hoes that have two or more tines at right angles to the shaft. Their use is typically to loosen the soil, prior to planting or sowing. [11] Dutch hoe: This is the most common garden hoe and is often the easiest to use. Used standing upright, a Dutch hoe has a sharp, wide and open blade that skims just below the surface of the soil to sever weeds from their roots.The Dutch hoe - uses a shallow angled blade with a front cutting edge and used to remove weeds and to work between seedlings and established plants and shrubs How to Use a Grub Hoe". Easy Digging: Productive Tools for Garden and Farm . Retrieved 29 October 2015. This is the garden hoe I cursed as a child — the draw hoe. It is used with a drawing action: Chop into the soil, then pull or draw the head toward yourself and break up clods into the furrow. It’s a good all-purpose tool, but best for large-scale tasks, not fine details. A draw hoe works great for: Draw hoe: A draw hoe is one of the more basic options available. It has a small rectangular paddle that meets the handle at 90° and is used in an up-and-down chopping motion. The typical farming and gardening hoe with a heavy, broad blade and a straight edge is known as the Italian hoe, [2] grub hoe, grubbing hoe, azada (from Spanish), [3] [4] [5] grab hoe, [6] pattern hoe [7] or dago hoe [8] [9] (" dago" being an ethnic slur referring to Italians, Spaniards, or Portuguese).