How to
Find & Restore
A Classic Old Garden Hoe
A Downright Good
Modern Garden Hoe
Find & Restore
A Classic Old Garden Hoe
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| That's a jar of hoe-handle rub, made according to Pat Gorham's recipe. CLICK HERE to read (and see) a complete photo-tutorial on the subject of making your own handle rub. |
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| To Read all about Leo Sprauer's Hope hoe, and see more pictures, Click Here. |
A Downright Good
Modern Garden Hoe
There are a lot of different garden hoes on the market to choose from. I haven't tried them all but I've tried a few and the one I can most highly recommend to you is a DeWit D10 half-moon hoe as sold by Earth Tools. They advertise it as hand-forged, but it's not a truly hand-forged hoe. Nevertheless, it is a remarkably fine tool. Total length of the hoe is 74" long, and that long handle is a real plus.
I never realized the way a good hoe would make work so much easier. I found an old mostly worn out forged hoe for $5 at a flea market. It still has some life left in it though. My great grandfather always said the new hardware store hoes were junk and he was right. Thanks for a great site and a book that is worth its weight in gold---John
ReplyDeleteIn Gardening When It Counts, i believe Steve Solomon recommends used motor oil to protect the business ends of garden tools. I'm not too keen on then working used motor oil into my soil. What do you use to protect the metal parts of your hoes, shovels, etc? -Matt
ReplyDeleteMatt,
DeleteAt the end of the growing season, I typically wire-brush the metal part of the hoe to clean it, and the same hoe-handle rub used on the wood will coat and protect the metal.