I heart hoeing

For me at least, keeping the gardens weed-free is a goal and a never ending battle.  There isn’t much in between here at Trapper Creek, I have problem areas and easy areas.  For the most part I hoe between the rows (4′ centers) and then hand weed the actual vegetables.  I have a walk behind tiller, but I prefer to hoe – it is quieter and not near as aggravating.  And by this time of year, it is already a tight fit between the rows.  But by all means if you have a tiller and you like using it – go for it. 

This is what the garden looks like after hoeing and before hand weeding.  I like to hoe in the hot part of the day, to get a good scald (literally) on the weeds.  And if hoeing sounds like a prison camp sentence – you are using a hoe for the wrong job.  I am not out there chopping tall weeds, or hard packed dirt.  My hoe is sharpened on three sides and cuts like knife.  I am slicing the weeds off cleanly at the soil surface, and shallowly stirring the soil.  If you are using your tiller, set it a shallow depth, no need for deep tilling unless you are preparing your ground for planting.

Usually I just push the blade forward to dislodge these small weeds, and  then

pull back cutting off the larger weeds.  While I’m doing this, I am stirring the top inch or so of soil to expose any weeds just starting to germinate.

These tender weeds will die in the hot, summer sun.

If your hoe handle is the correct length, hoeing is easy on the back.  If you find it is giving you a backache, make some adjustments. 

With the blade sharp, I can easily reach near plants and slice off small weeds or use the hoe to pull them out.

This photo shows how moist my soil is about 3/4″ from the soil surface.  This is from natural rainfall, not irrigation.

These pictures show the good part of my garden where it is easy to hoe, there are some areas that are pretty scary – Ruthless and I hand weeds those.  Sigh, someday my hope is for it to all be this easy to weed!